Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I love hearing about different people`s businesses and how they got started but it seems like a lot of the coverage is on the high flying businesses like Google, Microsoft and such.  I want to start a website that lets ordinary business owners tell their story whether they are brick and mortar businesses or online businesses.  Not sure how or if I would be able to generate money from this endeavor but I would put the site up just to read the interviews.  I could set up a page that let business owners fill out a question and answer form with stock questions for them to answer.  Then post it in categories.  I haven`t found this type of site out there and wanted to know what people thought of the idea.  I am not sure if other people would find benefit to this type of site.  Any suggestions or feedback?

Jason Thoerner

Hi Jason, welcome to SuN :-)

I`m thinking you might first put together a site that offers a couple of templates, along the order of WordPress and their different designs. Then you`d have some basic fields for the name of the business, contact info, and town.

The next problem would be interesting, but you`d want to have a general field of content that`s created using an interview system. I`ve seen these on sites that offer help to students writing a paper. You ask a question and have a capture field for the answer. There`s a "click next," and another question.

When the user reaches the end of the "interview," the system consolidates all the answers into a single content area, with paragraph breaks, and formatted.

This would provide a way to at least get a better sense of the story, make it fairly interesting, and entice readers.

After you`ve got the readers, you could make some money with a related directory, using the various businesses who provide their stories. Or it could be B2B sales leads. You`d want to offer the businesses free space for their stories, but in the registration, let them know that you reserve the right to use the contact info and email info.

In a sense what you`re doing is building a 1-entry blog, looking for a large user base of small business owners, and compiling a directory. At least that`s how I see it.

Hello.
I have started up a new  business, it is related to computer stationery.
I am selling mostly blank cds and dvds. I also sell pen-drives, head-phones, speakers etc.
======================================================
REX
4th Dimension is a BPO.
[url="http://www.4dimtech.com"]4th Dimension[/url]

Craig,

Thanks for the welcome and the feedback.  You are thinking along the same lines I was about how to create a site that would let a business owner answer questions about their business online and then it would be formatted and posted on the site.  I would want to do a little background on each company with maybe some questions before posting it.  Just to make sure things were clear and in good taste.  I would ask for some pics to be uploaded of the business.  Of course this would be free to the businesses completing the questionnaire.  I think it would be a great way to get some free publicity for the companies that wanted to participate. 

Would anyone on StartupNation be interested in posting their business on a site like this?  And any domain name ideas for a site like this? 

I would have to work on some type of revenue model to at least cover the hosting expenses.  would love to make money off the site somehow but I hate trying to read things with ads everywhere so banner ads aren`t my first choice.  And I am not really sure how much I would make with adsense on the page either.  any other suggestions?

Sincerely,

Jason Thoerner

I like the idea. It`s hard getting exposure as a young entrepreneur.

Any blogs/sites that offer exposure is great. It`s also great for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Good luck with it and please send me a link when you have the first version up.



-------------------------

Acrux Ads

-------------------------

- Andrew
AndrewHazen.com
PrimeVisibility.com
InternetIdeas.net

I love this idea. I`d participate, but I`m more interested in reading about others` stories than I am about promoting my own business. I really like hearing the stories of how "ordinary" people came up with their ideas and then took the steps necessary to make them a reality. Sure, it`s nice to hear about the Googles and Facebooks, but those are the exception. Most small businesses are helping people live normal lives doing what they love. That`s what I like to read about.

-------------------------

Brian O`Keefe
Web Designer & Writer @ YiNZCO
Athlete & T-Shirt Guy @ STR!VE NATiON

Hi Brian,
 
I really liked your post, interesting perspective. I was looking out for the same kind of information. Thanks a lot.

_________________________
Home Based Business