Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Toward the end of August I became extremely aggrevated by a rash of local scandals happening in my area. In less than a week a number of individuals got in major trouble for running SPLOGS (Spam Blogs), selling bogus online services while posing as Microsoft, and recieving cease and desist letters for stealing others content.

Disgusted, I decided to do something about it by trying to make a legitimate online business during the month of September. I settled on using an affliate program, selling Geek-themed TShirts online (MilitantGeek.com), and trying to leverage social media to build something of value.

I`m currently blogging about the whole process; a nerve racking decision. There is always the possibility of failing miserably and having the evidence in front of the entire world. However, even if the project doesn`t reach its goal I think that by at least showing people what not to do it will be worthwhile. And really, with such a low upfront investment there really isn`t any excuse not to experiment with these online models.

I`d really like to get feedback from the vast and knowledgable SuN community. What has gone right? Where are my britches showing? What are other options to consider?




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Creative Principal - Vox Pop Design http://voxpopdesign.com (801) 953-3805

Hey Matthew--
Welcome to the Nation and good luck on your venture.
I think it`s a cool idea and I`ll be interested in checking in on your progress.

The Swaynester

Matthew,

I just want to say that I applaud your efforts and think that so far you have some great ideas and I`m suprised at the traffic your getting.  With that said I must mention that I think the goals of the project are unrealistic.  I would be interested to see how things work out but I would hate to see the project fail because it didn`t make $500 dollars in a month of being online.

Thanks hostclick. I agree, $500 is very ambitious. However, anything like this needs an aggressive goal - if I was simply saying that I was going to do this and leave it open ended I know that I wouldn`t have worked nearly as hard on it.

And really, even if the $500 goal isn`t obtained the project isn`t a failure. I`ll be able to apply so much of what I`ve learned to future projects - returns that will last long after this ends.

The biggest lesson I`ve already taken to heart, however, is that experimentation is possible when the barrier to entry is this low (it also means competition can jump in to, but that`s a conversation for another time). Will it make you rich? Well, as this project has borne out, probably not right away. But considering that it costs next to nothing to get started why not try it? Put up a few dollars, grab a fullfillment service, and start trying stuff - if it doesn`t work, try something else. It`s entrepreneurship in a cheap test tube.


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Creative Principal - Vox Pop Design http://voxpopdesign.com (801) 953-3805

Hey, I am doing the same thing at mixedthreads.com, so contact me and maybe we can share some ideas with each other.

Thanks,
jefe@wifistudios.com