Your business plan for
internet information services carries the shadow of the dot com
bust. And it carries the dreams of every single person you meet.
Reconciling those realities is a genuine challenge.
KEY CONSIDERATION
It is very possible to have a hugely
successful internet business with one person. Or it is very
possible to have a hugely successful internet business employing
dozens of people. Determining just what you want is the key to
getting it.
STRONGEST ADVANTAGE
This is THE business of the future. The
astounding growth in the internet places it in front of more
people each and every day. For instance, as immense as eBay is,
it has reached less than ten percent of its potential client
base. The whole internet information services industry is still
in its infancy. And you are here to take advantage of it.
STRONGEST DISADVANTAGE
Convincing people that you know what you are
doing is not always the easiest thing to accomplish. Convincing
yourself that you know what you are doing can be equally
difficult.
OVERCOMING THE DISADVANTAGES WITH YOUR
BUSINESS PLAN FOR INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICES
Prove that you can be successful on the
internet.
How would it feel to walk into a banker's
office and announce, "My site is in the top one percent of all
sites in the world"? It is actually more realistic than you
think. You can do this. Honest.
And it's not expensive to start an internet
business, about $300 per year for a web address and website, and
a really top notch
web host that will help you get there.
Before looking for financing, take the website
as far as you can yourself -- and that's pretty far.
- You can build a site yourself that
generates traffic -- and money -- in your spare time.
- You can create highly optimized, targeted
pages that rank well and pull visitors to your site.
- You can set up affiliate sales or MLM
sites.
- You can sell ebooks via ClickBank and on
your site.
- You can have AdSense ads on your site.
- You can tap into the dozens and dozens of
monetization models available.
In short, you can get all of this done before
you ever talk with a single person about lending you money, or
investing in your website.
Then you can take your business plan for
internet information services into your bank and very
confidently announce, "My site is in the top one percent of all
sites in the world. And I am ready to expand."
Take a look at
these websites. All
were created by individuals, not by corporations. All are in the
top one percent in the world. And look how many of them are
"information services" companies. This site is one of them.
Being In The "Expansion" Mode Is What Makes
It Work
Start ups are hard to fund in any industry. A
business plan for internet information services as a startup
business is dead on arrival.
But an EXPANSION business. Now that's another
keg of fish. This is a company that has proven success, and
wants more success. That's something that lenders like.
So take your internet information services
business just as far as you can, then go for "EXPANSION
FUNDING". You'll be nearly home before you know it.
HOW MUCH FUNDING WILL YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
FOR INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICES NEED?
Look back up at the top of the page. What kind
of business do you really want? A one person business? A hundred
person business? The hundred person business won't necessarily
make you richer than the one person business. It is all a matter
of choice.
Then, as with any business, sit down and run
the numbers.
As a single person business, you probably need
to shift from being a part time webmaster to being full time,
with all the costs associated with that. A better computer? A
DSL line? A webmaster to revamp or redesign your site?
Specialized software for a membership site? Whatever it is,
detail it so that lenders can really understand how their money
will be put to good use.
As a multi-person business, look to all the
ways you can cut costs. For instance, can some employees work
from home? Can you contract out some of the work? Can you lease
some of the equipment? Here is where you demonstrate your real
managerial ability.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR YOUR
BUSINESS PLAN FOR INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICES AND FOR YOUR
INTERNET INFORMATION SERVICES MARKETING PLAN
There are two types of statistical information
that you will need for your marketing plan for your internet
information services business. One is for the internet itself,
and one is for the type of industry that you are focusing on.
Sometimes these can be combined, and sometimes they are
separate.
For statistical information go to
BizMiner.
At the home page, look for the Search Box for
"Industry Search". Keying in "internet" will bring back a long
list of potential web based businesses, including:
- Food
- Cheese
- Fruit
- Computer equipment and electronics
- Computer software
- Computers and peripheral equipment
- Electronic kits and parts
- Book club
- Magazines
- Record and/or tape (music or vide) club
- Stamps, coins and other collectibles
- Coins
- Collectibles and antiques
- Stamps
- Arts and crafts equipment and supplies
- Automotive supplies and equipment
- Books
- Cards
- Clothing
- Cosmetics and perfumes
- Educational supplies and equipment
- Fitness and sporting goods
- Flowers, plants and bulbs
- Furniture and furnishings
- General merchandise
- Gift items
- Jewelry
- Online miscellaneous
- Novelty merchandise
- Religious merchandise
- Tools and hardware
- Toys and games
- Women's apparel
- Pharmaceuticals
These are all statistics for an internet based
company. You will be taken to a list of reports specially
designed for your area of interest.
If the area you are interested in is not
listed here, simply input the industry into the "INDUSTRY
SEARCH" box.
YOUR LIKELY LENDER/INVESTOR
The
SBA
is your best bet for smaller businesses with a business plan for
internet information services.
If yours is an established business looking to
expand substantially, a venture capital firm may be your best
choice. Be sure to check out the newest development in venture
capital:
venture lending.
