Starting an Online Business For Dummies, 4th Edition [Paperback]

Greg Holden (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764583344 | ISBN-13: 978-0764583346 | Publication Date: March 4, 2005 | Edition: 4

So you want to own your own business, be your own boss, set your own hours, and make real money. If you’re comfortable with computers and have a marketable idea, service, or product, this guide will help you become an ontrepreneur (online entrepreneur). It covers everything you need to know to set up shop in cyberspace. You’ll find out about using established storefronts as a shortcut (sort of like setting up shop in a huge, established cybermall) or building your own Web site from scratch. You’ll explore:

• Doing research, defining your niche and target market, and putting it together in a practical business plan
• Getting the hardware and software you’ll need to get going
• Creating your own Web site with good organization, useful content, and eye-catching design, including ten must-have features and info on clip art and photos
• Selecting a Web hosting service (with info on free Web site homesteading)
• Setting up for handling business online, including building in security, accepting charge cards, creating shopping carts, and more
• Managing your goods and services, including sourcing goods, handling returns, adding shipping fees, and maintaining inventory
• Taking advantage of successful online business models, including storefronts such as Amazon.com, Yahoo!, CafePress, PayPal, or Microsoft that already have all the tools and systems, plus great traffic  
• Running a business on eBay
• Marketing your business and the secrets to search engine success
• Keeping good business records and staying on the right side of the law, including everything from trademarks , copyrights, and licensing to taxes, with info on accounting tools and software

Written by e-biz whiz Greg Holden, Starting an Online Business For Dummies, Fourth Edition has all kinds of case studies of successful cyber businesses, including a woman who sells her own insect repellent, a mapmaker, a housewife who sells sweetener and coffee on eBay, a sculptor and painter, and more. Packed with inspiration and information, it includes:

• Lots of Web sites that will give you good ideas
• A companion Web site that includes an online directory of Internet business resources
• A list of legal and business requirements

Get going, and build a booming business right at home. The only people you’ll have to take orders from are customers, and those are the kind of orders you’ll like!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Begin and build a booming business right at home!

Establish your online presence, make money on eBay, and find the secrets to search engine success

How'd you like your morning commute to be a short walk in your bedroom slippers? The market for online businesses is better than ever, and here's the place to start. Identify your market, choose a Web hosting service, lock down security, promote your business, stay on the right side of the law, run a business on eBay, work wth affiliates and middlemen — and love what you're doing!

Discover how to

• Draw up a cyberbusiness plan
• Select and acquire equipment and inventory
• Accept credit card payment
• Improve your search engine ranking
• Set up Amazon, Yahoo!, and other storefronts

About the Author

Greg Holden is the founder of Stylus Media, which creates Web pages for small businesses. An eBay PowerUser, he has authored more than 25 books and numerous magazine articles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 4 edition (March 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764583344
• ISBN-13: 978-0764583346
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #940,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Basic information, but not hands-on enough, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Starting An Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

This book offers a good introduction to what you need to start your own online business. All aspects of starting such a business is covered, and after I read the book I could proudly say I knew the how's (as well as what's), and I was on my way starting a business.

But there are two major flaws to this book: first, it's not very readable, and second, it doesn't give you enough hands-on information. There are superfluous step-by-step instructions on how to use FrontPage Express, but the author doesn't tell you much about building store fronts or how to accept credit cards online, two of the more pressing topics for someone wishing to start a e-business.

The CD is a big disappointment. Just a collection of demoware and shareware. It is an environmental waste and makes the book a little pricier than it should be.

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book to get started with., August 13, 2001

By 

Ron G. Macari (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting an Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

The title of this book reads "Starting an Online Business for Dummies" and the book offers the novice Online business person an easy way to begin understanding the concepts behind much of today's Online business without overwhelming the reader. In many other books I've read, terms like, "Meta-tags","Banner Exchange","Keywords" and many other terms are used without the author of the book ever considering the fact that the reader may not be familiar with these terms, or bothering to explain them clearly. "Online Business for Dummies" takes the time to explain each new term which is introduced, and offers many clever anecdotes which not only keeps the reading enjoyable, but also helps the reader to remember and understand the concepts.

In our own Online business we used "Online Business for Dummies" to draw out a mind map which helped our tech oriented support staff to gain a better perspective on the typical support needs of novice Online business people.

If you are just starting out I couldn't recommend a better book to get started with. Learning the in's and out's of Online business is not a one step process, and I think that "Online business for Dummies" does a fairly good job of laying a foundation you can build on.

132 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars unimpressive, December 16, 1999

By 

N. Dimaio - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starting An Online Business for Dummies (Paperback)

i realize the book says for dummies in the title BUT first off some of the things the book states about dreamweaver are not true and are not possible - i didnt open the cd because from reading the book you knew most of the cd was demos which you would have to take off of your computer in a month anyway - the only information i got from this book was basic business start up legal information - it kept referring to information i am looking for but it states it is not covered in this book but the small business internet for dummies - after reading this book cover to cover though i am very hesitant to purchase another book by this author - the information i need is probably just referenced to and really in a third book anyway - overall i was very unimpressed by this book

only buy this book if you are BRAND NEW to the internet - like you just got online for the first time last week and think maybe making money online might be for you THIS BOOK IS FOR BEGINNING BEGINNERS ONLY