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You use technology to help determine what to sell, how to sell it, where it&#8217;s selling, and who&#8217;s buying it. 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(That might be your best niche.)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Analyze your options and rank them.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Scratch options that don&#8217;t meet your customers&#8217; needs or are not feasible at this time. Rank your choices and start writing your plan.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"How to screen business ideas quickly","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Entrepreneurs develop business ideas all the time, but how do you know when to take a deeper dive? Some entrepreneurs have a hard time screening product ideas, but you can do it very quickly by answering a few simple questions. You’re on the right track if you answer “Yes” to the first three questions and  positively to the final two:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Am I excited about this idea or opportunity?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Do others also think it’s a great idea?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Are there people willing to pay for what I’m offering?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Why am I the person to make this happen?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Why should I go forward with this idea or opportunity now?</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Questions to test your product concept","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Thorough entrepreneurs test their product ideas before they begin producing them. Even if you&#8217;re in love with your idea, ask yourself the following test questions. 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they give you a shortcut to what’s most important to know about you and your business plan.</p>\n<p>Consider the following three customer questions:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who is my real customer — who is the buyer?</li>\n<li>Why do they buy?</li>\n<li>How do they buy?</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Think about the following three competitor questions:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Who are my real competitors — others my customers consider before buying from me (or not)?</li>\n<li>What is different about these real competitors when compared to me?</li>\n<li>What are these competitors trying to do and do to me?</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Keep the following three ways to win in mind:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Constantly innovate.</li>\n<li>Offer something unique.</li>\n<li>Focus on your key customer segment and build an iron clad relationship with it.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"What makes a business plan work?","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The following is a list of the key components that you need to master to make your business plan work:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Plans:</strong> Company mission, vision, goals, and objectives that all work together in alignment</li>\n<li><strong>Organization:</strong> A structure for your company that makes sense</li>\n<li><strong>Procedures:</strong> Efficient and effective ways of doing things</li>\n<li><strong>Leadership:</strong> An ability to influence and encourage others around you</li>\n<li><strong>Skills:</strong> The talents and expertise your people need to succeed</li>\n<li><strong>Culture:</strong> Beliefs and attitudes that lead to doing the right thing, no matter what</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"The major pieces of a business plan","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When you’re putting together a business plan, divide the plan into these basic sections — which every quality business plan should have:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Executive summary:</strong> This section is a very brief overview of what your business plan is all about; it should entice the reader to see more.</li>\n<li><strong>Company overview:</strong> This is a description of what your organization wants to do — the business in which it will compete, your vision and mission, the main products/services it will offer, and the principal actors who will be involved.</li>\n<li><strong>Business environment:</strong> This section describes the market(s) you will enter, the current trends driving the market(s), and the competition you will face there.</li>\n<li><strong>Company description:</strong> Here you present your strengths and weaknesses, using a SWOT analysis chart.</li>\n<li><strong>Company strategy:</strong> In this section you tell the reader just how you’re going to succeed in accomplishing your goals and objectives.</li>\n<li><strong>Financial review:</strong> Here you provide financial statements, including a profit-and-loss statement (P&amp;L), balance sheet, and cash-flow statement; these should be historical as well as projections for future periods.</li>\n<li><strong>Action plan:</strong> Finally, you present a time-phased road map for going forward to achieve the goals and objectives of your business plan — specific steps you will take to make the plan work.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"A checklist of business planning essentials","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You have a number of essential tasks to complete before you write your business plan. Having a clear picture of your goals and how to attain them is at the core, but consider the other factors on this list of business-planning essentials:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Get everyone involved in setting goals and objectives — and give them incentives.</li>\n<li>Learn all you can about your customers.</li>\n<li>Understand who your competitors are.</li>\n<li>Identify your strengths and weaknesses relative to opportunities and threats.</li>\n<li>Determine which capabilities you absolutely need to succeed.</li>\n<li>Know the things that add value to your organization.</li>\n<li>Do your financial homework.</li>\n<li>Identify the worst possible thing that could happen to your organization — and what you will do if it occurs (your Plan B).</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Reasons why new and established businesses fail","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You are not going to fail with your business plan if you look closely at each of the following reasons and avoid the mistakes (the first set for start-ups, the second for established firms).</p>\n<p>A start-up business may fail for the following reasons:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Runs out of money and has no backup funding source</li>\n<li>Fails to establish clear goals and objectives</li>\n<li>Misunderstands what customers want</li>\n<li>Underestimates the competition</li>\n<li>Has difficulty managing people</li>\n<li>Has ineffective procedures and systems</li>\n<li>Doesn&#8217;t have critical business skills</li>\n<li>Founder/owner won’t let go and overcontrols everything</li>\n<li>Founders can’t pivot quickly when initial business plan fails</li>\n</ul>\n<p>An established business may fail for the following reasons:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Unable to change — leaders get fat, dumb, and happy (FDH syndrome)</li>\n<li>Top leadership lives in the past and can’t attract fresh new talent</li>\n<li>Can’t transform rapidly because of too many fixed costs that are no longer useful</li>\n<li>Management engages in too much short-term thinking and acting</li>\n<li>Ignores threats from disruptive new industry entrants</li>\n<li>Doesn’t do serious long-term strategic planning, only does annual budgeting</li>\n<li>Doesn’t do succession planning</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-03T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":209282},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2022-03-15T17:55:12+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-03-15T17:58:02+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:27+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Side Hustles For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"side hustles for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"side-hustles-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Use this Cheat Sheet to guide you as you think about a possible hustle business, including types of side hustles you might consider.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"A side hustle is usually a sort of business that you’re running in addition to whatever you do for your full-time job or career. Or, you can pull together two or more side hustles and, taken all together, that’s how you earn a living.\r\n\r\nIf you’re not sure whether a side hustle is right for you, getting clear on the reasons you may want to start one is a good place to start. You may also find it helpful to think about different categories of side hustles, in order to find the one that’s best for you.\r\n\r\nFinally, if you’re trying to juggle a full-time job with a side hustle, you need to know how to keep all those balls in the air. This Cheat Sheet has you covered on all of these fronts.","description":"A side hustle is usually a sort of business that you’re running in addition to whatever you do for your full-time job or career. Or, you can pull together two or more side hustles and, taken all together, that’s how you earn a living.\r\n\r\nIf you’re not sure whether a side hustle is right for you, getting clear on the reasons you may want to start one is a good place to start. You may also find it helpful to think about different categories of side hustles, in order to find the one that’s best for you.\r\n\r\nFinally, if you’re trying to juggle a full-time job with a side hustle, you need to know how to keep all those balls in the air. This Cheat Sheet has you covered on all of these fronts.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10511,"name":"Alan R. Simon","slug":"alan-r-simon","description":" <b>Alan R. Simon</b>, author of <i>Data Warehousing For Dummies</i>, is a manager at Deloitte Consulting. 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Everyone has their own personal motivations, but in general, the reasons to start a side hustle include the following:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Making more money:</strong> This one’s a no-brainer! If you’re going to put the time and effort into a side business, you almost always want to make some money from what you’re doing.</li>\n<li><strong>Broadening your experience and knowledge beyond what you’re able to learn in your day job:</strong> Maybe you’re trying to pick up new skills in your chosen profession to make yourself more marketable or more likely to receive a promotion. Or maybe you’re trying to learn things outside your current industry and profession, with an eye toward changing careers.</li>\n<li><strong>Monetizing a hobby:</strong> You may want to try to make money from an activity you enjoy and that you’re already spending a lot of your time on anyway.</li>\n<li><strong>Preparing for possible job loss:</strong> Starting your own side business can help you save up some money just in case you find yourself laid off — and maybe it can even enable you to start on a totally new career path in which your fate is in your <em>own</em> hands!</li>\n<li>Some of the most promising side hustles pick up momentum when you have <em>multiple</em> goals in mind, so if you find yourself thinking, “All of the above,” that’s great news! You’re more likely to stick with what you start.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"5 categories of side hustles","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You can find hundreds, if not thousands, of specific ideas for side hustles. But in general, side hustles fall into one of the following categories:</p>\n<p><strong>Selling products: </strong>Whether you do your side hustling online or take the plunge and open a physical store, many side hustles are really smaller-scale retail businesses.</p>\n<p><strong>Selling skill-based services:</strong> From building websites to offering financial advice to helping people write their résumés, you can sell something without actually selling something. 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Your own business plan <em>has</em> to grab their attention. Follow these tips to make your business plan stand out from the crowd:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Show how you’re different to the competition.</li>\n<li>Make your projections believable.</li>\n<li>Say how big the market is.</li>\n<li>Introduce yourself and your team.</li>\n<li>Include details on non-executive directors and mentors.</li>\n<li>Provide financial forecasts.</li>\n<li>Demonstrate the product or service.</li>\n<li>Spell out the benefits to your potential investor.</li>\n<li>Explain your web strategy, including cyber security measures.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Set out your social media strategy – Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and so on.</p>\n"},{"title":"Researching the market when starting a business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Professional business advisers often say that you have to know enough about your market to succeed, without qualifying how much is enough. To understand business areas that are new to you, factors to research and have a sound grasp of include:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your customers</li>\n<li>Your competitors, direct and indirect</li>\n<li>Your product or service</li>\n<li>Your price and the range of prices generally for similar products or services</li>\n<li>The advertising and promotional material</li>\n<li>Channels of distribution</li>\n<li>Overseas business opportunities</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Can you make money through starting a business?","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Having fun is great, even essential, if you’re going to weather the inevitable storms that every business faces at some time or another. But fun can easily turn sour unless you make a profit. Can your business idea leave you rolling in used tenners? To check that out, you need to establish:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Day-to-day operating costs</li>\n<li>How long it will take to reach breakeven</li>\n<li>How much start-up capital you need</li>\n<li>The likely sales volume</li>\n<li>The profit level required for the business not merely to survive, but also to thrive</li>\n<li>The margin of profit made on each sale</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Selecting a distribution channel for your products or services","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If your customers don’t come to you, you have no option but to take your product or service to them. The following are options for doing so:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cash-and-carry outlets</li>\n<li>Door-to-door selling</li>\n<li>Internet and mail order</li>\n<li>Party-plan selling</li>\n<li>Retail stores</li>\n<li>Telephone selling</li>\n<li>Wholesalers</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Consider these factors when choosing channels of distribution for your particular business:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Does it meet your customers’ needs?