Birthing an Online Business?

The busiest shopping season of the year is over and online retailers are raking it on. And why not? Online shopping is the fastest and easiest way I, and millions of others, have found to comparison shop, buy, and save. I love to shop online and will very rarely step foot into a brick and mortar retail store. I love online shopping so much that I even opened my own online store. Punkin Pockets began as an online boutique specializing in stylish baby slings, clothing, and natural toys. After being in business for a little over a year though, I realized that I didn't really enjoy being on that end of the retail market.

I have since moved on to the blog format you see here and am loving the change. I can offer my friends a comprehensive directory of all the same sites I love and buy from the most, while contributing a little to my family's income, being home to raise my daughter, and being free to assist my husband in building his graphic design business. Along the way, I have made friends with a lot of very successful women with their own retail stores and admire their tenacity and business acumen a great deal. The business world still excites me and I have since encouraged many other mothers I know to get their own business started as well.

One of the easiest ways to take the plunge is to open an online store. The internet has become a common tool used by mothers who work outside the home to earn extra money so they can leave the workforce. And many moms who are already home with their children have found that an online business has enabled them to remain at home. The basics of getting started include deciding what you want to sell, getting a domain name and host, and finding good ecommerce software.

Once you've decided on a business name and a domain name, check to be sure they are available. An online search and a visit to your county courthouse can take care of that. And after you've figured out what you're interested in selling, take a look around at the different shopping cart software available. One of the things that most frustrated me was the shopping cart software I had to use. It was severely limited but came with my host's package and I couldn't afford to upgrade or change it. One company, Ashop Commerce, offers a FREE 10-day trial of their web-based shopping cart service. In addition to its ecommerce software, they also offer domain name registration, logo design, search engine submission and optimization, plus a whole lot of other stuff. If you're willing to invest some time and money into your business (and why wouldn't you) Ashop Commerce is worth checking out. They even have live sales & support, a video demonstration, and a test drive feature that is fun to try.

Remember though, you might be entering a whole new world you know nothing about and it can be quite intimidating. Like entering motherhood for the first time, you never really know what you are getting yourself into, but once you take the leap of faith, you can't imagine your life any other way.