My wife has been operating her eBay business now for about 3 years. I have watched her progress with great interest; the jubilation and sometimes her utter frustration. Her original intention was (and to an extent, still is) to build a successful business to add to her other business interests. Whilst personally, becoming a member of the eBay community has never really set my pulse racing, I have no doubt that for some, the business can prove lucrative and sometimes, fun.As with any new business you are proposing to get into, it is important to have a plan. Yes, the plan can be modified with the benefit of experience, but it really helps to determine in your own mind, what you want to achieve from the business at the outset and how you are going to achieve your goals. This is as important with eBaying as it is with any other start up home based business.It seems to me there are predominantly three types of eBayer profiles:First we have the “dabblers”. These are people who enjoy the experience of selling the odd item here and there. The items they list are usually sourced from a clear-out of the attic, children’s bedroom and garage etc. Expectations in terms of earnings are usually very modest and if they end up getting a few dollars for unwanted items and at the same time de-clutter the house, well the exercise is worthwhile and satisfying. The dabbler usually has no ambition to take the business any further. In essence, eBaying from time to time, is a hobby.Next we have the person with slightly more ambition; someone who wants or needs to make a part-time income from the business. This could be a work at home mom or someone who is already working for an employer part-time and wants to continue to earn the same level of income, but working for themselves at home. For such people, the need is to sell items on a daily or regular basis; therefore, the challenge is to find a product or products which are in demand. For example, my wife is very smart at making girl’s dresses and she also knits really nice sweaters. She also sources kid’s necklaces and bracelets. These product lines form the basis of a nice little income. I think the point about the products you sell is that you don’t necessarily have to sell manufactured items. If you have a talent for making or creating things, why not put those talents to good use.Lastly, we have the Powerseller or wannabe Powerseller. These are people or organisations that are deadly serious about making as much money as they can from their eBay business. A new level of sophistication comes into play; bulk purchasing of products, storage facilities, often a fully customised e-commerce website and a finely tuned marketing strategy. Given the number of sales the powerseller makes, some prefer to use the services of a drop-shipper i.e. they outsource the order fulfillment side of the business to concentrate on marketing their products. They have also developed their own product niche and of course, made sure their pricing strategy is highly competitive. The professional powerseller is always mindful of his reputation and therefore has to maintain a high feedback rating (as near to 100% as possible). Yes, make no mistake, some powersellers make a very good living indeed, but the demands of being in the top echelon of eBay, in terms of time, commitment and energy are not going to be for everyone, even if they do have sufficient business acumen.So, if you have been contemplating becoming an eBay seller, which category do you think you might fit into?
A Guide on Successful Product Creation and Internet Marketing
Product creation in Internet marketing is getting stiffer and stiffer nowadays owing to tough competition between Internet-based businesses. Putting up a new product requires plenty of brainpower and finances along with an ability to take risk. With that, even if you have the product well-set already, you have to position it strategically in the Internet landscape for others to notice. You should get the interest of Web users and turn them to actual customers. Aside from the usual physical products, many different products that thrive well on Internet marketing include E-books, membership sites, and video lectures.
The long and difficult process of product creation begins with ideas. They are easy to get – compared to the effort that comes with analyzing the market for that idea. Before the idea turns to a product, businesses often spend money, even amounting to millions of dollars, to ensure the success of the new product that emerges from an idea. Businesses undertake many types of market research and surveys before releasing their products to the public. Now, you may think that because your business is small, you can’t afford research or you don’t have to do research; you can and you should. The Internet allows you to disseminate materials needed for your market study to many people at once without your having to spend a cent.
It is a common maxim in business: Look at your destination first before mapping out your journey. So what are the goals you intend to accomplish with your product creation ventures? The everyday travails of your business may make you forget the end in sight. On the other hand, prepare to entertain new developments that come to your mind in your product creation. Your conception of a product may have started this way, but a few tweaks here and there along with some market research results and it ends up another way. Take it as the result of a creative process, not as a failure to reach your goal. After all, your product creation activities are intertwined with a long-term goal that you should strive to sustain at your utmost: profit generation. So if your less profitable initial idea evolves to a more profitable product, be thankful!
With your product made up already, start doing some aggressive Internet marketing. A product purchase typically comes after more than five times a customer is exposed to an informative call-to-buy message. Thus it is important to get the contact details, like the e-mail address, of potential customers who are on the brink of a sale. Use the results of your market research to determine the demographics to which you should concentrate your marketing efforts.
With consistent product creation, you can make an inventory of your products that you can market in due time. Just keep making products – the moment you succeed in making and marketing a product, customers are surely wanting more from you, so give it to them. Keep them on your side through constant product creation.
Christian Women Home Based Business Can Allow You to Contribute to the Family Income
A large number of Christian women today are eager to work from home in order to supplement their family income. A Christian women home based business can be a great idea for women who want to be able to provide for their children and want to raise them comfortably. Since we live in a society where the cost of living is constantly rising it has become for both parents to work in order to handle their monthly expenses. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of good business opportunities that will allow women to work from home and provide for their family in an easy, manageable way.
Working from Home is Easier than A Job
One of the main reasons why a lot of women today are considering starting their own Christian women home based business is because of the fact that it is easier than a job. With a 9 to 5 job, you will have very inflexible hours and you would be working away from home. You will have to deal with the commute every day and will have to arrange for babysitting service for your kids. On the other hand, working from home will allow you to stay with your kids and take care of them. You will also have flexible work hours so that managing home and business would be less stressful for you. You will be able to juggle both efficiently and earn a lot more than a normal job if you select the right business and work hard.
A Business Can Provide You Financial Independence
A Christian women home based business will provide you the kind of financial freedom that you always wanted. Rather than trying to make ends meet each month and worrying about how to pay your next bill, you will be bringing home more income and will have a comfortable lifestyle. However, you should know that starting a business is not an easy job. There are several things that you will have to think about and will have to take care of if you really want to be successful. You will need conviction, faith and persistence in order to be able to make it work for you. Have faith in God and things would work out.
You will first have to find out a good business opportunity. Select a business that you are interested in or have some knowledge about so that it would be easier and more enjoyable for you. Discuss it with your family so that they would know more about your business idea and would be able to support you in your decisions. You can start Christian women home based business part time to get a feel of it and then start working full time once you learn how to manage your time better.