Learn me how to do it.

The reality is that laws change all the time so do your own research. With that said, here are some tips to get started. First, figure out what legal structure fits your needs. If you are starting a small business with low risk of being sued or causing severe damage to structures, etc... a sole proprietorship will work great for you. It is generally easy to set up with your state/county/city depending on your area and type of business. Remember that you are personally liable for all actions and debt incurred by the business. Many retail or physical locations need additional licenses to operate legally. If you are going into business with a partner then file for a partnership. Most people also file for a dba (doing business as) which is pretty easy in Idaho and most states. If you are starting a business that will have higher risk of lawsuits or you are looking to raise money early on by selling equity, a corporation or LLC is the way to go. It is more complicated to set up and genera...

A few things stood out to me from studying this week. Essential 2017 Web Design Trends  jumps right in with a statement that web design is not art. I've always lumped it in with art but this article make the case that it's more about function is just as important as looking good. I don't think I would have come up with that on my own but it resonates in what I know of web page testing. I've been a member of UserCrowd  for several years now and it is really interesting to see the tests that come through. Many developers are trying to figure out where people would look or click to perform the action they want. It's a fascinating science trying to put buttons where visitors will look for them. It's like fishing. You have to know where the fish will be and put your hook there. Aside from putting buttons and menus in the right places, make the information clear, use real numbers and be genuine. People want to see the real product and real examples of them being use...

There are a lot of website hosting options out there, so how do you choose? Here are a few ideas for slimming down the competition: First, what kind of website are you building? What are the unique needs of this website? Is it a blog? Is it a drop-shipping site? Are you selling your own products or inventory? Each of these will have their own unique requirements for a website. Each hosting service offers different tools included in the package. Many even offer one free domain for a year. Second, what is your budget? Some hosting services are cheaper to start than others. If you go with a cheaper option you will probably have to sign up for a year or more and after the agreement period your cost will likely increase quite a bit. Make sure you study the plans they offer. Third, how much time do you want to spend building the website? With sites like Weebly , Wix or SquareSpace  the hosting, website builder and tools are all built in to the service. With GoDaddy, BlueHost and...

There is no secret formula but here are some guidelines to follow. 1. Use Google Ads Keyword Planner  to find key words for products you are interested in selling (free account!).  Pay close attention to number of clicks as opposed to impressions. (You can select different states or countries to narrow your search.) Don't forget to use the "Keyword Ideas" tab in the upper left hand corner. 2. Find somewhere you can buy some products to test with (Like 1-10 pieces).  Test small, fail fast. If it doesn't work at all, move on to another keyword or product. Something I learned from selling on Amazon is that you can test a keyword or sell page easily by buying several items from a retail store or competitor for your initial inventory. You don't have to make money on your first few sales, it's more important to find out if something sells and how much you can sell it for. 3. Find a supplier.  After you have tested your product and know there is some demand...

Money doesn't grow on trees. Right? My favorite learning this week was the video by Russell Brunson about his Secret Magic Box . He answers the question: "How do I make my online business profitable?" Build a magic box using resources around you that turn $1 into $2. Once you build it, put more money in it. Sounds crazy right? Maybe not... His suggested strategies include finding experts in a field and interviewing them. Offer clips for free and a small charge or subscription for the full interview, audio or video. Make it profitable even if 99% of potential customers say no. You don't have to be an expert, or even find an expert, you just have to find someone that knows more than your audience that can articulate clearly. His web page design doesn't involve complicated design or scams. Just good information partly offered for free so anyone can sample, and a reasonable price for various mediums of delivery.  For me these simple suggestions really fueled th...