Starting An Online Business? It’s No Cakewalk

starting an online business

A lot of people seem to spin this fantasy that setting up an online business is easy. As you can probably tell by the title of this article, this is a myth that we’re here to dispel!

Of course, it’s worth pointing out that a lot of people exaggerate how difficult it is to start a business. They’ll tell you that you need a six-figure sum to start a business that will actually last, or that you need to land yourself into tremendous debt before you see any profit. If you want to start a business, there is always a way to do it, and you can often do it without any capital.

This being said, a lot of people who are having difficulty getting what they need together may turn to starting an online business under the assumption that it will be easy. But you need to be prepared for the tough challenges that lie ahead for budding online entrepreneurs!

Security Concerns

No business is too small to be the target of criminals, and small online businesses are no exception. Cyber criminals are always on the lookout for new businesses to exploit. Protecting an online business from such things can be a lot more complex than protecting a physical store. The defensive measures for the latter are much easier to understand and wield; for online businesses, not so much. Consider working with a cyber security expert if you’re not too sharp with such skills yourself. (And that segues nicely to…)

Technical Skills

It’s not just cyber security concerns you need to worry about. If you’re running an online business, then you need to consider the technical skills required to build websites, to use social media, to develop payment systems, to maintain servers… There’s a reason that the people who have the technical skills to do these things are generally on very good salaries! You can use online courses to teach yourself these things, though it’s worth pointing out that you can use an online business website builder to get over hurdles if you don’t have technical skills!

A Lack Of Trust

People are a lot more wary about online businesses than they are about real stores. When you go into a real store, you can see and talk to the employees, and maybe even the owner of the store. You can review the items you’re interested in thoroughly. There are probably other people in the store who can be witnesses if something goes wrong. Little of this applies to the world of online businesses, and people tend to be automatically untrusting if your business isn’t a big name yet.

Networking Difficulties

Just because social media has made it easier than ever to talk to people all over the world, it doesn’t mean that real business networking has been made any easier! The fact is that social media and email isn’t nearly as effective as meeting people face-to-face – and those running an online business will definitely have fewer opportunities to do the latter. While you should definitely use social media to network as best as you can, do be on the lookout for conferences and trade shows for businesses such as yours. This will help your business grow.

With over 9 years of search marketing experience, Sandra is cross skilled between PPC and SEO. Her experience in search spans across different verticals including Technology, Retail, Travel & Automotive.