</li>\n<li>Can the product itself survive?</li>\n<li>Can you sell enough this way?</li>\n<li>Is it compatible with your image?</li>\n<li>How do your competitors distribute?</li>\n<li>Is the channel cost-effective?</li>\n<li>Is the mark-up enough?</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Reasons to outsource parts of your business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Doing everything yourself is rarely a good strategy in business. Other people may be better, cheaper, or faster than you at some aspect of your business. While you may, for example, be able to deliver products to your customers, couriers are probably better value for both you (and your customers).</p>\n<p>Consider the following reasons why it might make sense for you to consider outsourcing some aspects of your business:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Assistance in meeting unexpected deadlines</li>\n<li>Access to expertise</li>\n<li>Greater scalability</li>\n<li>More predictable costs</li>\n<li>More free time</li>\n<li>Economies of scale</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"How to calculate VAT","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Calculating the VAT (Value Added Tax) element of any transaction can be a confusing conundrum. By following these three simple steps, you can get the sum right first time:</p>\n<ol>\n<li>Take the gross amount of any sum (items you sell or buy) – that is, the total including any VAT – and divide it by 120, if the VAT rate is 20 per cent. 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","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9140"}},{"authorId":9139,"name":"Kate Gatski","slug":"kate-gatski","description":" <p><b>Kate Shoup</b> is the author of numerous crafting books, including <i>Not Your Mama&#39;s Beading,</i> and <i>Rubbish: Reuse Your Refuse</i>. <b>Kate Gatski</b> is an artisan, an entrepreneur, an educator, a veteran Etsy seller, and a member of the Full Time Etsy Crafters Team an exclusive group for full&#45;time or high&#45;volume Etsy sellers. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9139"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119378969&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b2509e99\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119378969&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b250a8e3\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":164394,"title":"Creating an Eye-Catching Etsy Storefront","slug":"creating-an-eye-catching-etsy-storefront","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164394"}},{"articleId":164347,"title":"Pricing Your Work for Your Etsy Business","slug":"pricing-your-work-for-your-etsy-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164347"}},{"articleId":164397,"title":"Composing Product Photos for Your Etsy Business","slug":"composing-product-photos-for-your-etsy-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164397"}},{"articleId":242954,"title":"3 Keys to Composing Effective Etsy Listing Titles","slug":"3-keys-composing-effective-etsy-listing-titles","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/242954"}},{"articleId":164393,"title":"Marketing Your Etsy Business","slug":"marketing-your-etsy-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/164393"}}],"content":[{"title":"Creating an eye-catching Etsy storefront","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You can personalize your Etsy shop in any number of ways. This personalization is critical to ensuring that your Etsy business stands out from the crowd and helps promote your brand. And anyway, it&#8217;s fun!</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Add a cover photo.</strong> A <em>cover photo</em> is a graphic that runs across the top of your shop&#8217;s main page. You can create a cover photo from scratch by using any number of graphics programs.</li>\n<li><strong>Include a shop title and shop announcement.</strong> Think of your shop title as a tag line of sorts. It briefly sums up what your shop is about. In contrast, your shop announcement trumpets what you sell, the types of materials or ingredients you use, or your artistic philosophy. Your shop announcement could also broadcast when your next sale will be.</li>\n<li><strong>Populate your shop&#8217;s About section.</strong> Sharing your shop&#8217;s story in the About section helps garner additional interest in you and your shop among buyers.</li>\n<li><strong>Use sections to organize your goods.</strong> If you sell different types of items — say, magnets, notebooks, and picture frames — you can use sections to organize your shop by item. Even if you don&#8217;t sell different types of items — maybe you&#8217;re all about knit caps — you can use sections to organize your goods by, say, yarn type, size, or price.</li>\n<li><strong>Choose a strong shop icon.</strong> Your <em>shop icon</em> is the image that represents your store across Etsy. Be sure to select a shop icon that reflects well on you and your shop.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Pricing your work for your Etsy business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Running a profitable Etsy business means being comfortable with doing a little math — especially when pricing your pieces. Putting a price on your Etsy creations may seem challenging, but don’t freak out! You’re not dealing with calculus here, or even trigonometry. To price pieces for your Etsy business, all you need are two simple formulas:</p>\n<blockquote><p>Wholesale Price = (Materials + Labor + Overhead) × 2</p></blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>Retail Price = Wholesale Price × 2</p></blockquote>\n<p>When you calculate the costs of your materials, you need to consider only the price of what you used to produce one piece, not everything you actually bought. Labor costs are your hourly rate multiplied by the time spent to make one piece. Overhead costs consist of what you need to run your business, such as tools, office supplies, and the like (but not shipping costs).</p>\n<p>Note that, in the second formula, you multiply the wholesale price by 2 to determine the retail price. Some sellers may choose a higher number, multiplying the wholesale price by 2.5 or even 3 to determine the retail price (assuming that the market will bear that). The multiplier you choose is really up to you.</p>\n"},{"title":"Composing product photos for your Etsy business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Great product photos can boost sales for your Etsy business, but you don&#8217;t need to hire a professional photographer (although you can). Composing your own photos for Etsy is a breeze. As you shoot your pieces, keep these compositional points in mind:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Angle the camera.</b> Angling, or tilting, the camera puts the subject slightly off-center and creates movement and flow. The result is a more dynamic, intriguing image.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Shoot tight.</b> Filling the frame with your subject not only adds visual impact but also enables potential buyers to see how well made your piece is.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Blur the background.</b> By using a shallow depth of field (read: a low f-stop setting on your camera), you can blur the background, dramatically highlighting your piece. When the background is blurred, you can shoot in almost any setting; just make sure that the background colors don’t clash with your subject.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Less is more.</b> Don&#8217;t crowd the scene with extraneous objects. Otherwise, potential buyers may not understand exactly which item in your photo is for sale.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Frame your subject.</b> One way to draw the viewer’s eye to your piece is to frame it — that is, place some darker element in the perimeter. This technique helps keep the viewer’s eye from straying from your item.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Group pieces together.</b> Especially if you make itsy-bitsy goodies, you can try grouping them to catch a buyer’s eye. Not only does this make for a more eye-catching photograph, but it also shows potential buyers how pieces in your collection work together.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Use the rule of thirds.</b> Divide the scene you’re photographing into nine equal parts by using two horizontal lines and two vertical lines (like a tic-tac-toe grid); place key elements at one of the four points where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect. In addition to conveying a sense of tension and energy, this helps pique the viewer’s interest.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"3 keys to composing effective Etsy listing titles","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Your listing title in Etsy acts like a good headline. It&#8217;s designed to grab a buyer&#8217;s attention. It also factors into Etsy&#8217;s search system. That means your listing title must do double duty: piquing a buyer&#8217;s interest <em>and</em> being optimized for search. When composing listing titles, keep these three points in mind:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Keep it short.</strong> Your item title must be brief — no more than 140 characters (including spaces).</li>\n<li><strong>Clearly describe your item at the beginning of the item title.</strong> This helps improve the chances that others will find your item when searching on Etsy.</li>\n<li><strong>Use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters.</strong> Too many all-uppercase words, and it seems like you&#8217;re shouting. Too many lowercase words, and it seems like you&#8217;re trying to be e. e. Cummings.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Marketing your Etsy business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Etsy recognizes the importance of marketing your business — which is why it offers several built-in promotional tools. Marketing on Etsy is easy when you use these tools:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Promote your listings</strong> on Etsy. With Etsy Promoted Listings, you can improve the ranking of your listings within Etsy search results when prospective buyers enter specific keywords.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Promote your listings on Google.</strong> Google Shopping enables you to reach buyers outside Etsy. It works by propelling your listing to the top of the page (or closer to it) when people enter certain search criteria into Google’s search engine.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Create coupon codes for your shop.</strong> Coupons increase sales, increase branding and awareness, reward current customers, and entice former customers to return.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><strong>Post shop updates.</strong> Use shop updates to offer a sneak peek at a new item, announce an upcoming sale, or just share a cute picture of your dog in your studio. All of this helps to embed your shop firmly in the “shoppocampus” portion of your buyer’s brain.</p>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Promote your shop on social media.</strong> Sharing your Etsy listings with friends, family, and fans on social media is a great way to keep them buying from you.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-25T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207915},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:55+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-18T19:57:03+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:10+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"starting an online business all-in-one for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"starting-an-online-business-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Try the suggestions in this Cheat Sheet for launching your website and engaging your customers. Learn to use social media marketing.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Starting an online business or growing an existing e-commerce business doesn’t have to be hard. Lots of resources are available to help you do everything from creating content for your website to building a long list of loyal customers. Being a savvy online entrepreneur also means learning to use social media to promote your business. Try these suggestions and quick tips for launching your website and engaging your customers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269024\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269024\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/start-online-biz.jpg\" alt=\"starting online business\" width=\"556\" height=\"474\" /> ©Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"Starting an online business or growing an existing e-commerce business doesn’t have to be hard. Lots of resources are available to help you do everything from creating content for your website to building a long list of loyal customers. Being a savvy online entrepreneur also means learning to use social media to promote your business. Try these suggestions and quick tips for launching your website and engaging your customers.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269024\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269024\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/start-online-biz.jpg\" alt=\"starting online business\" width=\"556\" height=\"474\" /> ©Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9359,"name":"Shannon Belew","slug":"shannon-belew","description":" <p><b>Shannon Belew</b> is a nationally recognized digital marketing strategist, speaker and consultant for B2B brands, and leads an engagement marketing team for a global infrastructure software company.</p> <p><b>Joel Elad</b> is the head of Real Method Consulting, where he provides consulting and advice for e-commerce companies and entrepreneurs. 