 |
So I'm An Internet Entrepreneur Now
Author: Chris J Wright  | Posted: 29-09-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 425 | Rating: (52)  (?) 
So I'm in online business now.
A while ago, I was reading a comedy website, and spotted a little advertisement down in the corner telling me that I could buy t-shirts from the site if I wanted to. I really liked the site, so I was interested, and went to take a look.
Life was never quite the same again!
It turned out that this website owner was something of a shrewd businessperson, and had set up an online shop to sell t-shirts, mugs, hats and a whole bunch of other stuff bearing their website's name and logo. I bought a t-shirt, and was pleased with the quality and so on, and it got me thinking.
At first, I assumed that this must be someone with either a lot of money to risk, or an awful lot of know-how and business contacts. I mailed the site owner to ask for some pointers, and discovered that it was possible for me to sell the same kind of things remarkably easily, and, more importantly, for little or no investment.
Having received more than my fair share of attempted scam emails in the past, I looked into this carefully, and was pleasantly surprised at what I found out.
Anyone can have an online shop selling t-shirts, hats, mugs, framed prints, posters, greetings cards.... The list goes on and it is extensive. Even more surprising was when I discovered that musicians and writers can also release professionally printed and bound CDs and books this way.
Still wary of the "too good to be true" element of this new knowledge, I started up a free shop with a site called Cafepress and set to work on the frighteningly simple process of setting up designs and products. A little improvised web marketing (heaven knows I'm no marketing expert) and a few emails later, and I received an email with this pleasing subject...
"You made a sale at Cafepress.com!"
Eagerly opening that mail, I discovered that someone I had never heard of, somewhere far away, liked one of my designs enough to spend their money on it. You can imagine how good that felt. Suddenly I was earning money as an online retailer!
Encouraged by this, I upgraded to a "premium shop", which enabled me to add more products and designs, and take more control over how my shop looked and so on. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had done this in the first place, but it doesn't hurt to test the water, so to speak.
Those "You made a sale!" emails continued to trickle in. Then the trickle became a stream, and I discovered that the small monthly payment for the premium shop was being taken care of by my own sales. The shop was effectively still free!
Further encouraged by this development, I set to work on more designs, and learned a little about making sure my shop appeared in the various search engines (tip: basically just make sure you have plenty of good text in there).
The stream of sales became a river.
I discovered that Cafepress.com has a forum, where "shopkeepers" discuss tactics and ideas, and soon I was really cooking with gas, with a great shop, great sales, and feeling pretty great myself. Sales continue to grow, and I'm about to find out what the Christmas sales boom is like as we approach the later part of the year. It's a good time to get into it, actually, because with millions of people out there scouring the web for unique and original gifts to give to people, the chances of making a positive start for your shop are very good.
Well, that's my story. There are people out there making a lot more than I am, and I guess that it's a case of finding the right niche, the right designs, and getting your shop just right.
If you feel like giving it a go, Cafepress is at...
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/storeref.aspx?refby=tshirtypoo
and if you fancy having a look at my shop, it's at http://www.cafepress.com/tshirtypoo
Rate this Article:
Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/so-im-an-internet-entrepreneur-now-59712.html
About the Author:Chris is jusy this guy, you know?
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Related Articles
How to Use Headlines to Generate Maximum Profits From your Ads
By: Claude Whitacre | 29/05/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
How to Make your Competition Irrelevant
By: Claude Whitacre | 30/05/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
What to Do When the Customer Says " Can I Try it for a Few Days"
By: Claude Whitacre | 30/05/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
Spend a Dollar to Make $500?
By: Claude Whitacre | 04/06/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
How to Guarantee your Ad Will Connect With Everyone you Want
By: Claude Whitacre | 04/06/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
Selling - Could the World's Greatest Salesman be a Waiter?
By: Claude Whitacre | 31/05/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
Price Shoppers; What to Do When They Call for a Price
By: Claude Whitacre | 11/06/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
Salary or Commission - Which is Better?
By: Claude Whitacre | 01/06/2007 | Advertising
Advertising Articles, Advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. Marketers see advertising as part of an overall promotional strategy.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Need a good lawyer
By: Michelle hart | 17-08-2008
i need a lawyer to represent me in a excessive force case against a 50 year old women with facial brusing and a black eye no charges where filed milford hospital has records
Locate coffee shops along the light rail
By: pnwstours | 16-08-2008
locate coffee shops along the light rail portland
Tax on Wood Pellets?
By: Kevin | 16-08-2008
what is the sales tax on Wood Pellets used for heating my home?
Antique auctions
By: Rich an Natural | 16-08-2008
im looking for a live bidding antique quction in the south jersey area that i can attend this weekend or week any clues im looking for mahagany furniature
Help with medical expenses for adopted great dane
By: Bee | 16-08-2008
My son and daughter in law rescued a beautiful Great Dane from Monroe Ga on Wednesday Aug. 13, 2008. The animal shelter it came from was a kill shelter and the dog was scheduled to be put down the next day. He came from a family that lost their home due to financial problems. He only weighs 98 lbs. They took him to the vet on Saturday Aug 16 only to find out he was positive for heart worms. They are a young couple with 2 small children and the medical expenses for this procedure are very expensive. He was scheduled to be neutered on Aug.19 but was told they couldn't do it because he would die during the surgery. His name is Zeus and he is approximately 2 years old, he has been with them long enough to have stolen their heart. I'm looking for help for them to be able to help Zeus recover from his illness. He has a great home with my children. I can receive emails at Beetrucker@aol.com
Hi. On my 1997 mercedes benz s320 have good ...
By: RAY | 16-08-2008
Hi. On my 1997 mercedes benz s320 have good battery. Clean battery terminals and good ground from battery to chasis. When you turn ignition on. The dash lights & interior lights are dim & engine won't turn over. Appears as if battery is very weak. What do i check for this problem. Thanks
Q&A Powered by: 
|
|
Business 
