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Posted by Bonny Albo Oct 28, 2006 |
Ah... Day One. Where all hopes are high and interest is strong. I'm interested to see just how long it takes for me to either skip a day or find success. Which comes first?
I haven't run an online retail-like business for almost 8 years now. Previously, I sold as well-known brand of children's clothing through a sort of home party system, but I chose to use the Internet as my medium instead of in-person shopping. I didn't stick with it (partially because the company restructured its payouts and changed their Internet policy), but I still get occasional emails to this day about product lines. I wonder, can I do it again?
This time around, however, I'm starting more to prove a point than to merely make cash. Several readers commented on my free eBook (the Definitive Guide to Getting Your Local Business Online) as being too much, too challenging, too high of a learning curve for the average entrepreneur who is already swamped with work.
Personally, I say bullocks! I'm a busy woman with a full-time business of my own and a personal life brimming with excuses to play instead of concentrate. If *I* can do it, in less than a month, with no cash but a lot of determination, I think any entrepreneur can. Or at least, I'm going to try and prove it.
Day One started with the decision to go with CafePress as my money-making opportunity; a type of promotional branding website that allows you to place your message onto a variety of mediums and sell it for a no-fee startup. Items can be purchased by visitors in bulk or one-at-a-time. I thought I'd come up with some sort of catchy slogans/pitches for entrepreneurs and pitch the products to non-profit business organizations looking for ways to fundraise or run promotional campaigns.
Sign up was easy (almost too easy). I added a couple of items, but will have to come up with some sort of copy before I can sell anything. I also signed up for the affiliate program and bookmarked their forum and FAQs for future reference. Then I took a peek at the Politics Portal for ideas based on other people's creativity. Hm. I have some brainstorming to do.