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To be successful, you want to convert visitors into customers who keep returning to your site. Use these simple tips to build a loyal following of happy, <a href=\"https://dummies-wp-admin.dummies.com/business/customers/customer-service-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">satisfied customers</a> for your online business:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Offer multiple ways for customers to communicate with you (including e-mail, phone, real-time online support, online forums, and social media).</li>\n<li>Use video to provide a better view of your products or to offer suggestions on how to use the products.</li>\n<li>Engage customers by providing ways to interact with your site, such as participating in online communities, writing product reviews, and commenting on blogs.</li>\n<li>Connect with customers through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn and keep customers interacting with your online brand.</li>\n<li>Make customers feel special by sending loyalty discounts and other exclusive offers to your registered users or frequent buyers.</li>\n<li>Send customers tips or brief articles that are fun or innovative or that show how to use your products or services to save time or be more productive.</li>\n<li>Give customers several payment options, including deferred payments, to make buying easy.</li>\n<li>Offer free shipping — no strings attached.</li>\n<li>Make it easy to return products.</li>\n<li>Reward top customers with access to special online events and offer a sneak preview of new products. Solicit input on new products or services from customers who are frequent buyers or active brand advocates in social media.</li>\n<li>Find creative ways to thank customers for visiting your site and for making a purchase.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Important Website Resources for Your Online Business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>As an online business owner, it’s important to have access to many different types of information for starting and managing your website. The following online resources can help you with everything from protecting your site by registering trademarks to operating more efficiently by buying postage online:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https://www.copyright.gov/registration\"><strong>Electronic Copyright Office</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Register your site’s content.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.irs.gov/businesses\"><strong>Internal Revenue Service</strong></a><strong> (IRS):</strong> Review filing requirements and deadlines; access and print forms.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx\"><strong>Internet Crime Complaint Center</strong></a><strong>: </strong>Report online fraud and e-mail abuse.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.uspto.gov/trademark\"><strong>Patent and Trademark Office</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Search the trademark database and apply for trademark registration.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.usps.com/business\"><strong>S. Postal Service</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Print postage and labels from your computer, ship from your location, and access other tools and resources.</li>\n<li><a href=\"http://www.sba.gov/loans-grants/see-what-sba-offers/sba-loan-programs\"><strong>Small Business Administration</strong></a><strong> (SBA):</strong> Find financing information and loan applications.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Checklist for Launching a New Website","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When creating a website, you must complete several steps before you can take your site live. The following checklist includes small but important details to help ensure that your website is functional and appeals to your online customers.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>The site map — the layout and structure of all web pages — is complete.</li>\n<li>The site map matches the web pages — exactly.</li>\n<li>Each website page is displayed and is fully accessible.</li>\n<li>Every link throughout the site works properly and opens the appropriate page.</li>\n<li>All graphics, photos, and videos load quickly and completely, and the images are crisp and clean.</li>\n<li>The content is free of misspellings and grammatical errors.</li>\n<li>Pricing information and product or service descriptions are correct.</li>\n<li>Pages with online forms or registration information function when you click the Submit button, and the information is sent (in the specified format) to the designated point of contact.</li>\n<li>Text boxes or drop-down boxes on forms and other pages work correctly.</li>\n<li>Buttons or links for top-level menus work. These buttons, like the one that returns users to the home page, function properly on every single page.</li>\n<li>Special commands that are spelled out with coding language (HTML or PHP, for example) are displayed properly when the site loads.</li>\n<li>The credit card processor or other payment service option is in place and working.</li>\n<li>All e-commerce-related functions, such as the shopping cart, operate correctly.</li>\n<li>Membership icons or logos, such as Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce member emblems, have been included.</li>\n<li>Social media sharing icons for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social networks are promoted on applicable pages across the site and are easy to see.</li>\n<li>The site has been tested for browser compatibility and screen resolution.</li>\n<li>Pages are responsive and the site is displayed properly in all mobile formats.</li>\n<li>Contact information using the company’s e-mail address or phone number is clearly displayed and easy to find.</li>\n<li>Privacy, shipping, and return, and other use policies are clearly visible and easily accessible.</li>\n<li>The copyright symbol and current year are placed prominently at the bottom of every page.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Using Social Media to Promote Your Business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Social media marketing is an inexpensive way to promote your website and to keep new and existing customers chatting about your business. Here are some quick and easy tips for using some of the most popular social networking sites — Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest — to help drive interest and customers to your business:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Facebook</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Set up a business page on Facebook and post special offers (at least once a month) to all those who Like your page.</li>\n<li>Ask customers to share pictures on your Facebook page that show them using their favorite product that they bought from your website.</li>\n<li>Reduce your workload while expanding your marketing efforts on Facebook: Instead of managing both a business page and a personal page, simply allow subscribers on your personal Facebook page. Subscriptions allow you to send public updates that your subscribers can view. Subscribers can be customers, vendors, and anyone else who is interested in seeing your public posts — just as they would on a business page.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Twitter</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Use Twitter to tweet interesting or unusual facts about your business or products and provide a link to that product page on your site.</li>\n<li>Send out short tips via Twitter on how to use your services or products.</li>\n<li>Follow customers and vendors as well as influential bloggers, journalists, industry analysts, and others with a large following and significant influence on your business or industry.</li>\n<li>Use promoted tweets and Twitter cards as inexpensive ways to advertise your products in Twitter.</li>\n<li>Get more visibility by tweeting pictures and videos related to you or your business to your followers.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>YouTube</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Create a YouTube channel for your online business, regularly add fun and useful videos, and then encourage customers to view and share your videos with others.</li>\n<li>Launch a video contest: Ask customers to create short videos of how they use your product or service and post them to YouTube, and then let other customers vote on their favorites.</li>\n<li>Every week, post a short (two minutes or less) video of yourself offering tips for your customers, such as demonstrating how to use a product that you sell.</li>\n<li>Ask customers to submit video testimonials and post them on your YouTube channel.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>LinkedIn</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Create a LinkedIn profile and add links to your website: Update your profile with new links, product reviews, books or articles that you are reading, or other information so that this information appears to all the people in your network.</li>\n<li>Join LinkedIn groups that may be popular with many of your customers, and frequently post questions or comments related to the products or services you offer.</li>\n<li>Ask your customers as well as vendors and other business associates in your network to provide a recommendation for you or your business in LinkedIn.</li>\n<li>Add brochures, PDFs, SlideShare and PowerPoint presentations, and videos to your profile under the Summary section to provide interesting content that anyone viewing your profile can download or share.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Pinterest</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Set up a Pinterest profile for your business, creating one or more Pinterest boards with themes or product interests related to your business.</li>\n<li>Add Shop the Look Pins to your posts on Pinterest that link back to your website so that it’s easy to buy each product showcased.</li>\n<li>When pinning an image to a board in Pinterest, add a short text description to provide additional information and interest.</li>\n<li>Pin videos to your boards. This underused Pinterest opportunity can generate lots of views and shared pins.</li>\n<li>Hold a pinning contest on your website by encouraging customers to pin an image of one of your products to their Pinterest boards. Offer a small prize to either a random pinner, or the pin that has the most re-pins.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-18T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207655},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:47:25+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-08T16:21:48+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:19:05+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Starting a Business All-In-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"starting a business all-in-one for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"starting-a-business-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Get some tips on how to succeed at your new business, some business ideas and inspiration, and how to control your new business's cashflow.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Starting and running your own business can be one of the greatest joys in life. It can also be the hardest thing you ever do. The fact that no one is going to be standing over your shoulder telling you what to do can be simultaneously exhilarating and frightening.\r\n\r\nFinding sources of inspiration for great business ideas can keep you going in the absence of that voice over your shoulder. Nailing down a handful of basic, fundamental practices can keep you on the right track. And getting a grip on the money constantly flowing in and out of your business is one of the big keys to success.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_261966\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-261966 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/start-biz.jpg\" alt=\"Start a Business\" width=\"535\" height=\"355\" /> © Eviart / Shutterstock[/caption]","description":"Starting and running your own business can be one of the greatest joys in life. It can also be the hardest thing you ever do. The fact that no one is going to be standing over your shoulder telling you what to do can be simultaneously exhilarating and frightening.\r\n\r\nFinding sources of inspiration for great business ideas can keep you going in the absence of that voice over your shoulder. Nailing down a handful of basic, fundamental practices can keep you on the right track. And getting a grip on the money constantly flowing in and out of your business is one of the big keys to success.