Small Business – Page 40 – TP Javeton WebNet

Is selling ebooks a business?

In order to address the question of whether or not a business plan is needed in order to sell ebooks online, we must first determine if ebook sales can be considered a business, an entrepreneurship or just something you do on the side to make a few extra bucks for your nights out with the boys/girls.

Another point we should touch on is the interchangeable uses of business and entrepreneurship. There is very little difference between the two terms based on the usage of each term. Since every entrepreneur is technically a small business person and entrepreneurship is simply the act of being an entrepreneur, then it follows that a small business can at any time be referred to as an entrepreneurship and vice versa.

How to define success

That having been said, it is an accepted principle that every small business is launched with the goal – or objective, if you like – of achieving certain levels of monetary success, notwithstanding the service it provides to the local community. Entrepreneurs want to succeed at their particular crafts and therefore should have a clear idea of what it takes to succeed. Most successful business owners will tell you however, that whatever that idea is, it must be in written form.

Success online depends on having a plan, or more specifically a business plan. Very often, aspiring Web entrepreneurs contact a designer with a burning passion to have a new website designed, built and launched. FAST! But success takes more than waking up bug-eyed in the wee hours of the morning with the brainstorm of the century. You need to outline and complete a real business plan and make adjustments before the official launch.

The think-it-through phase

Mentioned earlier was and if it is to be a serious endeavor then it has to be considered an online eBook business, in which case the aspiring entrepreneur will have to provide enough information to satisfy the requirements of a business plan writer or to fill in the blanks of a pre-printed BP form. Thinking through the questions and answers is a vital step towards developing a good business plan. For example:

Do you have a company?
Do you have a logo for your company?
If no logo, what color scheme do you like?
How many products (eBooks) will you offer?
Are they all written and ready to go?
Do you have cover art for your books?
What system of e-commerce do you intend to use?
Will you offer just pdf or exe formats, or both?
Do you have the domain, plus registration and hosting?
Do you have a projected launch date scheduled?
How many affiliate products do you have to offer?
Etc.

Defining what you do, your market, and how you intend to be different are vital considerations for starting your online ebook business. You only get one chance to make a good first impression.

For an eBook online business, the competition is fierce and filled with some shady characters. When you begin the process of planning before jumping in, consider your image first and then answer “How will I establish credibility in the early going?”. Weave this into your business plan and you should do well. Don’t act before thinking or you may be perceived as just another online marketeer.

In summary

Your image comes first – It is recommended that you have a stunning set of graphics for your corporate image to make a favorable first impression. Hire a pro if it’s in your budget.

Credibility is a close second – Although it does take time to build a solid reputation in your marketplace, you can help yourself in this area by soliciting opinions from trusted people to give honest feedback about first impression and how credible they think you are.

And of course your Plan must guide your operating activities – If you can’t hire a financial/accounting pro to write your business plan, I’m sure there are Outlines or templates for creating a business plan available free online. Get one. Use it. Be flexible, and change as you go.

A final word

I know that many startup online entrepreneurs neglect creating a business plan. Selling eBooks online without physical inventory except bits and bytes seems so easy that you will be tempted to just dive in to a ebook sales opportunity with both feet and not give the plan a second thought. But keep this thought in mind: Your chances for success will improve tremendously with a real business plan.

Digital & Electronic Products – Unbeatable in Quality and Price!

Approach your entrepreneurship with a
dare-to-be-different attitude, and it will
create the edge you need to succeed.
– Tony Phillips

Your special something

That special something that only you can bring to your entrepreneurship and transfer it to your clients and/or customers has been defined in different ways by different industries. Some refer to it as a “schtick”, others a “modus operandi” or “tactic” and still others, a USP (Unique Sales Proposition/Proposal), the last term used most often in the copywriting business.

That unique touch I refer to adds value to your website and your service or product and is one of the most over looked and under rated strategies for improving your Web entrepreneurship. The Web and modern technology make it possible for anyone to offer that little something extra that nobody else does, and usually at no additional cost.

The why, what and how!

First the Why! Let’s look at why this is a good practice for big and small businesses alike, including your entrepreneurship: It’s a good thing to do because you will make more money if you integrate the schtick into your daily activities by making it a part of your overall business practice!

Second is the What! Now let’s take a look at exactly what value adding is! Value adding is giving surprise high quality and useful gifts. It’s giving something that your competitors aren’t offering. It’s promising the world and delivering the universe. It’s taking care of your clients and always providing something that your clients need and want, when and where they want it.

Third is the How! We’ll now take a look at the different ways this can be done: If you receive a free gift from someone when you don’t expect it, do you remember that person?

The USP example

Answer: Yes, most of us do, especially when it is something we can use or have needed. How can you do this in your entrepreship? The best way to answer this question is with an example as stated below:

If you go out to dinner and order a menu item, what do you expect? You expect to get what you ordered from that menu, right? Now imagine that you ordered a T-Bone steak medium well along with your beverage of choice and whatever side orders comes with the dish.

Say you enjoy your meal and is satisfied with the service as well as the price you pay, which you consider very good or great. You grab the bill and is ready to leave when the restaurant owner comes to your table with a package which turns out to be a bottle of good wine ($25.00 value) from his own cellar and gives it to you with these words: “our special gift to you”. Wouldn’t that make you more likely to go back to that restaurant for future steak dinners? Probably not only steak dinners either!

That’s one simple example, and I understand that it is impractical for you to sell steak dinners in a Web entrepreneurship, but I also understand that everyone may not relate to Internet newsletters or know what an eZine subscriptions is; however, you will agree we all have had a decent restaurant meal at one time or another, so a steak dinner is something we can all relate to. The point is, that restaurant owner got your attention with his unique touch.

The unique ingredient

Think of something you have that many other entrepreneurs don’t or, if others have it, they cannot serve it or apply it with the same skill or touch you can. You may have studied oceanography in college or maybe you’re a good swimmer who never went to college but have a knack for marine life and you own a Web entreneurship/website about marinas. Add something directly from you that anyone else will find it hard to match. That’s the best description of your unique touch / schtick / USP.

So you can see that by offering this free and unique gift you have achieved several things:

You have developed a product (at no cost to you) that you can sell and make a profit on. Think of it this way: Your unique touch, when added to an existing product has the potential of making that product like new. Just like new paint on an old house. “A coat of paint makes it what it ain’t”.
You have used that product to increase the chances of your new entrepreneurship getting repeat customers or visitors to your website (prospects now but future customers), as well as keeping their attention, if not loyalty will ensure that any specials you run and notify them via email they will open, so your list will also be easier to maintain.
You have promoted you site/service to other Web marketers that you may wish to do a joint venture with at some time.

Other ways to add value for less effort is to:

Offer a 110 percent guarantee instead of a 100 percent.
Offer FREE tips about how to get the best out of your product, etc., get the idea?
It’s all just a matter of finding ways that you can give more, because the more you give the more you will receive.

I sincerely believe that and I hope you do also…You’ll be better off for it. Good luck!

Digital & Electronic Products – Unbeatable in Quality and Price!