Online Business Startup: The entrepreneur's guide to launching a fast, lean and profitable online

287 Pages·2011·1.72 MB·English

by  Waite Robin.

Contents
Title Page
Praise
Dedication
Foreword
Introduction
PART ONE – STRATEGY
Step 1 – Choosing Your Company Name and Registering Your Business
Step 2 – Logo Design, Branding and Colour Schemes
Step 3 – Accounting and Bookkeeping
Step 4 – Business Planning
Step 5 – A Website without a Business Model or Strategy
Step 6 – Aims, Objectives and Goal Setting
Step 7 – Proposals and Deadlines
Step 8 – Creating a Scalable Online Business
Step 9 – Marketing Strategy
Step 10 – Strategy for Change
PART TWO – WEBSITE
Step 1 – How to Find Great Web Design Agency
Step 2 – Be Realistic about your Feature Set
Step 3 – How Much Does a Website Cost?
Step 4 – Bespoke Design vs Great Themes / Templates
Step 5 – Don’t Mention WordPress during the Pitch
Step 6 – Finding Inspiration in Other Websites
Step 7 – I Thought You Would Write My Content For Me
Step 8 – Setting Customer Expectations Post Launch
Step 9 – What Happens If My Web Designer Gets Hit By A Bus?
Step 10 – Launching Your Website
PART THREE – SITE LAUNCH CHECKLIST
PART FOUR – REVIEW
Step 1 – Why Review Your Own Website?
Step 2 – What Are We Testing For?
Step 3 – The Seven Best Tools for Auditing Your Website for FREE
Step 4 – Google Analytics
PART FIVE – SOCIAL MEDIA
Introduction to Social Media
Step 1 – Facebook
Step 2 – Twitter
Step 3 – Google+
Step 4 – LinkedIn
Step 5 – Content Strategy
Step 6 – Scheduling and Automation Strategy
Step 7 – Sprout Social
Step 8 – Hootsuite
Step 9 – Buffer
Step 10 – Klout
Closing Thoughts
Resources
Reading List
About the Author
Copyright
Praise “Rob’s book Online Business
Startup is a refreshing read for any serious
business owner. Rather than jumping right
into tactics, he takes you by the hand and
helps you explore what would actually
benefit your business in a positive sense.
Rob offers a great wealth of details so that
business owners and entrepreneurs are
empowered to make the right choices to
gain visibility online. Highly
recommended!”
Alex Rodríguez, author of Digital BACON: Make Your Online Presence Irresistibly Attractive “Rob
in this book demystifies starting an online business and his approach is simple yet detailed and effective. An
easy read that will help you to grow your online business.”
Darshana Ubl – Businesswoman, Investor and Spokesperson for Small Business “Many new
business owners get excited about starting their business, but fall into the trap of running before they can
walk and set up a website without really understanding what their business is about. This book clearly
explains the start up considerations all new businesses need to look into for setting up their online business,
from thinking about their structure, name, logo, branding, finances through to eventually getting themselves
online. It includes lots of useful tips and advice and is a fantastic guide for any entrepreneur.”
Monica Or, Founder of Star Quality Hospitality Consultancy.
“I wish I had met Robin before I started my business as he would have
minimised my stress and hard work significantly. This guy knows business
strategy and the fine detail of getting set up in business. This book is a bible for
the modern day business owner and covers absolutely everything that you need
to know. I would certainly encourage anyone thinking of starting a business to
read this book first. It is laid out in a simple format and very easy to understand.
To make what seems to be a complicated process actually very simple, I have
found that Robin’s experience and guidance makes business life a whole lot
easier. Thank you for this great book.
Paul Miller, Founder, Move Play Explore “What a great book! Perfect for someone like me who’s
looking to start or grow an online business. All too often you find books on this subject are full of the
‘what’, but give very little of the ‘how’. Not this one! Robin has been generous with his knowledge and
expertise, offering great reminders of business basics, in addition to his step by step process for online
success. If your dream is to have a ‘fast, lean & profitable online business’ and you’re looking for easy to
read, practical guidance, buy this book.”
Marianne Page, Author of Process to Profit “If you can’t launch a successful online business after
reading this book, then perhaps you should stick to your day job. The author doesn’t beat around the bush
and goes straight to the point; the book is concise and refreshingly easy to read.”
Michael Serwa, Author of From Good To Amazing: No Bullshit Tips for The Life You Always
Wanted
To my wife for her unending support, love and understanding. To my brother
Matt, for his inspiration and energy. To Mum for her faith and encouragement.
To my daughter Poppy for her smiles and happiness. And finally to Dad: you are
remembered every day and always.
FOREWORD
As you are reading this, you may be wondering why you should read this book. I
wish I had read this book seven years ago. I am going to tell you exactly how
this book would have saved me thousands of pounds and sleepless nights if only
I had read it when I was setting up my business.
To start with, I made a massive mistake when naming my company and I am still
paying the price for this. Online Business Startup shows you what you must and
mustn’t do.
Secondly, I didn’t have a capable web designer who cared what my business was
about, he just wanted to build a website. I paid the price and found it hard to get
clients to start with. This book explains clearly what you need to do, and will
help you not make the mistakes I made.
Now let’s talk about plans: have you got one? I had no plan when I started my
business as I had no idea how to put one together. This book shows you how.
I then went on to spend many years learning how to market my business, and so
much of what I searched for is included in this book, and it is clear and easy to
understand.
And now the most difficult part of being online – your website. Who knew there
was so much to know about who to choose to get to design and build your
website, and what to pay, what to have on each page, etc. This book is the most
comprehensive guide I have ever read about websites. This book answers every
question you have when you are trying to get online, even the simple and scary
one of ‘what happens if my website designer gets run over by a bus?’ If you
want to know the answer to that, then pick up this book and read it!
And the cherry on the cake: it has a clear breakdown and simple explanation of
how to market your business and website once you have launched it.
I will be recommending this book to every one of my clients, and I highly
recommend it to you. It’s an easy read for the online novice, and will stop you
from wasting thousands of pounds and having sleepless nights like I used to.
Thank you to Robin for bringing this information together in an easy to read and
succinct format.
Amanda C. Watts, Founder CEO, Clients in Abundance
INTRODUCTION
I hope he doesn’t mind me recalling this story, but he’s my brother and it’s a
fitting anecdote with which to kick things off. This book is dedicated to my
brother Matt.
I am known amongst my family and circle of friends as the web geek who runs
his own successful business. Therefore this makes me the one who knows
everything about technology, IT, Emails, creating online businesses, you name
it, I know it. This is a huge compliment because in reality I only specialise in
online strategy. I have, however, managed to set up and run a successful web
design and development agency for over a decade and for the most part have
succeeded through an adventure of trial and error.
So, to my brother!
My wife and I had our family around for Sunday lunch, and during our coffee,
post-roast, we got into a familiar topic of conversation about this great idea my
brother had come up with for a ‘website’. I understood the concept; he has asked
me not to divulge his idea but it was a great concept that had led me to take
pictures of random gloves abandoned in the pavement as I walked past them.
They looked lonely on that rainy day; all they needed was to find their partner
again and Matt had this great idea about how to reunite them, but, knowing what
I do about websites, I started to drill down a bit.
‘So, what’s the revenue model for your business?’

‘Well if you build me the website I’m sure we can make money out of it!’
I quizzed home further: ‘Ok, well I would recommend maybe taking donations
or perhaps an advertising revenue model, or merchandising, but you need
visitors to your website first. How will you get lots of visitors?’
His short answer reflected that of many potential customers with great ideas,
‘It’s a great idea; if you build it surely we’ll get thousands of hits.’