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_261966\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"wp-image-261966 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/start-biz.jpg\" alt=\"Start a Business\" width=\"535\" height=\"355\" /> © Eviart / Shutterstock[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33422,"name":"Georgette C. Beatty","slug":"georgette-c-beatty","description":"","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33422"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34252,"title":"Start-Ups","slug":"start-ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":265147,"title":"Job Coaching Tips to Promote Career Growth and Success in Your Employees","slug":"job-coaching-tips-to-promote-career-growth-and-success-in-your-employees","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265147"}},{"articleId":265141,"title":"Basic Accounting Terms for Small Business Owners","slug":"basic-accounting-terms-for-small-business-owners","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265141"}},{"articleId":265131,"title":"What You Need to Know about Starting Your Own Work-from-Home Business","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-starting-your-own-work-from-home-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265131"}},{"articleId":265126,"title":"How to Be a Great Interviewer: Interviewer Tips for Hiring Good People","slug":"how-to-be-a-great-interviewer-interviewer-tips-for-hiring-good-people","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265126"}},{"articleId":265123,"title":"Want to Start a Work-from-Home Business? Take this Quiz to See if You’re Ready","slug":"want-to-start-a-work-from-home-business-take-this-quiz-to-see-if-youre-ready","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/265123"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":291541,"title":"Side Hustles For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"side-hustles-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/291541"}},{"articleId":289724,"title":"Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"launching-and-building-a-brand-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/289724"}},{"articleId":269861,"title":"Establish Website Goals and Conversions for Your Online Business","slug":"establish-website-goals-and-conversions-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269861"}},{"articleId":269855,"title":"How to Choose an Identity for Your Online Business","slug":"how-to-choose-an-identity-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269855"}},{"articleId":269850,"title":"Must-Have Equipment for Starting an Online Business","slug":"must-have-equipment-for-starting-an-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269850"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282599,"slug":"starting-a-business-all-in-one-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119868569","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119868564/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119868564/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119868564-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119868564/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119868564/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/9781119868569-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Starting a Business All-in-One For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"","authors":[{"authorId":8975,"name":"Eric Tyson","slug":"eric-tyson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> is a renowned finance counselor, syndicated columnist, and author of numerous bestselling financial titles.</p> <p><b>Tony Martin, B.Comm,</b> is a nationally-recognized personal finance, speaker, commentator, columnist, management trainer, and communications consultant. He is the co-author of <i>Personal Finance For Canadians For Dummies</i>.</p>","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8975"}},{"authorId":9062,"name":"Bob Nelson","slug":"bob-nelson","description":" <p><b>Eric Tyson, MBA,</b> has been a personal finance writer, lecturer, and counselor for the past 25+ years. He is the author or coauthor of numerous For Dummies bestsellers on personal finance, investing, and home buying.</p> <p><b>Bob Nelson, PhD,</b> is considered one of the world&#8217;s leading experts on employee engagement, recognition, and rewards. He is president of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a management training and consulting company that helps organizations improve their administration practices, programs, and systems. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9062"}},{"authorId":34784,"name":"","slug":"","description":" <p><b> Joseph A. Allen, PhD</b> is a professor of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology at the University of Utah. His articles have appeared in <i>Human Relations, Journal of Business Psychology</i>, and more.</p> <p><b>Karin M. Reed</b> is CEO of Speaker Dynamics, a corporate communications training firm. She is an Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist. ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/34784"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[{"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","slug":"for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur","collectionId":287568}],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119868569&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1977cbe\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119868569&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b1978596\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":144927,"title":"6 Tips for Success in Starting a Business","slug":"6-tips-for-success-in-starting-a-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144927"}},{"articleId":144935,"title":"Sources of Inspiration for Starting a Business","slug":"9-sources-of-inspiration-for-starting-a-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144935"}},{"articleId":144934,"title":"You and Your Startup Business’s Money","slug":"you-and-your-startup-businesss-money","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144934"}}],"content":[{"title":"Sources of inspiration for starting a business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Maybe you’ve been talking about your great business idea for a long time now. You know you can do it — so what’s stopping you? Or maybe you started taking steps toward making your idea a reality, but something came up and you just haven’t gotten around to committing yourself.</p>\n<p>The following suggestions can help you get some traction on your idea for starting a business. They can also serve to inspire you and spur you on in your business endeavors.</p>\n<h3><strong>Join a community business organization</strong></h3>\n<p>Almost every community has an organization where you can meet and talk with other business owners. If you get involved, you’ll have no trouble finding people who offer encouragement to take the next step in starting your business. You’ll also find people who can help you take that step.</p>\n<p>One highly respected community organization is Rotary International, a humanitarian group of business people who dedicate themselves to improving their communities and providing scholarships and other benefits. The advantage of Rotary is that wherever you travel in the world, you are likely to find a local chapter. To become a member of Rotary, you need to be nominated by a current member.</p>\n<p>If you don’t know anyone who is a member, start by joining your local chamber of commerce and the various trade organizations for your industry. Chances are you’ll find a Rotarian in one of these organizations as well. Rotary membership is a great way to start feeling comfortable about wanting to become a business owner.</p>\n<h3><strong>Tell a friend</strong></h3>\n<p>If you announce to a friend that you intend to start a business, that friend will ask how it’s going every time you meet. The need to report progress should be enough to motivate you to make at least some headway. Nothing is better than to have a friend keep nagging you about your great idea — that’s what friends are for!</p>\n<h3><strong>Leave your job</strong></h3>\n<p>Leaving your job is a pretty radical step, but some folks can never quite get up the courage to start the businesses they’ve been dreaming about without having a cataclysmic event push them into doing it. Leaving a good job is a major decision that must not be taken lightly, and it needs to be considered only after you’ve done your homework on the business concept you want to execute. You can do all the feasibility work for your new business while you’re still at your job and not leave until you’re ready to devote full attention to the new business.</p>\n<h3><strong>Spend time with someone who has already started a business</strong></h3>\n<p>What better way to get inspired to start a business than to spend time with someone who has done just that? Spend a day with an entrepreneur or business owner you admire — perhaps someone in your favorite industry. Shadow that person, observing what he or she does on a day-to-day basis. Entrepreneurs love to talk with fellow entrepreneurs, especially budding entrepreneurs. Your chosen person can give you personal advice based on his or her experience on how to get started, what pitfalls to look out for, and how to balance your personal and business lives.</p>\n<h3><strong>Find a mentor</strong></h3>\n<p>When you’re starting a business for the first time, it’s wonderful to have someone you can turn to when you need advice, when you’re frustrated or discouraged, or when you want to share a small win.</p>\n<p>Mentors come in all shapes and sizes, but the best mentors are ones who believe in you and can be honest with you, who introduce you to important people you need to meet, and who pick you up when you fall down.</p>\n<p>A mentor may be someone who has had a successful business in the industry in which you’re interested or someone whom you admire regardless of whether he or she happens to have experience in the same area as you. That’s why it’s so important to network, get out there and meet new people, because you never know when you’ll meet your mentor, the person who ultimately starts you on your way.</p>\n<h3><strong>Do something — anything</strong></h3>\n<p>Leap into your opportunity with both feet and start doing something that makes your business happen.</p>\n<p>File for your DBA (“doing business as”) or your incorporation papers with a business name. Set up your home office to accommodate the new business until it’s ready to move to a more formal site (or like many entrepreneurs today, keep your business at home and operate it virtually over the Internet). Get your domain address for the web. Have some business cards made up.</p>\n<p>It doesn’t take much to start building a critical mass of activities so that, before you know it, you feel like you’re honestly in business.</p>\n"},{"title":"Tips for success in starting a business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Although no one can guarantee that your business will be a success, if you work hard, price your products and/or services right, and keep your customers satisfied, you stand a good chance of starting and building a successful company.</p>\n<p>The results you get out of your business are a direct result of the work you put into it. The most successful owners — those who get the results they hoped for — share many of the following traits.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Do what you love.</strong> To do what you love, you first have to know what kind of work you really want to do. This discovery requires deep introspection and an understanding of which kinds of work get your creative juices flowing and which kinds dry them up.<br />\nDoing what you love also sometimes requires that you ignore what other people want you to do for a living. You may decide, for example, that you’d really like to start a photography studio, but your spouse or best friend may think something more practical, such as buying a successful pet store in the local mall, makes more sense.<br />\nUltimately, <em>you</em> must decide what you really want to do for a living. It’s <em>your </em>dream — you’re the one who gets to choose it (and live it!). No one else has the right to tell you what kind of work you should love — and do.</li>\n<li><strong>Treat your business like a business</strong>. If you want your business to be a <em>real</em> business — an organization that generates the kind of money that will allow you to become financially independent — you have to treat it like one, and not like a hobby or a momentary fling. Keep these suggestions in mind:\n<ul>\n<li>If you’re starting at home, set aside an entire room in your home — not just a closet or a shelf — exclusively for your business.</li>\n<li>Make a serious investment in business equipment and supplies: a decent computer, a fast Internet connection, and whatever else is required to effectively and efficiently run your operation.</li>\n<li>Create a marketing plan and follow through with it.</li>\n<li>Publicize your company’s products and services to a wide audience of potential customers and clients.</li>\n<li>Build a strong customer base and make plans for future growth.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>Become an expert</strong>. People naturally respect those who know more than they do. By specializing in a particular area of expertise — whether it’s where to dig a new water well, how to scrapbook, or what to do in a financial crisis — you assume the role of a presumed expert, even if you’ve just started your business.<br />\nIt makes good business sense for your clients to hire an expert instead of someone less experienced. By avoiding the mistakes and dead ends that someone with less experience may make, you can help your clients spend less money by hiring you, even if your hourly rates are higher.</li>\n<li><strong>Don’t be shy</strong>. Although you may never have had to sell yourself or your products before, you can’t avoid doing so when you own your own business. After you generate momentum and build a strong customer base, then you can rely more on referrals from your happy clients to do the marketing for you.<br />\nBut when you’re getting your business off the ground, consider and attempt every possible method for getting the word out about your products and services.</li>\n<li><strong>Build a solid customer base</strong>. One of the most important ways to establish a successful business is to build a solid base of customers who stick with you through thick and thin. This solid customer base becomes the foundation on which you grow your business.<br />\nOf course, building a solid customer base is much easier said than done. At the heart of the process is creating an organization that values its current customers and goes out of its way to ensure their satisfaction and happiness.</li>\n<li><strong>Ask for referrals</strong>. The word-of-mouth referral is probably the least expensive and the most effective way of getting new business — for any business. That makes referrals the most important way for businesses to market themselves.<br />\nHere are some of the best ways to earn great referrals from customers:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do great work. When you do great work, your clients are happy to give you great referrals. When you do less-than-great work, you’ll be lucky to get a kick in the pants, much less a referral.</li>\n<li>Do your work on time and within budget. If you consistently deliver on your promises, you’ll soon have more business than you ever thought possible. And you’ll earn your clients’ referrals at the same time.</li>\n<li>Keep your clients well informed. When clients spend their money on you, they want to be kept apprised of your progress, not only to stay in touch with the project, but also to keep a watchful eye out for problems before they get out of hand. Whether the news is good or bad, your clients and customers appreciate forthrightness and candor.</li>\n<li>Be dependable. Always keep your word — even when it hurts. If you promise to do something, do everything in your power to keep your promise, no matter what it takes.</li>\n<li>Be flexible. Customers and clients appreciate vendors who are flexible and willing to meet their needs — and they often pay more for it. Think about what you can do in your business to better meet your customers’ needs, and then do it.