EnTrends

It's all a function of that extremely
precious commodity called time. When
the alternator in your car quits, you can fix
it yourself or turn to a mechanic. Working
the Web is no different in this regard.
Doing it yourself saves bucks, but may
not be cost-effective. And it can be a
serious mistake if you lack required skills.

If you want your site to become a
significant source of income, judicious
use of time is mandatory. No one person
can do it all. And what you need but
don't have time to do, will cost.

Going Into Business

If you are starting a new business, you
must file a DBA (Doing Business As
statement) or the equivalent in the county
in which you will work. After filing, it
needs to be published, then you need to
open a bank account. Costs vary, but the

minimum is about $50. Also consider any
state or local licenses required.

If you need an accountant, costs go up.
Turn to an attorney, and they may
skyrocket. But you may need to consider
these options because of the products or
services you will market, just as in an
offline business. You may need to
consider liability insurance. Incorporation
may provide even more protection.

HTML vs Web Page Editors

You must understand the basics of
HTML, the language in which web pages
are written. There is a time cost here. But
at some point, most will find it more
effective to turn to a web page editor to
save time. Costs range from about $50 to
$200.

Building Your Site

Hiring someone to put a site together can
cost thousands of dollars. More
important, you may find making changes
later brings significant added cost. It is
best to build your own pages, for then
you have total control.

But the template used throughout the site
is so critical to success, consider hiring an
artist to get it right. Not the site, just the
basic page template. Once the site is

established, it can be very cost-effective
to hire out the creation of new pages and
updating. A good page template with

original art work can run anywhere from
$200 on up, but $500 should cover even
special needs.

Free vs Paid Hosting Services

There is only one option. You must have
your own domain name ($35/year from

Internet Solutions) and a good hosting
service. I use both Pair.Com and
JumpLine.Com. While there are other fine
services available, these two offer
attractive entry level pricing. $5.95/month
will buy ample resources at Pair.Com

provided you do not need cgi initially. If
you do, JumpLine.Com at $14.95/month
may be the better choice. In both cases,
you can save a bit by paying a year in
advance.

If you know how to build your own
forms, do so. Many, however, will prefer
a shopping cart service. Americart is very

good, and is available through Pair.Com
at $15/month, but anyone can use it at
$21/month. JumpLine.Com offers a
shopping cart service as part of their
package at $24.95/month. However, it is

limited. If you can live with the format
available, JumpLine may be the best
choice.

Note forms or shopping carts only take
the orders. You will need a merchant
account to deal with credit cards. Set up
fees run from about $300 on up. If you
need online processing, add a similar
amount.

Opening An Office

While getting started, you will likely keep
your present job, and it may make sense
to work from your home. Even so, you
still need an "office," including
stationery, invoices, business cards, and
possibly brochures to be handed out
wherever you happen to be. Costs here
are the same as in an offline business,
and will be a function of your needs.

Don't overlook software. If you want to
do some of the graphics for your site,
Paint Shop Pro at $99 is a good value.

For your accounting, Quicken is good.
For mail list handling and personalized
mailing, including emailing, Easy Mail
Plus at $50 is an excellent choice.

Then there are other things, such as
supplies. Printers chew up enormous
gobs of paper. For competitive prices on

consumables, try Office Depot. Call 800-
463-3768 for a free catalog.

A Phone Is A Must

An email address is not enough. You
need a phone and someone to answer it.
Even if you expect to receive few calls,
this is a must. People often call just to
see if you're for real. If there's no phone,
you've lost a sale. Some argue that voice
mail is a reasonable alternative, but it will
not help if you cannot get back quickly.
If you have a spouse who can answer, go
for it.

If not, find someone in your area who can
take calls as your secretary. If you
provide up-to-date information about your
business, your "secretary" can often save
you the need for a later reply. Further,
there is simply no less expensive way to
appear to be working the business full
time.

Where We're At

The above is not the whole of it. For
example, there has been no mention of
search engines, yet good positioning can
make a big difference. Again, if you know
how to optimize pages and can do so
easily, it is worth your time to do so. If
not, hire it out. Writing skills are
important. If yours aren't so hot, factor in
some cost for editing, or even creating
both page content and the advertising
message behind all. Good service is

available at $25-$50/hour.

You must add up these costs relative to
your particular needs. But it is unlikely
you can start a serious online business for
less than $500 to $1000, even if you do all
the work yourself.

Time Cost Analysis

Starting any business means commitments
in time you cannot expect to recover
except over the long run. So good cost

analysis is difficult initially. Even so, put
a dollar value on your time, perhaps as
low as $5/hour, to help you make good

decisions about how you will use your
time. Even at $5/hour, it will be clear that
some things should be hired out.

Building web pages with HTML when you
could be generating leads may not be the
best use of time. Reading a book or two
about how to work the Web can be very
helpful, but sometimes it's more cost
effective to buy the information needed.

Working harder is often the only option
available. But when possible, work
smarter, which often means hiring
services. In the end you'll have more fun
and rake in greater profits sooner.

Bob has been marketing on the Web since
1993. He helps newbie webmasters build
great sites with less effort by showing
them how to work smarter. For loads of
newbie friendly site stuff, visit
http://SiteTipsAndTricks.Com For even
more, subscribe to "STAT News!" Just
send a blank email to join-
stat@lyris.dundee.net