Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello All,

    Finally, I have started working full-time (after quitting my job) towards my first new venture (kind of exciting!!)- a career guidance website for recent grads (who aren`t very clear on which career path they gotta choose keeping their long term goals in mind etc). I did research the market and couldnt find good websites on the topic and since I have been contacted by lots of people for career advice and also I have lot of good ideas to incorporate from my diverse experiences --I choose this topic to explore on the net. I have lots of questions though with regard to my new venture and i hope to get advice from other experienced entrepreneurs

  Q1. Since I am in India, do you think I should focus on Indian consumers (students) or should I keep it general ???? (since I have been in USA for couple of years--I do have a idea of consumer base over there). For eg. in website should focus on the resources available in India or keep it global.

Q2. Also, what is the best way to organize ur web content? Are there any good examples available??

Q3. I am planning to earn income through google adsense and affiliate marketing and i am planning to keep the website free for the visitors.Are there any other better ways to earn income if i want to make my website free for usage???

Q4. Also, After reading alot, I am kind of confused now-- how to go about building ur website-- I am kind of fine with content but then what should be my immediate next step/steps??

Q5. How would I decide if I should include blogs, discussion forums, articles feeds and any other additions in my website?
Or
Q6. Can you think of any other creative features i could add to my consulting sort of website to make different then any other career guidance website??

Sorry to bombard you all with so many questions but I tried my best to get the answers but its just that there is too much and diverse info out there --which just doesnt take u anywhere. I am glad we have startupnation:)))

Thanks alot and hope to get as many advices as possible.
Priya

From what I`ve read, it sounds to me as if your overall business is "life coach." You`re trying to be a source of guidance and answers, as well as questions that bring out a person`s internal mindset. To that end, you`re offering help to someone in their attempts to find a "focus" in their life.

To answer the first question, you can`t change the world. But you can certainly change the local neighborhood. Your cultural background is India, and your career observations come out of the US. So I`d think you`d have more success focusing on India. It`s the author`s main rule, "write about what you know."

One major issue I think you`ll have is whether or not you require immediate income to pay your bills from this new venture. If you do, the amount of pressure you`ll face likely will neutralize and eventually damage the underlying idea itself.

If you can keep your bills paid as one path, and the development of the Web site and venture on an entirely different path, I think you`ll have more chances for success To that end, if possible try to forget about how you`ll make money from the site at this stage.

Focus instead on what exactly are you offering your visitors.

The answer to any question is usually found in the question itself, if the question is correctly phrased. And so, take your list of questions and strip away the unnecessary. Work on them, each one, one at a time. What *exactly* are you asking.

For example, Q4: Essentially you`re asking, "How do I build a Web site when I have a lot of content?" It seems to me that your talent and skill is in content, not Web technology. Given that learning that technology is a time-intensive process, wouldn`t it make more sense to hire someone to build the site...or partner with someone?

What is your intent: to learn how to become a web developer, or to offer career guidance to people?

Most importantly, the irony here is that you intend to offer guidance regarding the future and best ways to arrive at a destination for people who are just out of school. So too, you have just arrived out of the employee condition, entering into a future of self-employment.

Why not use the same skills, advice, observations, and counseling processes you would give to others....on your own situation? Step back, objectify yourself, and write out your life conditions as if they belonged to someone else. Then sleep on it for a day. Read what you`ve written and see if you have some thoughts.

Dear arkitechebc and criagL,

 Thanks alot for your precious time and  advice. I guess the path is coming clearer and clearer-- always more persperctives from people of the similar mindset surely helps.

Once thanks alot!!!
Priya

One of the nice things about speaking out loud and typing one`s thoughts is that it helps clarify exactly what we`re trying to think. We have our thoughts inside our head as pictures, and the translation process from pictures to words really "forces" us to include logic and meaning.

That`s one reason why forums like this are so helpful, I think. :-) Feel free to continue to the topic with whatever modifications you`re discovering, either in new questions or different phrasing of the current questions.

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CraigL,
Yup, I do agree to do that-- It does help to clarify the picture. Thanks alot for the support.

Dear David,
 Thanks for your time and advice. I will look into these resources---every other resource helps!!!

Priya

Have anyone tried to develop their own website? Would you recommend someone else to do the same? How much time and money does it take to learn. What are the good resources/courses/training available---Have you tried any of these?

The thing is- I was planning my time and budget along with future goals--- So if i learn how to develop my website--I will be free to develop next websites as well. So the training will be my long term investment--always knowledge is power if used correctly, isn,t it!!