</li>\n<li>Thank your clients for their referrals. Everyone likes to be appreciated for what they do. Your customers are no different. Thank them for their referrals with a hand-signed card or small gift.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Many small businesses get the vast majority of their new business through referrals. They really are worth their weight in gold!</p>\n"},{"title":"You and your startup business’s money","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Of course, you want your business to make money. Duh! That shouldn’t be the <em>only</em> reason you’re starting a business, but it’s certainly a big one.</p>\n<p>You spend money on your business, your customers pay you money, money goes out for this, money comes in for that . . . one glance at your books should remind you that the sheer money aspect of running a business can get complicated.</p>\n<p>You have to stay on top of it, or it will climb on top of you and stress you out. Keeping three pieces of advice in mind can help focus your mind when to comes to handling the money for your business.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Charge what you’re worth.</strong> No matter how hard you work, if you charge your customers less than you’re worth, you won’t be able to stay in business for long. Why would you charge less than you’re worth? Well, some people do so because they don’t realize exactly how much they <em>are</em> Others charge less than they’re worth because they’re embarrassed or afraid to ask for an amount that reflects their true worth.<br />\nWhatever the reason, if you don’t get paid what you’re worth, you may very well drive yourself out of business.</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">If you don’t know what you’re worth, find out what other companies charge for similar products or services by researching catalogs, price lists, stores, and e-commerce and auction websites. If you can’t find written prices or listings on the web, call or email the companies for information. From there, develop a pricing or fee structure that will help you attain your personal goals.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Avoid unnecessary expenses.</strong> Spend your company’s hard-earned money only when you have to. You can often get a lot more mileage out of stuff than your itchy spending urges would prefer. A good example of this is your personal computer. Every other week, computer technology makes another great leap forward, which may constantly tempt you to upgrade to the latest and greatest and fastest computer with all the latest bells and whistles.</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Unless your older, slower, and less flashy computer — and the software within it — is actually getting in the way of your ability to do business efficiently, stick with it for as long as you possibly can.</p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Do your best to hold the line on all the other expenses that simply drain your financial reserves while bringing in little or no additional revenue. If you’re going to eat out, for example, go to less expensive places. Save the expensive meals for your highest-paying customers. Or consider inviting your best customers over as dinner guests in your home.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Manage your cash flow.</strong> Cash, or the lack of it, is one of the key indicators of a company’s success over the long run. If you have cash, you can buy and stock new products for your customers, develop innovative new services for your clients, pay for your day-to-day operations, and expand your business. If you don’t have cash, your business will certainly suffer, and so will your customers and clients. You may even jeopardize your own personal or family financial situation.</li>\n</ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\">Simply watching your cash flow — the money going in and out of your business — isn’t enough; you have to actively <em>manage</em> it. Managing your cash flow means looking to the future, planning and scheduling your projected cash inflows and outflows, billing quickly, staying on top of money owed you, and paying attention to the money that goes in and out of your business.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-09-01T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207554},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2021-12-07T22:30:57+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-12-09T15:21:22+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:18:52+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"launching and building a brand for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"launching-and-building-a-brand-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This handy guide is a reminder of why it's important to build your brand, including the basics involved and what makes a brand distinctive.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"The thought of building and launching a brand can send any budding entrepreneur into a panic. Where do you begin with such a formidable task? How do you build marketplace momentum? How do you extend your brand’s reach and increase awareness of it? How do you protect it from threats — external and internal? And when you finally achieve some degree of success, how do you reach the next level?\r\n\r\nIn <em>Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies,</em> I answer all of those questions and more. This Cheat Sheet highlights a small sample of what’s included in the book while getting you up to speed in a hurry on a few key branding topics.","description":"The thought of building and launching a brand can send any budding entrepreneur into a panic. Where do you begin with such a formidable task? How do you build marketplace momentum? How do you extend your brand’s reach and increase awareness of it? How do you protect it from threats — external and internal? And when you finally achieve some degree of success, how do you reach the next level?\r\n\r\nIn <em>Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies,</em> I answer all of those questions and more. This Cheat Sheet highlights a small sample of what’s included in the book while getting you up to speed in a hurry on a few key branding topics.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":34668,"name":"Amy Will","slug":"amy-will","description":" <p><b>Amy Will </b>launched her first business at just 24 years old, and has since established four successful brands. With a Bachelor&#8217;s degree from California Lutheran University in marketing and communications, Amy&#8217;s expertise lies in SEO strategy, intentional content creation, digital community building, and strategic business partnerships.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/34668"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34252,"title":"Start-Ups","slug":"start-ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":291541,"title":"Side Hustles For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"side-hustles-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/291541"}},{"articleId":269861,"title":"Establish Website Goals and Conversions for Your Online Business","slug":"establish-website-goals-and-conversions-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269861"}},{"articleId":269855,"title":"How to Choose an Identity for Your Online Business","slug":"how-to-choose-an-identity-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269855"}},{"articleId":269850,"title":"Must-Have Equipment for Starting an Online Business","slug":"must-have-equipment-for-starting-an-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269850"}},{"articleId":269843,"title":"How to Create a Workspace Floor Plan","slug":"how-to-create-a-workspace-floor-plan","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269843"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":289358,"slug":"launching-building-a-brand-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119748038","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","general-small-business"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119748038/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119748038/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119748038-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119748038/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119748038/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/9781119748038-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Launching & Building a Brand For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><b><b data-author-id=\"34668\">Amy Will</b> </b>launched her first business at just 24 years old, and has since established four successful brands. With a Bachelor&#8217;s degree from California Lutheran University in marketing and communications, Amy&#8217;s expertise lies in SEO strategy, intentional content creation, digital community building, and strategic business partnerships.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":34668,"name":"Amy Will","slug":"amy-will","description":" <p><b>Amy Will </b>launched her first business at just 24 years old, and has since established four successful brands. With a Bachelor&#8217;s degree from California Lutheran University in marketing and communications, Amy&#8217;s expertise lies in SEO strategy, intentional content creation, digital community building, and strategic business partnerships.</p> ","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/34668"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119748038&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b0c417e4\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119748038&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221b0c421d1\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"7 reasons to build a brand","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Why build a brand? I can give you seven good reasons:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>You’re have a new or existing business and want everyone to know about it.</li>\n<li>You’re introducing a new product or service to the market.</li>\n<li>You want to further your career by establishing yourself as a trusted expert in your field.</li>\n<li>You’re looking to build a career as an <em>influencer</em> — a social media personality with a huge following to whom businesses pay big bucks for promoting their products and services.</li>\n<li>You’ve built a not-for-profit organization and are looking to ramp up your fundraising efforts.</li>\n<li>You need to raise capital for a new business or venture you’re planning and are trying to attract and impress prospective investors.</li>\n<li>You have a business, product, or service, and you’re looking to expand into new markets.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Launching and building a brand in a nutshell","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The process of building and launching a brand is complicated, but it can be boiled down to the following ten steps:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong> Create something to brand. </strong>That something can be a company or not-for-profit organization, a product or service, some form of entertainment (such as a band or theater group), or even yourself (as a consultant or influencer).</li>\n<li><strong> Position and define your brand. </strong>Look at your brand in the context of what’s already out there, and figure out what’s distinctive about your brand.</li>\n<li><strong> Set your branding goals. </strong>Common branding goals include differentiating a business, product, or service; building credibility and trust; and increasing sales and profitability.</li>\n<li><strong> Define your brand’s customer avatar. </strong>A <em>customer avatar</em> is a fictional character that represents the people in your target market gives you a clear sense of the people you’re pitching to.</li>\n<li><strong> Create a brand style guide. </strong>A <em>brand style guide</em> is a rulebook that ensures consistency by governing everything that contributes to the look and feel of your brand, including colors, typography, logos, imagery, and tone of voice.</li>\n<li><strong> Establish an online presence. </strong>Create a website, blog, online store, or app and a branded email address.</li>\n<li><strong> Form strategic partnerships. </strong>Establish mutually beneficial relationships with other brands to identify and pursue promotional opportunities that increase your brand’s reach.</li>\n<li><strong> Launch your brand. </strong>Kick all your marketing activities into gear, including publishing a press release, launching your website or blog, and hosting one or more brand-launch parties (what fun!).</li>\n<li><strong> Promote your brand. </strong>Engage in content marketing, podcasting, social media marketing, email marketing, paid advertising, hosting in-person events, and more.</li>\n<li><strong> Maintain and protect your brand. </strong>Audit your brand regularly, and protect your intellectual-property rights with trademarks and patents.</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"5 ways to build a distinctive brand","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Branding is all about distinguishing your organization, product, or service from what’s already available — setting your brand apart from the others and establishing it in the minds of your customers as something special. Here are five ways to do just that:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Solve a challenging problem. </strong>In every problem is an opportunity. Solve a particularly troubling problem for someone, and that person will remember you and be grateful to you forever.</li>\n<li><strong>Fulfill an unmet need, or create one. </strong>You can meet demand or create it. By <em>create one,</em> I mean invent something that people come to rely on before they even realize they need it, such as a cellphone that takes photos.</li>\n<li><strong>Specialize to create a new market niche. </strong>Instead of trying to be a Jack or Jill of all trades, be a master of one. By being better, faster, or cheaper in one tiny area of your market, you set your brand apart.</li>\n<li><strong>Offer something unique. </strong>Offer your customers and prospective customers something they can’t get anywhere else. Better, offer them something that only you can provide.</li>\n<li><strong>Deliver an interesting, fun, or fulfilling experience. </strong>Build a community people want to belong to, with experiences they want to engage in. Succeed at that part, and you can sell just about anything.