So you want to start an online business eh? Where do you start? From what I understand, it all starts with a solution to a problem. If there's not enough cowbell in the world, you can fulfill the need by selling cowbells. If there are lot of people wanting to improve their photographs, you could teach them in exchange for some type of fee. The way you're going to make money isn't as important as the problem or the solution though.

A successful business must:

1. Solve a problem/ fulfill a need
2. Have enough demand to make it financially viable
3. Be run by someone who cares about the business
4. Be well thought out and planned to avoid pitfalls

First of all, it doesn't matter how well you run your business, if it doesn't fulfill a need then no one will want to use it. If no one wants what you've got then there's no way you can turn a profit. We can save ourselves time and effort by doing some research in the beginning. One way to do so is with the google keyword planner found in google adwords accounts. By choosing specific keywords related to your products you can see if people are searching for your products, or if your idea is just totally crazy or a new unexplored market. The keyword finder also helps you see how much competition there is in your region for those particular keywords. If there is high competition and low traffic for your keywords then you will probably end up paying more in advertising for fewer results.

Once you have discovered a product or service to sell, it's time to choose a good business model or combination of business models to determine how you're going to make a profit off your business.

• Brokerage - bring buyers and sellers together and make money by charging a fee for that service.
• Advertising - sell ad space on your website or blog
• Infomediary - sell lists of demographics and such
• Merchant - sells stuff that others make
• Manufacturer (Direct) - makes products and sells them directly to customers
• Affiliate - make money by referring people to products
• Community - requires high customer loyalty. Make money off ads or affiliates or whatever.
• Subscription - charge a scheduled fee for access to a service
• Utility - pay as you go, based solely on usage

If you've done everything right up to this point, you'll need to consider a few other things. How much will it cost to try out this business? Not only will it cost money, you'll also need to invest time to get things running well at first. What kind of budget is reasonable to start with? Many times you may discover your idea just won't work because of timing or financing, but having planned ahead you will figure that out before getting stuck with a loss. planning is essential.

Other things to consider:

• Is the web domain available?
• Does your target market approve?
• Will it blend?