What do you need to start an online business? It’s likely that you already have most of the tools you need to start an online business. You’re just missing a few subtle details and perhaps knowing how to create a website, set up online payments, and market your product. That’s okay; we can help with that!
We’ve developed Burner for small business owners, sole proprietors, marketers, and everybody in between to be able to not only balance their work and personal lives but also to give them all a way to organize their business endeavors, contacts, and communications. Aside from getting yourself a Burner phone number, however, here’s what to know about starting your own online business in 2021.
Find the right products to sell
Starting an online business is a bit different than starting a traditional business in that, more often than not, you’re going to be looking to sell simple products online. Whether you’re interested in selling digital products, clothing, or even food products, you’ll need to ensure that there’s a market for what you’re selling. Here are over 100 eCommerce ideas, to begin with, that are based on influencer and marketing trends.
Conduct market research
If you’ve found what you’re going to sell online, it’s time to conduct thorough market research. We’d suggest starting with a competitive analysis. Check out other online stores selling what you plan to sell. What do their websites look like? How are they pricing their offers? Who are most of their clients? Then, dig deeper into their target audiences. You’ll need to understand where they are, their income, how they behave online, and if the current market isn’t providing them with something you can.
Take care of legal business
Now, it’s time to take care of the boring legal business of starting an online business (or any business for that matter). First, we recommend checking with your Secretary of State regarding registering your business name and other local legal issues, including taxes. You’ll need to understand the rules of selling online to various states and what you require in terms of taxes.
As well, they’ll be able to help you understand how your products are taxed. If you’re going to trademark your brand, now is the time to do so as well. Then, take a look at shipping restrictions, payment gateway rules, and whether or not you need a local permit for storing inventory in some area (including your home).
Develop an online presence
You’ve taken care of all of the boring stuff, and now it’s time to actually start an online business! Depending on what you’re selling and how you’re selling it, you might look into dropshipping platforms or eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce (which connects to WordPress).
Lucky for you, creating an online store in 2021 is easier than ever, with pre-built websites ready for you to drag and drop your content into. You can use stock photos from places such as Pexels and Unsplash and even create your own graphics and branding material for free in Canva, which is also great for social media content.
Learn how to stay productive
Want to know how to start an online business? Learn how to be productive and stay productive even when you don’t want to. To stay more productive, make sure you have the tools you need to own and operate a business. Then, during your day-to-day routine, try to focus on cutting your to-do list in half. Combine tasks or offload tasks that you’re able to give to someone else. Looking at a shorter, more concise to-do list can help you stay productive.
Take 30 minutes in the morning to organize your day, answer emails, and get into a space where you can work uninterrupted. It also helps to take care of big tasks before lunch so that you’re not bogged down by the mid-afternoon slump.
Drive traffic to your online store
You’ve got your store set up! Congratulations! Now, it’s time to drive traffic to your store. You can do this via paid ads on Google or social media. Or, you can use other marketing tactics like SEO, email newsletters, lead generation, or outreach via platforms such as LinkedIn. Your tactics will vary depending on your business model and your budget.
We’d suggest at least starting to build a blog that’s optimized for SEO and creating profiles on social media. From there, people will begin to know and interact with your brand. However, paying for ads during a launch is also a fantastic idea. You’ll only pay when people click on your ad, making it one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing for smaller, online businesses.
Measure your success
When you start selling products online, you’ll want to begin to measure your success. This will be important now and in the future as your metrics will guide your business evolution. If something works well, you’ll continue to do more of that. Likewise, if something’s not working well, you need to know that in order to make adjustments to your strategy. Some key metrics to measure when starting out are website visits, conversion rate, average time spent on the site, and average order value.
Stay balanced with a Burner number
Learning how to start an online business can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be as long as you’re armed with the right tips and tools. Start your business journey with a free Burner number so that you can begin to organize your business contacts while also learning to balance your life as a brand new entrepreneur with your personal life.
Get started today and search for your free second phone number (with any area code that you want).