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Understanding branding lingo","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Marketing people talk to one another in a language nobody else understands, but you can get by with a handful of specialized terms:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Brand: </strong>An image built in the minds of consumers that enables them to readily identify a distinctive organization, product, service, or person.</li>\n<li><strong>Branding: </strong>The process of establishing something such as a business, product, or service as distinctive and special in the minds of consumers.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand identity: </strong>The characteristics of an organization, product, or service that make it unique and recognizable, such as its name, logo, packaging, and colors.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand personality: </strong>The pattern of expressions, behaviors, and emotions attributed to an organization, product, or service or to a group of associated products or services.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand reach: </strong>The number of people exposed to a brand. They don’t need to know anything about the brand; they just need to have encountered it somewhere.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand recognition:</strong> The ease with which people can identify a brand through visual and audio clues, such as its name or logo, the voice of a spokesperson, or a song used in a television or radio ad.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand awareness: </strong>The degree to which people who know about a brand understand what it is, does, and offers.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand assets: </strong>The elements that make a brand recognizable, such as its logo, color scheme, jingle, and font.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand equity: </strong>The value that branding adds to a business, product, or service compared with a generic equivalent.</li>\n<li><strong>Customer avatar: </strong>A fictitious character that represents a member of a target market and is used to help shape a brand’s messaging.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand ambassador:</strong> Anyone who sings the praises of a brand.</li>\n<li><strong>Value proposition: </strong>A statement that explains why a customer should buy what you’re selling.</li>\n<li><strong>Unique selling proposition (USP): </strong>The one feature or benefit of a business, product, or service that makes it superior to its competition.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"10 essential elements of a brand style guide","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>A <em>brand style guide</em> is a collection of specifications and guidelines to follow when engaging in branding activities — everything from creating ads to podcasting. Every brand style guide must have the following ten essential elements:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Brand name: </strong>A concise, unique, and memorable name for your brand.</li>\n<li><strong>Mission statement: </strong>Your brand’s reason for being — its overall purpose.</li>\n<li><strong>Brand values: </strong>Your brand’s fundamental beliefs, which guide its thinking, behavior, and expression.</li>\n<li><strong>Target audience: </strong>A description of the people you’re selling to, including demographics (such as age, location, and income), interests, challenges, and so on.</li>\n<li><strong>Your brand’s story: </strong>A narrative that recounts the series of events that led to your brand’s inception, expresses your brand’s mission and values, and portrays the people behind it.</li>\n<li><strong>Logo: </strong>The logo itself, along with specifications about size, orientation, and when and how it’s to be used.</li>\n<li><strong>Color palette: </strong>The colors to be used for your brand, including specific color codes, how colors are to be used alone and in combination, how they’re to be used in print versus online, and the rationale for choosing the colors.</li>\n<li><strong>Typography: </strong>Fonts to be used, how they’re to be used in print and online, and the rationale for choosing the fonts.</li>\n<li><strong>Voice/tone: </strong>The emotion behind your brand’s messaging — fun, serious, inspirational, sassy, adventurous, you name it.</li>\n<li><strong>Imaging guidelines: </strong>Quality and content guidelines for images including photos and illustrations. Some brands require that people be in the foreground of all their photos, for example, and the people must reflect diversity to some degree.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-12-07T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":289724},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:52:40+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-03-11T17:05:40+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:17:55+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Starting & Running a Small Business For Canadians All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"starting & running a small business for canadians all-in-one for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"starting-running-a-small-business-for-canadians-all-in-one-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn some of the basics of setting up your business —choosing a name, creating a business plan, gathering equipment, and finding financing.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Starting and running a small business is an exciting — and often frightening — adventure. Who knows where you may end up? To keep from getting lost on your journey exploring business opportunities, you need help setting up your business — including choosing a name, creating a <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/book-extras/creating-business-plan-dummies-resource-center/\">business plan</a>, gathering equipment, and finding financing.","description":"Starting and running a small business is an exciting — and often frightening — adventure. Who knows where you may end up? To keep from getting lost on your journey exploring business opportunities, you need help setting up your business — including choosing a name, creating a <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/book-extras/creating-business-plan-dummies-resource-center/\">business plan</a>, gathering equipment, and finding financing.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":8947,"name":"The Experts at Dummies","slug":"the-experts-at-dummies","description":"The Experts at Dummies are smart, friendly people who make learning easy by taking a not-so-serious approach to serious stuff.","hasArticle":false,"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/8947"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34252,"title":"Start-Ups","slug":"start-ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":291541,"title":"Side Hustles For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"side-hustles-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/291541"}},{"articleId":289724,"title":"Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies Cheat Sheet","slug":"launching-and-building-a-brand-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/289724"}},{"articleId":269861,"title":"Establish Website Goals and Conversions for Your Online Business","slug":"establish-website-goals-and-conversions-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269861"}},{"articleId":269855,"title":"How to Choose an Identity for Your Online Business","slug":"how-to-choose-an-identity-for-your-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269855"}},{"articleId":269850,"title":"Must-Have Equipment for Starting an Online Business","slug":"must-have-equipment-for-starting-an-online-business","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/269850"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221ad38aa80\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;business&quot;,&quot;small-business&quot;,&quot;start-ups&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-63221ad38b32a\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":181881,"title":"Finding Professional Help with Your Small Business Start-Up","slug":"finding-professional-help-with-your-small-business-start-up","categoryList":["business-careers-money","business","small-business","start-ups"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/181881"}}],"content":[{"title":"Naming Your Small Business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>An incorporated business has a corporate name. That’s the business’s legal name, and it’s taken at the time of incorporation. It can be a name made up of words, or it can be a “number name.” A business that isn’t incorporated can be carried on under the name of its owner(s) — the sole proprietor or the partners. An incorporated or unincorporated business can also be carried on under a trade name, which is kind of like an alias.</p>\n<p>When it comes to naming a business, you can have problems not just with someone who’s already using the name, but also with the government authorities who register names . . . and who’ve made up a slew of rules about acceptable names.</p>\n<p>The authorities that incorporate businesses (the federal and the provincial governments) have rules about choosing a word name. Check them out in the Business Corporations Act of your province if you’re incorporating provincially, or the <em>Canada Business Corporations Act</em> if you’re incorporating federally. One of the numerous rules is that the name has to include the word <em>Incorporated</em>, or <em>Inc.,</em> or <em>Corporation,</em> or <em>Corp.,</em> or <em>Limited,</em> or <em>Ltd.</em> But even if the name you choose meets all the rules, the incorporation authorities won’t allow another business to take a name that is “confusingly similar” to the name of an existing corporation. For example, the name “Smearnoff Vodka” would be considered confusingly similar to “Smirnoff Vodka.”</p>\n<p>Before you try to register a corporate word name, you have to search a registry of names to make sure the name you want isn’t already taken or isn’t confusingly similar to another name. In Canada, this involves paying to have a Government of Canada NUANS search done. For federal incorporations only, you can order your own NUANS report from the NUANS “Do it yourself” Real-Time System (RTS) or you can get help from a registered NUANS member. For provincial incorporations, you have no choice but to use a registered <a href=\"http://www.nuans.com/\">NUANS</a> member to conduct the search for you.</p>\n<p>There are a lot of businesses, but only so many great business names. Most of the great names you’ve thought of are probably already in use. Many business owners get tired of searching for a name that will be allowed by the authorities and just incorporate with a <em>number name.</em> Every corporation is assigned a number at the time of incorporation. (The incorporator doesn’t get to choose it like a lucky lottery number; it’s just the next available number in sequence, as if you took a ticket at the meat counter or the passport office.) This number, when combined with the name of the incorporating jurisdiction and the word <em>Limited,</em> is the corporation’s number name — such as “123456 Ontario Limited” or “654321 Canada Ltd.”</p>\n<p>An incorporated or unincorporated business can carry on business under a trade name. A trade name can be any word or phrase the business owner likes (although an unincorporated business can’t use a word like <em>Inc.,</em> or <em>Ltd.,</em> or <em>Corporation</em> in its trade name, because only corporations can use those words). However, someone else may own the trade name already and be able to prevent others from using confusingly similar names. In some cases, a trade name has actually been trademarked by another business and the trademark owner can sue to prevent others from using the name.</p>\n"},{"title":"Business Plan Basics","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>When you first set out to create a business plan, the task may seem overwhelming. Right off the bat, you need to answer fundamental and sometimes difficult questions about your business and what you see for the future. You have to decide what targets to aim for when you look ahead and set business goals and objectives. To succeed, you have to take the time to know your</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Industry</li>\n<li>Customers</li>\n<li>Competitors</li>\n<li>Business resources</li>\n<li>Business’s unique qualities</li>\n<li>Business’s advantages</li>\n<li>Basic financial condition</li>\n<li>Financial forecast and budget</li>\n</ul>\n<p>You also need to prepare for changes that you make to this list down the road. That means thinking through other options and alternatives and being on the lookout for new ways to make your business prosper.</p>\n"},{"title":"Gathering Gear for Your Small Business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Every small business is individual and may need special equipment. Consider the following:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you need to visit customers or make deliveries or transport supplies, you may need a car or van.</li>\n<li>If you’re a dentist, you’ll need the chair and the drill and the instrument sterilizer and the X-ray machine and so on.</li>\n<li>If you’re a gardener, you’ll need a lawn mower and a leaf-blower and a hedge-clipper.</li>\n<li>If you’re manufacturing something, you’ll need a system for creating your product, and depending on what your business is, this could be anything from a set of chisels or a couple of sewing machines to a smelter or a laboratory.</li>\n<li>If you’re setting up a retail business, you’ll probably need a cash register or other cash-tracking equipment, systems for accepting credit cards or debit cards, inventory-control systems to prevent shoplifting, and display stands, cases, and cupboards. You’ll also need initial inventory (the stock you’re going to sell).</li>\n</ul>\n<p>All the possibilities for specific equipment can’t be addressed here. Just don’t forget to take your special equipment into account when you’re making your shopping list for gear. You can use the following table to calculate your costs as they occur and to keep a close eye on your spending.</p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>List Individual Items (such as)</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Cost of Individual Items</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Furniture and furnishings</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Total cost $</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">Desk</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">Chairs</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">Light fixtures, etc.