Good Business Ideas Can Be Brought to Life Using both Online and Traditional Resources and Your Own Creativity | Tools and Info to Help Make Your Startup Business Plans a Reality
Best Startup Business Ideas for 2011 - Make This Your Year!
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Contemporary business startup ideas, and the methods used to exploit them, seem as diverse as the imaginations of those hatching them. The consensus from all reports is that 2011 will be a good year to start a new business, whether the web-based or old-fashioned offline variety. This should be encouraging news for the still-sizeable bloc of downsized and underemployed workers in our midst.
So, is there one BEST opportunity? Not really, since just as with any traditional job, what's ideal for a friend may be anathema to you. And just as with any 9 to 5 you may have held, or these days, overtrained for, your longevity in the effort will likely be tied directly to the creative zeal and enthusiasm you can sustain.
Simply stated, the best opportunity for you is the one that channels your expertise and passions in the most enjoyable and profitable direction.
Bearing this in mind, we'll present a variety of the most popular and successful avenues now being followed, so each reader can weigh the pros and cons to identify what's most appealing. We'll mostly stay away from the "ready made" MLM and other organized marketing programs for this discussion. While there may some network gems out there, we don't have the direct experience to tout the virtues of any program. Instead we'll assume our readers want to create opportunities from scratch using their own resources, drive and ingenuity. We'll continue to monitor entrpreneurial blogs and news outlets and update this page as warranted.
If you have made a killing at something, feel certain it would work well for a subset of our readers and don't mind sharing, please feel free to tell us via our contact form.
We'll make one exception in recommending a specific program, namely that of renowned marketer Chris Farrell. Farrell's membership site has been named No. 1 Internet Marketing Service by the members of IM Report Card for two years running. It's that rare case where a web "guru" has won praise from an independent body of consumers for two straight years. On his site, you can read genuine testimonials from the legions who swear by Farrell's methods, and test-drive the program before you commit to a modest monthly fee. Witty and engaging, Farrell helps even web newbies systematically construct a long-term, income-replacing web business and generously provides members all the tools and training that have quickly propelled him to the most elite IM rank.
Since use or non-use of the Internet is the single most distinguishing factor between the types of startup opportunities, that's how we'll break them down here. The resources in the photos to the right and linked below are the favorites of today's successful entrepreneurs. Like to try Kindle editions of the books? You can find free Kindle reading apps for every device here.
Blogging - Blogging still seems to be near the top of the popularity list for online startups. Many people start new blogs everyday with little more than a store of knowledge and the passion to share it and learn from others. Both the startup cost and technical knowledge requirements are minimal, and the rewards over time can be great. The innovative service BlogMe lets anyone set up a professional WordPress blog for a few dollars, hosting and plugins included. Doing a little research in advance will give you a sense of the audience size for your chosen subject, and the monetization potential from advertising and affiliate programs. Here's another good place to see if it's for you and get started. We have some good quality, "almost free" basic WordPress blog themes here that might match your interests.
Become a web entrepreneur - If you don't really have a taste for blogging, you can still establish your own web presence and sell products through affiliate relationships. IM Report Card can provide you some leads and impartial user reviews of popular programs. Doba and other drop shippers can link you to every conceivable type of hard goods and save you the inventory headaches - you just post the pictures, descriptions and prices. You'll have some latitude when setting prices - just don't price yourself out of your market. Customers comparison-shop everything nowadays, and you should check what your competitors are charging for the same or similar items, unless of course you've been lucky enough to corner the market on something. Marketers also can elevate sales by offering discounts on bundled goods. We've assembled a useful collection of free and low-cost tools for web marketers, as well as modern productivity enhancers for any business.
Doing in-depth keyword research in advance will point the way to the products and programs most likely to be worth your time. Hint to web newbies: Your new domain name should incorporate one or more of the "money" keywords you make your focus. Market Samurai is our choice for keyword research and promotion.
[Note: While Info-Binge is a Market Samurai affiliate, we wish to make known that we have wasted time with lesser so-called keyword research tools and can affirm that no other program gives you the breadth of data and actionable intelligence that MS provides. It integrates all phases of your marketing in one interface, plus you get to discover how cool it is during their generous test drive while you watch easy-to-follow videos for each function. We want our customers to succeed and do our own trials to ensure we feature the best.]
Freelancing (Not Just for Writers Anymore) - These days, you can freelance-shop nearly any in-demand skill that businesses need - graphic artists, programmers, SEOs, Flash editors - maybe something you excel at too. Freelanceswitch maintains a great list of outlets for every interest and ability.
Website & Domain Flipping - Been honing your skills on selection 2 above? Another startup business idea on the rise is flipping websites and blogs, i.e., buying web businesses or developing them from scratch and selling them at a profit using marketplaces like Flippa.com. You can learn more about both blogging and site flipping at Entrepreneur's Journey. Flipping virtual properties can be very lucrative, and you never need to hang drywall!
Startup Business Ideas - Hybrid (Online and Offline Components)
This category is interesting because it shows the construction of your new business can span both the digital and analog worlds, making this approach readily accessible for those uncomfortable living entirely in html and WordPress. You'll understand in a minute.
