How do you start an online home-based business?

Answer by  idiotjones (705)

The best place for this is eBay and relate sites. Once you list your items, you'll get a feel for what sells and what doesn't this will help you refine your business. At this point you should open a web store via eBay or Amazon. Once you know your product will sell, pay a developer to make a unique website.

Answer by  Tigger (40)

Starting an online business should be just like launching a brick and mortar business. A quick three step: 1. One page business plan 2. One page marketing plan 3. Online store website. Research all online companies where you can get a website for a monthly fee.

Answer by  Dean (4035)

The key to any successful business, onlineo or otherwise, is a detailed business plan. This will help you understand the market, requirements, capital needs and how to identify your customer. More than 90% of businesses that fail have/had no business plan.

Answer by  belle39 (966)

First get a professional to build your website, and include pictures and descriptions of your crafts, prices, background information on yourself and a section where customers can purchase the crafts. Also seek out business grants from local non-profit organizations, Small Business Adminisration and government agencies. Finally, promote your business by attending trade shows, passing out flyers and doing media interviews.

Answer by  mediamaven (579)

A good place to start is to select a name and do research to see if that name is currently being used by another company, secondly, do research on potential competitor's pricing and service, and finally, research to find the most compatible form of "payment" for customers (i.e., credit card, online check, PayPal, etc.).

Answer by  Scot (591)

To start the business, egin by creating a website where customers can puchase products. To facilitate the purchases, offer the option of paying via PayPal. Also, consider advertising on banners on other websites or search engines.

Answer by  tamarawilhite (17883)

Start by selling your products on websites like or . If you begin to generate sales, you can consider opening your own online store, keeping the original auction site and setting up a "store" on it. This is the cheapest form of sales online, since you don't have to spend thousands on a website that may not receive visitors.