</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Computer hardware and software</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Total cost $</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">&nbsp;</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">&nbsp;</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Website design</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>$</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Business stationery (graphic design, materials, and printing)</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>$</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Special equipment for your business</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>$</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">Vehicles</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\">Machinery</td>\n<td width=\"258\">$</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>Cost of initial inventory (for a retail business)</strong></td>\n<td width=\"258\"><strong>$</strong></td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p>&nbsp;</p>\n"},{"title":"Locating Sources of Financing for a Small Business","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>So where are you going to find money for your small business? Generations of businesspeople have wondered the same thing, so you can turn to a standard list of sources of money. The sources include</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Personal assets</li>\n<li>Money from family and friends</li>\n<li>Borrowed money:\n<ul>\n<li>Mortgage on home or vacation property</li>\n<li>Commercial loans (capital and operating)</li>\n<li>Micro-credit loans</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Credit:\n<ul>\n<li>Suppliers</li>\n<li>Customers</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li>Sale of accounts receivable</li>\n<li>Grants and loans from government</li>\n<li>Investment from external sources:\n<ul>\n<li>Angel investor</li>\n<li>Venture capital company</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>The federal <a href=\"http://www.ic.gc.ca/\">Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada website</a> maintains a financing page that provides information on finding sources of funding and financial assistance. Click the Business Grants and Financing tab to learn about various financing options including government grants and loans.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"sponsorAd":"","sponsorEbookTitle":"","sponsorEbookLink":"","sponsorEbookImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Six months","lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":208419},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-03-31T20:46:19+00:00","modifiedTime":"2020-03-31T20:46:19+00:00","timestamp":"2022-09-14T18:17:38+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34225"},"slug":"business","categoryId":34225},{"name":"Small Business","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34251"},"slug":"small-business","categoryId":34251},{"name":"Start-Ups","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34252"},"slug":"start-ups","categoryId":34252}],"title":"Establish Website Goals and Conversions for Your Online Business","strippedTitle":"establish website goals and conversions for your online business","slug":"establish-website-goals-and-conversions-for-your-online-business","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Explore how to guide traffic flow through your site based on defined goals and conversion points. Do you want to increase sales?","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"With so many different website pages and options for what and when (or where) a visitor first sees on your site, it’s critical to help define the path you want visitors to take through the website for your online business. Just as you want a profitability plan for your site, you need to map out and control, or heavily influence, how traffic flows through the pages of your website.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269863\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269863\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/online-biz-web-traffic.jpg\" alt=\"website traffic\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> ©hywards/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n\r\nUltimately, you want that traffic flow or “visitor pathway” to result with an action — making a purchase, requesting a quote, watching a video, downloading a white paper, registering for a webinar … the list of actions is nearly endless and totally dependent upon what <em>you</em> want your visitor to do.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">In the past (and we mean years ago, when businesses first started getting online), websites had a very simple structure. There were usually three to five main sections of a site (Homepage, About Us, Products, Services, Contact Us) with few total pages — usually less than a dozen. Today, websites, especially e-commerce sites, can have hundreds of pages, or more.</p>\r\nThere are also lots of different ways people can find or enter your site — directly (by typing your domain name in a web browser), through a link in social media, by responding to an online ad from Google Ads, in response to a call to action in a video on YouTube, or through organic search (because they’re searching for information or products and your site shows up in search results). Not to mention, new visitors can start their experiences with your site from your home page or from any other page in your website (this is considered a <em>landing page</em> because visitors “land” on it first).\r\n\r\nLet’s start by defining exactly what we mean by website goals and conversions. A “goal” is an end result you want to achieve, and it must be specific and measurable. You might have a goal to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/inbound-marketing/google-analytics-and-inbound-marketing/\">increase traffic</a> to a particular product page on your website by 20 percent over the previous 30 days and have a bounce rate (whether or not visitors immediately leave or <em>bounce off</em> that page) of 40 percent or less. A “conversion” is the completion of an action, such as clicking a call-to-action button or actually buying a product.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">We sometimes talk about conversion rates to determine how successful an online offer is on a particular page. One way to calculate the rate is by dividing the number of clicks on a call-to-action button by the number of visitors on the page over a certain period of time. A Buy Now button on a product page may have a 2 percent conversion rate, for example.</p>\r\nBefore you can map out how you want traffic to flow through your website, you need to define the goals and conversion points for each page of your website. And all these decisions are critical to successful website design! Obviously, you cannot physically control what actions website visitors take and which pages they view, or in which order. However, knowing the goal of a specific page helps you determine which calls to action you need on the page, and further helps you determine what type of content you need on that page. The figure shows an example of a visitor pathway based on goals and conversions.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269862\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269862\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/online-biz-traffic-flow.jpg\" alt=\"online traffic flow\" width=\"556\" height=\"97\" /> Guide the traffic flow through your site based on defined goals and conversion points.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Use the information from the profitability plan you create to determine what type of conversions you need on each page. This ensures you are directing visitors to click on offers that help generate the highest possible revenue for your online business.</p>\r\nEach page of your website should have a goal associated with it. What is the purpose of the page? What do you want visitors to do when they are on that page? Where do you want visitors to go next? For example, the goal may be for visitors to read information about a common problem they may be having and learn more (which could be measurable by the bounce rate and time spent on the page). The conversion point may be to click a link within the text to a product or service page that solves the common problem they just read about; or it might be to watch a video for more detailed information. Knowing the goal for each page also helps you determine the most appropriate conversion points on the page. (Yes, you can have more than one conversion point!)\r\n\r\nOnce you have goals, conversions, and visitor flow mapped out, you have a good starting point to determine your site’s structure.","description":"With so many different website pages and options for what and when (or where) a visitor first sees on your site, it’s critical to help define the path you want visitors to take through the website for your online business. Just as you want a profitability plan for your site, you need to map out and control, or heavily influence, how traffic flows through the pages of your website.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269863\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269863\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/online-biz-web-traffic.jpg\" alt=\"website traffic\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> ©hywards/Shutterstock.com[/caption]\r\n\r\nUltimately, you want that traffic flow or “visitor pathway” to result with an action — making a purchase, requesting a quote, watching a video, downloading a white paper, registering for a webinar … the list of actions is nearly endless and totally dependent upon what <em>you</em> want your visitor to do.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">In the past (and we mean years ago, when businesses first started getting online), websites had a very simple structure. There were usually three to five main sections of a site (Homepage, About Us, Products, Services, Contact Us) with few total pages — usually less than a dozen. Today, websites, especially e-commerce sites, can have hundreds of pages, or more.</p>\r\nThere are also lots of different ways people can find or enter your site — directly (by typing your domain name in a web browser), through a link in social media, by responding to an online ad from Google Ads, in response to a call to action in a video on YouTube, or through organic search (because they’re searching for information or products and your site shows up in search results). Not to mention, new visitors can start their experiences with your site from your home page or from any other page in your website (this is considered a <em>landing page</em> because visitors “land” on it first).\r\n\r\nLet’s start by defining exactly what we mean by website goals and conversions. A “goal” is an end result you want to achieve, and it must be specific and measurable. You might have a goal to <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/inbound-marketing/google-analytics-and-inbound-marketing/\">increase traffic</a> to a particular product page on your website by 20 percent over the previous 30 days and have a bounce rate (whether or not visitors immediately leave or <em>bounce off</em> that page) of 40 percent or less. A “conversion” is the completion of an action, such as clicking a call-to-action button or actually buying a product.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">We sometimes talk about conversion rates to determine how successful an online offer is on a particular page. One way to calculate the rate is by dividing the number of clicks on a call-to-action button by the number of visitors on the page over a certain period of time. A Buy Now button on a product page may have a 2 percent conversion rate, for example.</p>\r\nBefore you can map out how you want traffic to flow through your website, you need to define the goals and conversion points for each page of your website. And all these decisions are critical to successful website design! Obviously, you cannot physically control what actions website visitors take and which pages they view, or in which order. However, knowing the goal of a specific page helps you determine which calls to action you need on the page, and further helps you determine what type of content you need on that page. The figure shows an example of a visitor pathway based on goals and conversions.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_269862\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-269862\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/online-biz-traffic-flow.jpg\" alt=\"online traffic flow\" width=\"556\" height=\"97\" /> Guide the traffic flow through your site based on defined goals and conversion points.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">Use the information from the profitability plan you create to determine what type of conversions you need on each page. This ensures you are directing visitors to click on offers that help generate the highest possible revenue for your online business.</p>\r\nEach page of your website should have a goal associated with it. What is the purpose of the page? What do you want visitors to do when they are on that page? Where do you want visitors to go next? For example, the goal may be for visitors to read information about a common problem they may be having and learn more (which could be measurable by the bounce rate and time spent on the page). The conversion point may be to click a link within the text to a product or service page that solves the common problem they just read about; or it might be to watch a video for more detailed information. Knowing the goal for each page also helps you determine the most appropriate conversion points on the page. (Yes, you can have more than one conversion point!)\r\n\r\nOnce you have goals, conversions, and visitor flow mapped out, you have a good starting point to determine your site’s structure.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9359,"name":"Shannon Belew","slug":"shannon-belew","description":" <p><b>Shannon Belew</b> is a nationally recognized digital marketing strategist, speaker and consultant for B2B brands, and leads an engagement marketing team for a global infrastructure software company.</p> <p><b>Joel Elad</b> is the head of Real Method Consulting, where he provides consulting and advice for e-commerce companies and entrepreneurs. 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Start-Ups Articles

