How to Plan a Web Business

Plan your web business by researching what licenses you may need.

Planning a web business takes a lot of legwork. You will need to determine everything you will need to get your online business up and running. Start by writing a business plan. Outline your business plan by including competitive research, operating policies you will need to follow and required insurance. You should also plan to obtain copies of your credit report in case you need financial assistance. Establish financial goals for yourself such as how much you want to make your first few years in business. Determine what steps you must take to achieve those financial goals.

Things You'll Need

• Vendor's license
• DBA (doing business as)
• Computer
• Internet access
• Business plan
• Merchant account

Instructions

1. Apply for a vendor's license and DBA (doing business as) through your state's secretary of state. Use your fictitious business name as your DBA, according to Business.gov.

2. Withdraw money from a savings account to finance your web business. Apply for a loan through your bank if you need additional funding.

3. Select what types of products you want to sell online. Pick products that are unique and not readily available at the store. Create an online store concept that is different from your competitors. Sell products at lower prices, for example, or products that are different than competitive products. Add an option for quicker shipments.

4. Read business opportunity magazines such as "Business Opportunities" and "Home Business" to see if there are any web franchises available. Find out what wholesale or manufacturer suppliers are available for your web business. Check the Tradepub.com website for free trade publications. Order some of these trade publications, then peruse them for potential wholesale suppliers. Reference the Thomasnet.com website for potential American manufacturer suppliers.

5. Search sites such as Yahoo.com and Webs.com for various free website templates. Select the website template that you want for your web business.

6. Create a potential domain or URL for your web business. Check sites such as Godaddy.com or Register.com to see if that domain name is available. Register your domain name. Plan on finding a host for your website. Use Yahoo.com or Godaddy.com. Pay for your first year of hosting in advance, then budget the renewal of your hosting fee each year.

7. Budget money for your web site advertising. Allocate funds toward different types of advertising: Search engines, magazine or newspaper advertising. Talk to search engine specialists about costs associated with search engine optimization. Plan to optimize your site so you can quickly increase web traffic that way.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider what shipping options you will use. Some suppliers will ship products for you. Having someone ship your products will free up time for placing ads and growing your business.

References

• Business Know-How: Find Suppliers for Your Business
• Business.gov: Business Licenses and Permits
• Small Business Administration: Finance Start-Up
• Small Business Administration: Write a Business Plan
• Business.gov: Business Name Registration (Doing Business As)

Resources

• Tradepub.com: Source for Trade Publications
• Go Daddy: Domain Name and Host Source
• Enom.com: Domain Name Source
• Thomasnet.com: American Manufacturer Resource
• Webs.com: Free Website Templates