50 E-Business Ideas for Home Based Entrepreneurs
By Andy Levitt
3.5/5
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About this ebook
Launch your very own internet business today with 50 proven successful e-business models!
Starting an internet business has never been easier as we stand now at the threshold of the digital revolution. You can create a website with a few clicks from the comfort of your home and start a profitable business within minutes. We are presented with an overwhelming choice of cost efficient and even free Do-It-Yourself e-commerce software and web publishing applications at our disposal. The international distribution flow of goods and services has been made more efficient than ever with the proliferation of B2B websites and wholesale dropshipping networks - one wonders why there aren't many more internet entrepreneurs taking advantage of such accessible technology and the increasingly disappearing trade barriers.
Why do so many people still get stuck in a 9-5 office job or jobs which they can't derive satisfaction and personal fulfillment from? The answer is that they simply are not aware of the possibilities out there and how easy it is to pursue the alternative lifestyle of an internet entrepreneur. Fear, skepticism and the self-crippling notion that you need the next groundbreaking e-business idea to be successful makes people grab on to the status quo.
Andy Levitt, successful entrepreneur and practicing start-up consultant, shows you how by following sound business models others have used to demonstrable success, anyone can start a profitable internet business. Not having programming or web publishing skills is no longer a barrier to becoming an internet entrepreneur with the abundance of DIY website tools available. Using an array of social media tools to market your business, small start-ups can go up against big established players.
Readers of this book will benefit from the broad range of user-friendly website building tools and free internet resources for entrepreneurs covered. Most importantly, he/she will be able to profit from each of the 50 e-business models covered individually in this book.
In each of the 50 e-business models discussed in the book, readers can expect the following:
- Examples of existing market incumbents
- Business structure
- Technology and tools required to launch the website
- Skills needed
- Capital requirements and
- Marketing techniques and tips
The distillation of the nature and characteristics of each of the 50 e-business models serve to help readers decide on the most suitable business profile to pursue based on interests, personality and general strengths and weaknesses.
Wait no longer and kickstart your entrepreneurial journey today!
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Reviews for 50 E-Business Ideas for Home Based Entrepreneurs
10 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You can tell that this book is certainly dated. There are some good ideas though.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent guide that simplify the basic requirements/work flow for each business model.
Book preview
50 E-Business Ideas for Home Based Entrepreneurs - Andy Levitt
50 E-business Ideas for Home Based Entrepreneurs
Andy Levitt
Copyright Andy Levitt 2012
Published by Fortinbras Publishing at Smashwords
Smashwords License Statement
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COPYRIGHT
PREFACE
CONVENTIONS
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: The Internet Landscape Today
Chapter 2: The Successful Internet Entrepreneur
PART 2: E-BUSINESS MODELS AND TOOLS FOR THE INTERNET ENTREPRENEUR
Chapter 3: The Shapes and Forms of E-businesses
Chapter 4: Technology Tools to Build Your E-Business
WEB STOREFRONT SOLUTIONS
WEBSITE UTILITIES
SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS
PART 3: 50 E-BUSINESS IDEAS TO KICKSTART YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY
Chapter 5: The 50 Business Profiles
1. Audiobooks Sales
2. Business Advice Forum
3. Consumer Reviews Website
4. Curated Fashion Sales
5. Custom Design T-Shirts
6. Diet Meals Delivery
7. Digital Graphics Production
8. Digital Music Creator
9. Digital Music Store
10. Discount Deals Aggregator
11. E-book Sales
12. E-learning Production
13. Events Guide
14. Freelance Job Board
15. Fruit Delivery
16. Gadget Accessories
17. Gifts and Flowers Delivery
18. Group Buying Website
19. Healthy Cookery and Recipes Portal
20. Holiday Consultant
21. Ladies Fitness Wear and Accessories
22. Learning Courses Network
23. News/Blog Aggregator
24. Office Supplies
25. Online Eyewear Retail
26. Online Groceries
27. Online Toys Retail
28. Online Wedding Planning
29. Organic Beauty Products
30. Personal Concierge Service
31. Pet Portal
32. Photo Digitizing Service
33. Price Comparison Website
34. Product Photography
35. Property Listing Website
36. Refurbished Computer Sales
37. Restaurant Review and Booking
38. Reverse Auction Site
39. Student Jobs Centre
40. Takeaway Delivery Website
41. Trade Show Directory Service
42. Travel Website
43. Tutoring Network
44. Used CDs and DVDs e-Marketplace
45. Virtual Shopping Mall
46. Volunteer Matching Network
47. Webcomic Creator
48. Webinar Coaching
49. Webinar Listings Site
50. Wine Consultancy and Retail
APPENDIX
Glossary of Terms
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PREFACE
Who is this book for?
Entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses using the internet as a medium need look no further. This book not only shows you how it can be done but also how others have achieved success with the same business models – all 50 of them – discussed in detail here.
