How Long Does it Take to Start a Successful Internet Business?
It Depends on how Successful you Want to Be.
Starting an Internet Business could take just a few days depending on how much you enjoy sleep. The 2007 World Bank “Doing Business” economic data reports that it takes 5 days to start a business in the United States, 2 days in Australia and 77 days if you’re stuck in Iraq. Starting a SUCCESSFUL Internet business may take a little bit more work. Technology grants us the opportunity to start a business on a shoestring, but the competition is immense. A business without customers isn’t going to get very far. Planning is paramount.
Let’s define “start.” Mere web presence is not the start of a successful business. Every business must have a plan, and creating a thoroughly researched business plan is crucial to any successful beginning. This could take a couple days or a couple years. You should first be able to describe your business in one sentence. Then you need to develop your revenue sources, market analysis, services and products, pricing strategies, profit and loss statements, marketing and sales strategies, strategic planning, growth and exit strategies, legal structure, proprietary information and, yes, even on the Internet, location, location, location. The plan doesn’t have to be professionally written, but it does have to be thoroughly researched. Moreover, you, the business owner, should be the one thinking it out since you will be making the business decisions.
Not every Internet business requires you to have a website. There are many options available for you to have a business working from home using information or advertising from another website. If you are a web guru, then you’re way ahead of the game. If you have some capital to invest, you can hire a website developer. There are many free website building tools on the web, but they often come with limitations. Many companies offer services that create and host your website. Your domain name is a factor in determining your volume of traffic, so it is important to spend time choosing the right one. Rushing your website development will stunt your growth. If you truly want to be successful, spend time optimizing your site.
Once your website is ready for trial and you have found a hosting site, you have to announce your arrival to the search engines and find some traffic. This can be done through search engine submission, pay-per-click advertising on search engines, listings with directories, posting blogs, and press releases announcing your presence and a variety of other creative methods. Ideally, you should have a marketing strategy that announces your website presence in a variety of formats. Once the search engines have indexed and you have a good solid plan, a quality website, and quality products and services, it’s uphill from there.
So how long did that take? The World Bank says five days - they didn’t say if the business was successful. Take the time to plan and develop. The more solid your foundation of your internet business the longer you will stand. The best time to start that foundation is now.
