Any who own or help run internet businesses?..post here

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Was wondering how many on the board had their own businesses....particularly online businesses...In "the real world" it is very difficult for me to find the most menial of jobs...but I have been able to squeak by for the last few years helping run an internet business.

Figured maybe it would be good to start a thread where folks could post their businesses...or talk about stuff involved with running internet businesses or getting started and so-on....

I have a couple...

the main one is

http://www.mazatecgarden.com

I did not start the business, but I do currently own it...I still feel like my main role is "shipping assistant"

my other one is somewhat dormant because I have a really hard time taking orders at the moment, but it can get very busy around the holidays...I receive lots of inquiries, but am not able to fill nearly as many as I used to.
It was started for me by my partner a long time ago...and I just noticed, a lot of the info is totally out-of-date...I really should re-hash the whole thing...

http://www.fluff.tv

I don't have a "business," but I do business on line. I have been working on scaling down on the amount of junk that I own, so I have been listing books and things that I no longer want, on Amazon. In the past 7 months, I have sold quite a few books and CDs, for a nice profit. It is giving me experience in customer service, shipping, advertising and packaging. If I ever decide to have my own business, I will at least have a clue!

We have masses and masses of junk here...I am waiting for the day when we don't feel so tied to every little thing so that we can start selling it off.

For me, doing ebay or Amazon type stuff is more difficult than doing stuff where we have a set inventory.

Not sure exactly why though..

For me, Amazon is incredibly easy. Since I am mostly selling books, all I have to do is look up the book I want to sell, in their database, and then indicate that I am selling that same book. I don't have to take pictures, or anything like that. Because if the book is already in their database, there is already a picture of it. All I have to do is pick a category; new, used, etc. They tell me how much I am allowed to charge, but I can charge whatever I want. I am feeling more free, somehow, getting rid of so much junk. But I can see how it would be easier to work with a set inventory.

It's kind of a long shot, but I think there's a lot of potential to Internet music. You could either pick a geographic region or a genre.

Offer the artist the standard deal, but don't insist on exclusives (for me, for me that would take too much of the fun away from it).

I own two websites with my friend and get around 2500 visitors per month. I also do some ebay selling. I made a decent amount of money back in the day when ebooks were the big thing on ebay. I would not be able to live off what I make right now if I lived on my own. But since I live with my parents I make enough to avoid needing a job (will need one for experience eventually).

Not necessarily! There's a lot to be said for having your own business.

And you seem to be following the Fred DeLuca (Subway sandwiches) model: test the main ideas as cheaply as you can.

Yes its very good for interviews people are always intrested.

I'm not sure I understand the subway model tho.

The standard model is to make a very thorough business plan, a very, very thorough business plan. Now, there's nothing really wrong with that, but there may not be anything particular right about it either.

or, because you've put so much into it, a person may mistake it for the whole thing when it is only a first step. The thorough business plan is static. You need something dynamic.

The subway model:
get out there and try something, keep it cheap.
get out there and try a second thing, keep it cheap,
etc.,
etc.

And precisely because you are keeping it cheap, you can try it multiple times.

Selling on eBay might be the all-time best example, after you've sold your 10th product and/or your 10th presentation method, Hey, you're getting pretty good at it! For example, because you've gotten good at shipping, you can integrate it into your normal activities and not go particularly out of your way, and so on and so forth.

I used to be a freelance website designer and content writer, so sometimes I would work as a contractor for other businesses and sometimes I would get work from people who want to have a nice-looking custom website. The nice thing about internet businesses is their low start-up cost, but competition (everyone seems to have a "can-do" attitude whether or not they actually have the skills) and the relatively low pay was annoying.

Still, money was money

I don't own a business or internet business, but I have been thinking about getting into it once I get a job going along and some start up cash. My cousin has been running online business for some time and he started out slow, but now he makes a good wage. So it has peaked my interest.

To me, trying to directly sell the work I produce would be just wretchingly personal, plus I think I would have a tendency to drop the price in order to "make the sale."

Any way you might be able to hire an energetic college student to do the selling?

Here is the business I started. It's a record label and modeling agency. I hired a top-notch webdesigner and the new website should be up at the end up the month. You can still see the old one though. Super excited.

http://machinekunt.com

The business was started because I was a musician that got mobbed out of my genre and was therefore unable to get signed to any of the established labels. I had a vision for alternative music that was not yet out there and decided to give it a go. I started releasing my own music on my label and signing similar artists whose music I enjoyed. I found an investor who believed in my vision, respected my determination, and was able to handle my quirks. We are going into co-ownership this month. Since people no longer buy physical albums I decided the record label would also be a modeling agency. We're now in the step of networking with clothing designers. Eventually we're going to throw events involving live bands and fashion shows. We hope to become a leading alt-culture business by 2012.

neato..I want to do something for my music...Ideally, I would lump my sock monkeys and music together..but my functioning for the moment is so lousy...and I am so disorganized....and overwhelmed....but some day...I visualize a website where I sell:

Sock creatures....
custom sock creatures...
CDs
Hand screened t-shirts
Other handmade items
The ukulele book I have envisioned making for years
Maybe other stuff

I guess the best interface for this would be for me to have an Etsy store...not sure though...

This is what I would possibly like to convert my Fluff.TV site to..and I would like to have more control over how the site is set up..My partner designed the whole thing...the only part where I had any input was The Gallery2
Maybe the FluffTV website could have links to my YouTube page, and also an Etsy store...and mainly exist as a gallery for my past work...

Interesting thread! I have questions for a couple of the posters:

So someone else grows the plants? How did you find this opportunity? What kind of packaging is required for plants? I enjoy growing unusual plants and if I could come up with a niche plant it might make a good little business -- except I wouldn't be competing with you as I am in Canada and such things aren't generally sent across the border.

Question for the Amazon book and CD seller -- I gather you receive the amount for the packaging charge. Those charges seem high. Do you also make a profit on that work? I guess that profit pays for your time. Have you done any research on what types of things are in high demand? [I live in a big city and I bet some high demand items might be available cheaply and then they could be turned around on Amazon. ]

Yes, Amazon gives you a fair percentage of the shipping charges back, so, even if you are selling a book or CD for about ten cents, you will still make a profit on the three or four dollar shipping charge. I am planning to look around for things that I can buy cheaply, as you mentioned and try to sell them for a profit. I noticed that one Disney movie that came out in the nineties, is no longer available from Disney, for some reason. And, it was never transferred from VHS to DVD. Yet the few copies I have found for sale, online, go as high as 40 bucks! So, since I currently own a very good VHS copy of this movie, I am holding on to it to see how much I can get for it.