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Tip #1 - Why Start Your Own Business /
Do I Have a Market on the Internet?
Howdy!
This is the first email of what I hope will be many in regards to encouraging Christian families to start their own businesses, with a
special emphasis on online businesses.
First, “hello” to the men from Central Baptist of Round Rock. Thanks for
having me over to speak at your Men’s Charge (not retreat!). I don’t
think I have ever seen so many flying potatoes in one day!
Why Start Your Own Business?
I
will develop this point in further emails, but let me give you three
quick reasons why:
- To develop
sources of passive income
- Income that comes in whether you are actively working
at that business or not (like rental, interest, royalties, etc.)
Income that may possibly meet your monthly expenses so that God can
use you in other areas.
-
- To teach your kids
entrepreneurial skills
- They may choose to work
for an employer or a big corporation, but even then, entrepreneurial
skills can only help. Besides, they will have some skills to fall back
on if times get tough (remember the 80’s?).
-
- The world
is a different place than the one in which our dads grew up
- Loyalty to hardworking
employees is a thing of the past. Most large corporations view short
term profits as a greater asset than a stable, contented employee base.
Many of us may be one project away from having to find a job.
-
- I want to
be an unentangled soldier
- Paul tells us to not be
entangled in the affairs of this world. I want to work in a manner led
by God not by my monthly notes. I also do not like the idea of going to
an unbelieving culture with my hat in my hand asking permission to feed
my family. God told us our responsibilities and they should not be held
hostage by an unbelieving world!
Now, you may not agree
with all my reasons, but I hope you will at least gain some tips in
starting your own business.
Why an emphasis on
online businesses?
Here are just a few advantages of starting a business online:
- You can
start small
- You can
include your kids (and maybe your Timothy-the man that you are
discipling)
- You do
not need a large capital investment
- You do
not have to incur debt
- It can
have a relatively low time investment
- You can
generate passive income (once you get it started, the income is not
dependent on you swinging the hammer, driving the truck, typing on the
computer, talking on the phone, etc.)
- High
reward/little risk
So, without further ado, let’s look at the first tip.
Product Research
If
you want to start selling something on the internet, would it not be a
good idea to see if anyone else wanted to buy it? Well you can do a
little research on overture.com
http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
When you type in a subject here, it will tell you how many people
searched on that word or phrase in a month. So if you want to write a
book on model rocketry, you could find out how many people were
interested in that topic by typing “model rocketry” in the search word
analyzer. You would see that 1,697 people did a search on that subject
in Feb. This will tell you a few things. Number one, there is not a huge
interest out there, so you may consider a broader topic or maybe find
another one. However, it may be a good niche market, but at least you
will know the level of interest.
You will also get related words which may have more interest or provide
a deeper niche. Let’s say I have written a book for Christian dads
(actually, I have! A
Fathers Stew: A book for Christian Dads). I first do
a search on “parenting”. Whoa! There were 71,989 searches on the term
“parenting” in Feb. That is a lot of interest. I may find a few people
who want my book! Actually, “parenting” is too broad a topic. My book is
geared mainly for Christian parents and specifically dads. So, let’s run
a search on “christian parenting”. There are only 2342/month searches
here, but maybe enough demand for a book targeted to that niche. I will
not go after “christian dads” or “christian fathers” because there are
too few searches there. Actually, “christian fathers” is misleading
because most searches are looking for the early Christian fathers of the
Church. So, you see, a little research tells me what keywords people are
searching to find a subject and that can prove invaluable when marketing
a future product.
So, I have found a market for my book. Now I know who to target and
which search words they are using, what is my next step? You will have
to wait for the next email. But what if you don’t have a book or a
product? We will talk about that as well.
- If
you want to check out the book I am doing all this research for, go
here:
- A
Father's Stew, for Christian Dads
Remember, I am using my book as an example. Writing your own book is
very easy (I will show you how later) and everyone of you have some
specialized knowledge that is marketable. Also, don’t forget about
selling someone else’s product as well.
Warmly in Christ,
Stephen Beck
- www.familyebiz.com
- www.curriculumconnection.net
- steve@familyebiz.com
Click Here for Tip #2
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