High-growth start-ups aren't like any other business in the world. You'll need to move fast and break things to be successful. Get help right here.

Articles From Start-Ups

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118 results
Start-Ups Entrepreneurship For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-09-2022

Prepared entrepreneurs learn as much as possible about their marketplace and what customers want. This cheat sheet helps you test new ideas and weed out the keepers from the also-rans. It poses key questions about your concept, the marketplace, the industry, and your team. It even shows you how to create a marketing plan, and more!

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Start-Ups Business Plans For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 05-12-2022

A well-developed business plan is critical for any start-up business. To develop a thorough business plan, research your customers and competition; avoid mistakes that lead to business failure; and know how to implement a business plan and make it work. Your business plan should include a basic financial statement, all major pieces of a business plan, and information from your business-planning checklist.

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Start-Ups Side Hustles For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022

A side hustle is usually a sort of business that you’re running in addition to whatever you do for your full-time job or career. Or, you can pull together two or more side hustles and, taken all together, that’s how you earn a living. If you’re not sure whether a side hustle is right for you, getting clear on the reasons you may want to start one is a good place to start. You may also find it helpful to think about different categories of side hustles, in order to find the one that’s best for you. Finally, if you’re trying to juggle a full-time job with a side hustle, you need to know how to keep all those balls in the air. This Cheat Sheet has you covered on all of these fronts.

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Start-Ups Starting a Business Cheat Sheet (UK Edition)

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-09-2022

Getting a business off the ground may not be easy but it can be great fun, especially if it gets off to a flying start. This cheat sheet serves up key ways to make sure that your business gets the initial boost that it deserves.

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Start-Ups Starting an Etsy Business For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

If you're looking to channel your passion for crafting and artful creation into a business, consider selling your work on Etsy. Countless crafters have ditched their day jobs to start their own Etsy craft business or have supplemented their existing income by selling their own crafts, vintage items, or crafting supplies. If your dream is to "make a living making things," then Etsy is for you!

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Start-Ups Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-18-2022

Starting an online business or growing an existing e-commerce business doesn’t have to be hard. Lots of resources are available to help you do everything from creating content for your website to building a long list of loyal customers. Being a savvy online entrepreneur also means learning to use social media to promote your business. Try these suggestions and quick tips for launching your website and engaging your customers.

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Start-Ups Starting a Business All-In-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-08-2022

Starting and running your own business can be one of the greatest joys in life. It can also be the hardest thing you ever do. The fact that no one is going to be standing over your shoulder telling you what to do can be simultaneously exhilarating and frightening. Finding sources of inspiration for great business ideas can keep you going in the absence of that voice over your shoulder. Nailing down a handful of basic, fundamental practices can keep you on the right track. And getting a grip on the money constantly flowing in and out of your business is one of the big keys to success.

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Start-Ups Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 12-09-2021

The thought of building and launching a brand can send any budding entrepreneur into a panic. Where do you begin with such a formidable task? How do you build marketplace momentum? How do you extend your brand’s reach and increase awareness of it? How do you protect it from threats — external and internal? And when you finally achieve some degree of success, how do you reach the next level? In Launching and Building a Brand For Dummies, I answer all of those questions and more. This Cheat Sheet highlights a small sample of what’s included in the book while getting you up to speed in a hurry on a few key branding topics.

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Start-Ups Starting & Running a Small Business For Canadians All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-11-2021

Starting and running a small business is an exciting — and often frightening — adventure. Who knows where you may end up? To keep from getting lost on your journey exploring business opportunities, you need help setting up your business — including choosing a name, creating a business plan, gathering equipment, and finding financing.

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Start-Ups Establish Website Goals and Conversions for Your Online Business

Article / Updated 03-31-2020

With so many different website pages and options for what and when (or where) a visitor first sees on your site, it’s critical to help define the path you want visitors to take through the website for your online business. Just as you want a profitability plan for your site, you need to map out and control, or heavily influence, how traffic flows through the pages of your website. Ultimately, you want that traffic flow or “visitor pathway” to result with an action — making a purchase, requesting a quote, watching a video, downloading a white paper, registering for a webinar … the list of actions is nearly endless and totally dependent upon what you want your visitor to do. In the past (and we mean years ago, when businesses first started getting online), websites had a very simple structure. There were usually three to five main sections of a site (Homepage, About Us, Products, Services, Contact Us) with few total pages — usually less than a dozen. Today, websites, especially e-commerce sites, can have hundreds of pages, or more. There are also lots of different ways people can find or enter your site — directly (by typing your domain name in a web browser), through a link in social media, by responding to an online ad from Google Ads, in response to a call to action in a video on YouTube, or through organic search (because they’re searching for information or products and your site shows up in search results). Not to mention, new visitors can start their experiences with your site from your home page or from any other page in your website (this is considered a landing page because visitors “land” on it first). Let’s start by defining exactly what we mean by website goals and conversions. A “goal” is an end result you want to achieve, and it must be specific and measurable. You might have a goal to increase traffic to a particular product page on your website by 20 percent over the previous 30 days and have a bounce rate (whether or not visitors immediately leave or bounce off that page) of 40 percent or less. A “conversion” is the completion of an action, such as clicking a call-to-action button or actually buying a product. We sometimes talk about conversion rates to determine how successful an online offer is on a particular page. One way to calculate the rate is by dividing the number of clicks on a call-to-action button by the number of visitors on the page over a certain period of time. A Buy Now button on a product page may have a 2 percent conversion rate, for example. Before you can map out how you want traffic to flow through your website, you need to define the goals and conversion points for each page of your website. And all these decisions are critical to successful website design! Obviously, you cannot physically control what actions website visitors take and which pages they view, or in which order. However, knowing the goal of a specific page helps you determine which calls to action you need on the page, and further helps you determine what type of content you need on that page. The figure shows an example of a visitor pathway based on goals and conversions. Use the information from the profitability plan you create to determine what type of conversions you need on each page. This ensures you are directing visitors to click on offers that help generate the highest possible revenue for your online business. Each page of your website should have a goal associated with it. What is the purpose of the page? What do you want visitors to do when they are on that page? Where do you want visitors to go next? For example, the goal may be for visitors to read information about a common problem they may be having and learn more (which could be measurable by the bounce rate and time spent on the page). The conversion point may be to click a link within the text to a product or service page that solves the common problem they just read about; or it might be to watch a video for more detailed information. Knowing the goal for each page also helps you determine the most appropriate conversion points on the page. (Yes, you can have more than one conversion point!) Once you have goals, conversions, and visitor flow mapped out, you have a good starting point to determine your site’s structure.

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