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Looking to start an automated web business

messelmessel subscriber Posts: 2
edited December 2008 in Selecting a Business
Greetings readers!
I recently took a leave of absence from my tech job of 13 years, after burning out.  After many hours of reading and research on and offline, I`d like to narrow my entrepreneurial focus down to a web business that won`t require my attention 24/7.  I have no problems working hard and putting in the time to put the system together, but I`d like to avoid founding a business structure that requires my constant attention.
So far I`ve come across some fairly well designed small web hosting companies and admired their model.  After reading 4 hour work week, it`d be fantastic if I could make a small drop shipping web business a reality.
My major bottleneck at this time is trying to find what`s the right market and product for me.  I need one that I can get really excited about, so that my passion provides the fuel to make my first business as successful as possible.
Thanks for any feedback,
Mark Esselmessel12/17/2008 3:55 PM

Comments

  • vapourlockvapourlock subscriber Posts: 4
    MY 2 cents?
    It`s good that you have your focus narrowed down. It would feel like walking out of a crowded, fish market. Clarity is relief; almost therapeutic. But not wanting to do anything about your business 24/7? I doubt that. Automation is awesome, but no business is really hands free. Remember economics here: no money is ever exchanged if there is no value in what you provide. In the case of your drop-shipping business, perhaps this "value" might come in later, but you will have a lot of work to do to drive traffic to your website(s).
    The take aways from 4-hr wrk week: outsource what you can`t do yourself. Whatever else the book talks about is really a personal call -- I have no comments.
    Get to the warriorforum.com and register yourself( it`s free) and you will never leave that site. Startupnation.com and warriorforum.com probably contain golden nuggets of information that are hard to find elsehwere.
    I wish you great success. Do keep me posted.
    Ash
  • Nick25Nick25 subscriber Posts: 0
    Any business, whether online or offline, needs hardwork to get it started and to keep things going. You can`t run a successful business if you`re not willing to put in more hours building it, especially in its early stages. 
  • messelmessel subscriber Posts: 2
    Thanks for the feedback vapourlock and Nick25
    No probs working hard at the get go, I`ve just read about some nightmare businesses that sucked all the time away from the owners because they spread themselves too thin.
    Ashwin Satyanarayana (vapourlock), great website (rebelpreneur).
    Really enjoyed reading the article
     http://rebelpreneur.com/2008/04/23/some-profitable-business-ideas-you-can-use-to-start-up-in-india/
    messel12/17/2008 4:27 PM
  • messelmessel subscriber Posts: 2
    Excellent suggestion Paula, much thanks!
    Right now I`m spending about 8-12hrs a day researching various markets/entrepreneur sites/reading texts.  I`ve found some excellent common themes from those that have started successful businesses.  I get really excited when other people are really enthusiastic about startups (energy feedback?).  My hope is that within the next two weeks I`ll start with finding a customer for a product I enjoy and am knowledgeable about. 
    My old job consisted of a very small percentage of the time creating (designing/writing) new programs/scripts building on years of development, and a majority of the time making complicated batch jobs calling series of programs I wrote or helped write and putting that data into view graphs (charts) for the customer to review.  I lost interest with the total lack of control I felt over my own thoughts.  There was no freedom in the how, what or when aspects of that career.
    My hobbies include:walking (I like to walk about 50-100+ miles a week weather permitting)online gaming (world of warcraft, I`ve tried most of the online games for pc/xbox360)movies/films/tv series on DVD reading (Buddhist philosophies, entrepreneurial books, occasional sci-fi/fantasy series)forums (interacting with other folks that are interested in the same topics as I am)racquetball (a few times a month it`s a hoot running around a big box with friends)table top RPGs (D&D, etc)  even co-authored by own sci-fi future game that`s getting some editorial help at this timeanything creative, problem solvingmessel12/18/2008 10:20 AM
  • googleguygoogleguy subscriber Posts: 47 Bronze Level Member
    Hi Messel,
     
    I also have read the 4 hour work week...great book. I run an internet marketing firm and have done so full time for over 4 years. I always run into opportunities and look at each one carefully. Recently I became a Template Monster affiliate. Template Monster sells website templates online. I have purchased a couple for clients in the past and found that their templates are high quality, well designed and SEO friendly.
     
    The best part of this business is that it requires very little effort. Once you sign up for the program, all you need is a domain name and your off making money. Template Monster pays 20% commission on all sales. There is no inventory, dealing with clients or anything else. Your only responsibilty is driving traffic to your new website.
     
    They even provide you with a 100% functioning e-commerce website...FREE. My only cost was the $7.00 a year I spend for my domain name, I dont even pay for hosting, I get it FREE through GoDaddy.
     
    Here is a link to my website that was given to me by Template Monster ( they offer about 20 different styles), find the "become an affiliate" link and it will provide you with more information about the program.
     

    http://www.cheapwebsitedesigntemplates.com

     
    I hope this was helpful and good luck!
  • messelmessel subscriber Posts: 2
    I`ll give it a looksy, thanks.
    Time is running out for me (will probably have to get a regular day job again shortly ) , but I`m not giving up on my entrepreneur dreams.  Just gotta pay the bills while I discover my calling biz.
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