Website to start a business

Steps

Part 1

1. Think about what product or services you want to offer. This is going to be number one on your list for starting a business website.
   • For example, you might want to start a website to sell a craft item, beauty product, tool, or other product that you make.
   • You might also be offering a service, such as dog walking, lawn service, house cleaning, or law consulting.
   • Depending on what type of business you want to start, your target customer will be different.
2. Consider your target audience. Think about the age group and gender of the customers you are likely to get.
   • For example, if you are selling beauty products for women you will want to target your business towards women and teen girls.
   • If you are offering a service such as lawn maintenance or house cleaning, your target customer will likely be adults that own their own homes or property.
   • The model of your website and how you advertise will depend highly on your target customer.
   • You will need to target your product and hours of service to your target customer. For example, if your target customer is likely to be working a typical 9-5 job, it might be beneficial to offer your service on weekends etc.
3. Make sure you have any licenses you will need to operate your business. Do some research about this if you aren't sure.
   • For example, if you are starting a contractors business you will need a contractors license.
   • If you are operating a house cleaning, lawn maintenance, or other service business you might need insurance.
   • Make sure your business doesn't require a permit to operate in your town. Even though your advertising and customer communication will probably all be online, if you are offering a service you might need a local permit.
   • Check with your local municipality or city for this information.
4. Think about what type of start-up funds you will need. You might need to secure a small loan or have savings to start your business.
   • Write up a spreadsheet of expected costs. This is the best way to estimate how much money you will need to start your business.
   • Once you know what type of web-hosting service you will use, you will need to calculate how much this company will charge in monthly fees. These are usually very affordable and many free web-hosting services are available.
   • Estimate how much you will need to purchase materials to make your product and how much shipping costs will be for you.
   • If you are providing a service, factor in the cost of transportation within your area of operation.
   • For example, if you have a grass cutting business and are offering landscaping and grass cutting services, you will want to estimate costs for your equipment (lawnmowers, trucks, weed trimmers), maintenance on vehicles and equipment, transportation costs (mileage for work vehicles and cost of fuel in your area of operation) etc.