This book is written for highly motivated entrepreneurs who may not be technically inclined but would like to leverage on the tools and technology available to efficiently bring their ideas to market. With the abundance of cost-efficient tools and accessible technology available, you do not need a prohibitively large sum of capital investment to create your own profitable business on the internet. This book will show the reader the range of resources available to the boot strapped entrepreneur to grow his own business.
This book assumes:
1. The reader may not have access to a large amount of financial resources but is willing to invest or borrow a minimal amount to kick-start the business and generate cash flow for future expansion.
2. He does not necessarily possess advanced programming skills but is open to developing basic knowledge in web publishing along the way.
3. She is prepared to put in the hard work and sacrifices required to succeed.
What does this book cover?
The focus of this book is to help you launch an internet business by showing you 50 e-business profiles which have been proven to work for successful incumbents.
The book starts with an overview of the opportunities present in the current internet landscape for the entrepreneur before moving on to some of the key characteristics of a successful entrepreneurial mindset.
In the second part of this book, we look at the three dimensions of e-business models which will provide a framework for analysing the 50 business profiles later on. In the course of it, we pose some questions to the reader to set him thinking about what kind of internet business structure would suit him best. Essential and useful technology tools to set up and manage e-businesses are also laid out to acquaint the reader with the array of accessible resources currently available at her disposal.
This will bring us to the concluding part of the book where 50 e-business ideas have been carefully selected to show the reader how to go about creating his own start-up. The selection criteria take into account the following factors: ease of entry by an independent entrepreneur i.e., lack of foreseeable barriers to entry, proven feasibility by the presence of thriving incumbents and potential scalability for future growth. Hence these ideas are by no means completely newly conceived or but are drawn from tested and proven business profiles of successful incumbents, examples of which are listed out for the reader’s reference. The aim here is to show the reader how these business models have been successfully executed by others before and then provide suggestions on how to expand and improve on the same ideas to differentiate them from existing competition.
CONVENTIONS
Useful Information
Throughout the book, useful and interesting information to supplement the materials in this book will be highlighted to the reader in the form of boxed notes like this:
Jargons
We try to avoid excessive use of jargons but some technical internet terms are unavoidable (you probably need to know some to communicate more professionally with your future customers and suppliers!). In those cases, we have provided detailed explanations for these words in the Appendix. You can instantly access the explanations by clicking the hyperlinked words on your e-book reader.
Names of note
Names of noteworthy tools and service providers are highlighted in bold. You should consider leveraging on these to help launch or grow your business. Where free or low-cost options are available, they are always spelt out.
URL Hyperlinks
Words hyperlinked with URLs are designed to bring the reader straight to the corresponding website for reference purposes. This assumes the reader is using an e-book reading device or an electronic device with internet connectivity.
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: The Internet Landscape Today
There are well over 1 billion internet users today and the number is still growing at a phenomenal rate. We correspond by email, shop for groceries online and look to the internet for news, entertainment and to keep up with the latest fads and trends. The internet has changed every facet of how we lead our lives and how we go about performing day to day tasks.
This has created a whole new world of business opportunities. Before the internet age, there were higher barriers to entry for entrepreneurs to start a business in the brick and mortar world; now anyone can start an online venture at little or even no cost! Free tools such as blogs exist as an option to anyone who is motivated enough to utilise them to reach out to their target market. More and more people are quitting their day jobs to focus on their private internet businesses and many have found personal fulfilment and financial success in doing so.
Vast technological improvements since Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet in 1989 meant that online transactions are now faster, safer and cheaper. Big corporations are getting upended by small start-ups in the levelled playing field with the help of accessible technology and the proliferation of cost efficient marketing methods using the social media. There is no reason why anyone who is determined enough to succeed cannot do so with the right business model and supporting tools.
Opportunities abound and there is never a better time to become an internet entrepreneur. Many e-businesses have sprung up in recent years to meet increasing consumer demands but there will always be gaps in the various market segments which remain to be served; opportunities previously not captured by companies could now be available to the new entrepreneur either because of better timing, market segment maturation or simply due to the arrival of more feasible technology to serve it in such an effective way that was not possible before. Consumer tastes on the internet are evolving every day and as communities around the world change in demographics and social makeup, new needs are born. The shrewd entrepreneur will be able to tap into this changing landscape and build a thriving internet business.
There are many ways one can serve this burgeoning market as this book will explore in part 3 of this book with 50 different ideas for an internet business.
Chapter 2: The Successful Internet Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is a visionary who is committed to bringing his idea from conception to market. He is devoted to making it happen and at the same time, clear about this goals and priorities. Before you get started, there are 3 things to consider:
1. Commitment and focus
2. Self-belief and support network
3. Personal interests and expectations
Figure 1 sums up the makings of a successful entrepreneur. There are no secrets and founders of successful companies were often quoted as saying that they have had to make their own luck at some point in their entrepreneurial career to ensure things go their way.
Figure 1: The Successful Entrepreneur