Make money online
Posts Tagged ‘web business’
Friends and relatives - to work with them or not?
Thursday, April 16th, 2009I started my small web business 2 years ago. I had to save money for few months to be able to pay for all the taxes to establish my small “web entity” into a real business one. Work was hard, as it still is, but the results started showing. My family had some more money for the every day life, while I was able to spend some more online to get better hosting plans, maybe a new script for a new site etc.
As you can imagine most of the people who knew me started getting ideas. The ‘best” one came from a relative who doesn’t even call to tell me happy birthday when he should do this, but who was interested in getting into MY business as soon as he heard about my new status.
As an associate.
Start low or get a 200K loan?
Monday, September 29th, 2008Some days ago I read an article about people who start a web business and might want to get investors interested in their project. The number used there was 200,000 USD (we can take less or more, in the end we talk about money we don’t have and need others to give it). For a new web business this capital is important: you can develop faster and, with a good business plan, you can also re-pay and then develop “solo”.
My question to myself and now to you (since you stumbled across my article) would be: “Would I really want to get in such a debt to start my business?”
As I always like to have “lists” of pros and cons, I’ll try to solve this the same way and invite you to also add up if you have more ideas.
Starting with a 200K USD investment (bank loan or people who help out with the money)
PROS:
- I have the money needed to kickstart the business. I can afford promotion, a nice office, a good looking car, employees
- If I know how to make the business work this initial capital can build up nicely and I could get a very good profit. I can then repay any debt and then be free.
- The big loan might be an incentive for me to work more so that I make the business grow fast.
CONS:
How to attract clients: would you like to drive this?
Sunday, April 27th, 2008Would you like to drive this car? What of you had access to it from the moment you take driving lessons? Would you like to learn how to drive on such a car?
I have a client who is a driving instructor in my city and he taught me how to drive too. He would be our example of the best way to drive clients to your door as a business. He’s done it and maybe we can learn from his experience too, about how to offer our clients something that would make them COME to us and WANT to work with us.
He is a “crazy” guy, he just bought a Peugeot 307 Coupe (135 HP) and he’s using it as a “school car” for the clients who want to learn how to drive a car. And let me tell you: THEY ALL WANT TO DRIVE THIS BABY.
He started with a small car that has no value (as compared to this one). Then he got better cars and he realized that clients are picky and want more and more for their money. 6 months ago, when I took driving lessons he used a Volkswagen Passat car (a great one too) and the reason I chose him (from all the instructors he had there on all kinds of cars) was the fact I’d be able to drive such a nice car.
Sure, in the end I had to learn how to use a car in the city, but I got something more: the chance to “ride” an over 100 horse-power engine on an “almost luxurious car”. It was a blast: a good car is a pleasure to drive.
After some months that “maniac” took his business to an even greater level: got a “jewel” of a car, a coupe that looks amazing and attracts people like a magnet. I drove that “baby” and let me tell you I was in huge ecstasy. Now, he’s not teaching people how to drive (as tens of other similar firms do in my city only), he’s the ONLY one to let his students drive a convertible. Even if the car will have to suffer (it wasn’t new, it cost 13 thousand Euro, just like my new Opel Corsa, 90HP), he’ll be able to make lots of money to cover the car’s “use” and also bring way more clients to his school and secure a good profit.
What did he teach me and all of us now, since you know the story too? That in this business world thinking outside the box and offering something better and different can be the secret to success. Such a “perk” drives people to your door. It brings you recognision (you’re the “crazy” one to offer this and that) and clients who’d kill to work with you.
The only thing is to be able to understand what might make your business special and “push it”.
Is a small business pathetic?
Saturday, April 5th, 2008Years ago I started a small site about Karate. It was called Dojo.ro (from that I created my brand: Dojo Design) and was just a small creation of a woman with too much time on her hand. After 6 years Dojo.ro has a lot of brothers and sisters (new sites in the network) and 1 year ago Dojo Design became the name of a small web design firm. MINE.
I recall years ago a thread in one of the big webmaster forums I like to be a part of, when someone made fun of another member implying how pathetic a small apartment business is. If I remember it well it was something like “oh, so you are so tough, working from your momma’s basement”.
What’s wrong with having a small firm?
I know most people would like having a huge building (maybe something like the Empire State Building, since we don’t have the Twin Towers anymore), with hundreds of floors and at least 20 thousand employees (just as many as Yahoo seems to have fired lately). We’d be running an empire and feel good about ourselves.
Is this a VIABLE option for most of us when we start up? It is, you can get a huge loan and pay it for the rest of your life and have your grandkids pay monthly rates till the end of their lives too (that if you’d find any bank stupid enough to give you so much money).
My way to see a portfolio …
Friday, March 7th, 2008I seem to have started posting quite some messages in here. Maybe I’ll make it a good habit 
Anyway .. back to the task at hand. I just started a topic in the forums about ways people present sites in their online portfolios. To quote my list:
1. each site has his own page in the portfolio, some description, clickable link to it and a snapshot (that’s how dojodesign.ro will have them in few days when I have the time to finish redesigning it)
2. a list with information and clickable links
3. just a list of links
4. just images
Which do you find better? (more…)
