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tygersclaw
Member
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 28 May 2009 02:05
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Okay so one decides to enter into a program and get going with an Online Home Based business, what are the ACTUAL start-up costs one should be looking at realistically?
The first cost for many going into a Home based online business is a course, or program, such as Profit Lance. But then there is the costs to get hosting, site development, registering with something like Clickbank or Commission Junction, business incorporation, getting a business bank account, advertising, accountants and legal advice, and well...there is a lot more costs than just buying a program that tells you how to make money before you DO make money.
The costs are more than just the Course/Program costs so, what kind of ball-park figure can one expect to be encountering.
btw, I have and do run different businesses from home (traditional types) where one could accurately forecast and budget for start-up costs, as well as maintenance advertising costs for the first 6 months of business, but, with this type of venture, many of the costs are hidden initially.
So, any idea as to what one would see as a average total cost for a new start-up??
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getagrip
Joined: 20 Feb 2006
Posts: 1639
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# Posted: 28 May 2009 10:09
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There is a lot you can do for free online after you have learned the basics. Usually, however, no matter what route you take, you will need to pay a monthly cost for web hosting and an annual cost for domains - outside of these, there aren't too many fees you need to worry about, depending on which course of action you need to take. Later, when you have more experience, you can start getting involved in pay per click advertising, which has significant costs, but also has very good potential for financial rewards as well.
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cherie27
Member
Joined: 27 Nov 2007
Posts: 620
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# Posted: 28 May 2009 20:38
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I agree with getgrip.
The startup cost are fee for domain(yearly), hosting fee(monthly), autoresponder(monthly).
Of course, you can start your online business for free. You can make use of squidoo for your webpage hosting.
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mountainmom5
Joined: 30 Aug 2007
Posts: 1526
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# Posted: 29 May 2009 08:47 · Edited by: mountainmom5
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I sorta depends on what you are doing but I agree with getagrip...
1)domain - $9 a year
2)hosting - $5 -$19 a month
3)autoresponder - $9 - $19 a month
(these all come with the SBI package so I didn't have to worry about that ...  )
That's about it to get you started and then if you decide to pay for advertising later... but I would recommend learning more about seo before you attempt that.
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tygersclaw
Member
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 29 May 2009 14:17
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I see people mentioning about a Auto-Responder and I am assuming that it is a email Auto-Responder that you are referring to, but is it? If it is, why not use the one on your Web Hosting account which is part of the package (or should be).
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A8ch
Joined: 24 Jun 2005
Posts: 503
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# Posted: 29 May 2009 17:25
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That's correct, TygersClaw. Autoresponder refers to that critically important tool that automates email responses. While most hosting packages offer autoresponders, what you get is usually very basic and lacks the robust capability and options that you get with professional email service providers such as Aweber, GetResponse or ConstantContact.
On the subject of projected start-up costs, the above posts all make solid points. A ball-park figure could be $100, $500 or more, (even less) depending on how you decide to get started. (Actually a true *ball-park* figure would be in the millions of dollars, wouldn't it.) Oh, never mind me, I'm just being "literal" and silly. 
The truth is you can get started online with a comparatively small investment, substantially less than what a traditional offline business would require. Plus, you can easily stagger some of those monthly costs and rely on early revenue to pay them when they come due.
Example: For much less than $100 you can register and host a domain, and then use free resources (Ezine Articles, Squidoo, forums etc.) to promote an affiliate program. When these free tools start bringing traffic, conversions and sales that provide a cashflow that covers expenses with some left over, you may want to consider modest paid advertising. It'll be an additional expense, but one you'll be able to absorb.
In the beginning your biggest "cost" (investment) will be the time you spend learning, doing and understanding.
Hermas
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Newbie Shield
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 1828
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# Posted: 30 May 2009 21:34
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Hi TygersClaw,
Sounds like you have a better than average idea of what is involved.
The startup costs vary widely depending upon the needs, resources, background, and personal style of a given individual.
Many start for free. Some buy a new computer, a bunch of software, learning materials, pay for a business name, hire an accountant and/or consultant, etc...
The good news is that you can start for free and buy one or more new things each month. Some stay in free mode for a very long time and seem to be happy with their success. Obviously, you'd have to replace computer components as they wear out or become obsolete.
The best thing to do is to offer some perspective. Hermas is right: in the beginning, your main "expense" will be the time spent studying.
The perspective is a time frame issue. It takes most people around six months to grasp a respectable percentage of the fundamentals of online marketing. By then you'll uncover some additional things that you'll need to learn.
But by then you'll also probably be ready to experiment with some free pages such as Squidoo, free blogs, and article writing along with some new learning.
Along the way you'll also want to continue interacting on this forum and read from some online marketing blogs.
One of the first things to do is to take the free 30 Day Challenge at:
www.thirtydaychallenge.com
Once you understand Squidoo and/or free blogs, look into Wealthy Affiliate and SBI to see which one is a better fit. Wealthy Affiliate has more of an aggressive hare mentality whereas SBI is more of a long term tortoise thing.
You'll eventually want to make yourself familiar with paid hosting and gear up to purchase a domain as soon as you feel that you are ready. That's one of the last steps before really rolling up your sleeves and getting into the trenches.
Once in the trenches, build quality pages and cater well to your readership.
Try to resist the strong urge to focus on the money. Don't listen to the false gurus that spew a bunch of nonsense about it being quick and easy to build wealth online. Nothing could be further from the truth. Take your time and enjoy the process.
Be committed for the long haul and never give up.
Best of luck,
~Newbie Shield~
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tygersclaw
Member
Joined: 27 May 2009
Posts: 29
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# Posted: 31 May 2009 03:33
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Thanks NS and everyone. I really appreciate your answers.
Yeah Newbie, I have been reading a ton on forums the last few days, so that could be why I sound as I do, or if also could be that I have been online for well over a decade and always tied terrestrial business promotions into the internet as well.
I will check out the Thirty Day Challenge as suggested as well will be looking at Wealthy Affiliate, Profit Lance and Average Joe.
Way I look at it, there is no such thing as too much information if you take from each only the best information that they each provide.
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