We're particularly fond of the story of the lady who came up with a great theme for a new line of bumper stickers, then promoted her venture in both traditional (analog) ways and online, leading to her great success and fulfillment. Good lessons here for all.
Some common elements of this and other success stories include sensible nuts-and-bolts financials - planning your business to have high gross margins and low startup & maintenance costs. This applies when establishing your web presence. You can get your ideas online for $15 a month or less. Website builders that allow even novices to crank out powerful, sales-ready sites are now quite affordable. Business cards? Search for "free business cards" and you'll find scads of eager providers, though you may have to shell out a few bucks to get quality.
As with starting a blog, choose a topic that you're familiar with and will hold your interest until the business starts producing real rewards. Then the work of getting there won't seem like drudgery.
To quickly strengthen your Internet cred and traffic, sign up for Google Alerts or a similar free service that notifies you of articles in your keyword zone you can respond to and get backlinks, or turbocharge these efforts by easily finding blogs and articles yourself with the Promotion module of Market Samurai.
Finally, teach yourself a little about social media marketing, which is perhaps the greatest "bang for buck" promotional outlet around. See Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day.
On the "analog" side, become aware of the highest-potential promotion avenues in your community - most-read local papers, high-traffic public areas where you can leave flyers and business cards, and so on.
One friend recently discovered he could advertise his massage business for minimal cost on inserts to the water bills sent to thousands of homeowners, and this quickly became his primary business generator. Investigate and use your creativity - find the options others have overlooked and you may be amazed at the results!
Help others build websites - If you've developed some skill as a website developer, you may be able to hire out your talents to merchants and organizations in your area who are looking to start an online presence - and no doubt there are many of these. Joining your town's chamber of commerce would be a good idea, as would advertising your services in the newspaper business section and online community bulletin board.
Offer desktop publishing services - Have an aptitude for this and you can help businesses in your town design all the printed collateral they need to build and inform their customer base. This exends to the nonprofit, civic groups and church organizations as well. Price your services reasonably and take care of customers, and they'll take care of you with steady business and word-of-mouth referrals. You can also put up a simple website and expand your reach into cyberspace.
Become a consultant or trainer - If you have developed expertise in a certain line of work, particularly technical, you may be able to find well-paying hourly work nearby. Or you could arrange to teach what you know to others for a fee. Share the wealth of your knowledge, to in turn enhance your own wealth. The "free" business cards will come in handy here too. Perhaps your discipline will lend itself to freelancing outlets as discussed above. Or you could explore local corporate training providers to see if they're looking for someone with your background.
Be a tutor - Are you a math prodigy or grammarian par excellence? Perhaps you'd like to become a tutor to struggling school kids. Granted, this isn't for everyone, but many who transfer from the business world to education wind up wishing they'd done teaching from the start.
Become a distributor for Avon, Amway, etc.- Both of these names are known for quality products and offer good support channels for their representatives. Have a decent-sized personal network to whom you could market? Then this option may be worth considering.
Jump back to the days before the Internet for these. Many folks are still doing quite well for themselves in the non-virtual world, and who's to say you can't find a path to successful online promotion for one or more of the following? These aren't for those chasing the corner office but may help sustain you or provide the launch pad to achieving your dreams.
Provide personal services - Don't mind a little physical labor? You could mow lawns and do fall cleanups, walk dogs or chauffer. Paint, weed, clean windows or haul trash. Got a nice snowblower that doesn't get used much? You can be your neighbors' salvation in winter months.
House and pet sitting by a trusted neighbor is a service that many homeowners will consider a godsend. Produce a batch of flyers at the local print shop, then distribute them throughout the neighborhood, in storefronts where you're permitted and on bulletin boards. Granted, you're not likely to earn great riches in the early going, but even modest analog startups like this can be scaled up to produce higher rewards.
Become a Professional Organizer. Have a gift for straightening out clutter and organizing things logically? NAPO is a national organization dedicated to helping you get started in this in-demand vocation. Imagine how useful you could be to parents of large families struggling to keep track of their kids' school and health records, or local small businesses at tax time. There are even classes and seminars now for POs. Again, the minimal investment in business cards and flyers, or an ad in the local paper, is all you may need to launch this new career.
tasssStart your own pet food business - Believe it or not, this option appears on more than one list of startup business ideas. It is said that pets in the U.S. eat better than most people in certain areas of the developing world. Ever make homemade food or treats for your furry friends? Then this may be a natural for you. Of course, when you get involved in selling packaged foods on any scale, you'll likely open the door to mandatory inspections and testing. But perhaps selling simple baked treats through local pet stores and vets' offices will produce all the sales volume you need for a nice income.
Here we've tried to give you a reasonable approximation of the range of business startup ideas you can implement in the cyber and analog worlds. As promised, we will expand the list as new developments arise, and you are welcome to share your own success story with Info-Binge and our customers. The more of us who can put to rest the days of long commutes to unfulfilling work this year the better, right? Thank you for reading, and please be sure to visit our Your Top Business Ideas blog.
Like the sampling of books on this page? Please survey our entire hand-picked selection of business and career books, and books for writers, available in every popular reading format.
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