Online Business How To: Real-Life Lessons - Part 2
In my first article, I told you about some of our background in starting an internet business. We have sold homeschool curriculum, eBooks, and home-study courses built around online business how to tips. And we have learned a lot about the intnert through both our success and failures.
The first eBook we ever sold, my wife wrote. It is called Raising Leaders, Not Followers. Basically it was an eBook designed specifically for homeschoolers, teaching them how to raise their kids for leadership positions. My wife approached me with the idea, and I said, “Honey, it is not really a barn-burning topic. I just do not know that you are going to make any money with it.” Well, she proved me wrong. She sold $11,197 the first 19 days. How is that for internet marketing 101?
Not too shabby, right? On the heels of her first success, my wife started thinking about another eBook for the Christmas season. She said to me, “Sweetie, I am going to write another eBook about preparing your heart for Christmas. It seems like a lot of people get close to Christmas day and end up discouraged because they were not really prepared for the season. The presents are great, but what do they do next?”
I told her, “That is a great idea, but there is so much free stuff on the internet about Christmas. How do you think you will get people to buy it?” I was not too optimistic, but she proved me wrong again. She sold over $2000 with her Christmas eBook. It turned out to be an unexpected bonus. And now every year, we roll it out a month or so before Christmas, and every year we get the same bonus.
You see the principle here? Well, I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, I will be the first to admit. But when I saw my wife do these two things, I thought, I can do it myself. And I got my chance to start an internet business pretty quickly.
My opportunity arrived out of the blue with a Ford F-150 pickup truck I owned. My youngest daughter had been driving it. One day at softball practice with her high school team, one of her friends said, “Gentry, is that your truck on fire?” Would you believe there were 20 foot flames shooting out of her engine?
As it happens, there was a faulty cruise control switch that was a recall item from Ford. So after we got the fire put out, the truck was a total loss. The guy told me,”There’s a recall notice on this.” I called Ford, and they said, “We sent the recall notice to Texas.” I said, “Thank you, but I am in Idaho in seminary.” But they refused responsibility. I was so upset.
Since I was going to seminary and low on cash, I decided to try my hand at the online business set up. I put up a website that showed pictures of my truck’s blackened engine and said, “I can help you if you will help me.” I compiled a ton of free stuff about internet marketing - a graphics package, software, ebooks, marketing tips - and sold them all together for $47 a person. I made about $5,500 in just 9 short days.
I am serious. If I can succeed on the internet, you can, too. You do not need a degree in business. All it takes is a little online business how to, and you will see your business skyrocket.
Stephen Beck can teach you online business set up steps and how to make your first $1000 on the internet. Get your FREE link to his webinar replay, where Stephen shows you exactly what you should do: http://www.youronlinebasics.com/go.html.
