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APPENDIX
B
ONLINE BUSINESS
CHECKLISTS AND TIPS
T here are many things that you need to get started in your online
business. The following checklist is meant to help you mentally,
emotionally, and financially plan and prepare for your business.
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
FILL IN WHEN
COMPLETE BUSINESS PLANNING
I have decided on an LLC/sole proprietorship/corporation/
partnership,etc.
I have filed a Fictitious Business Name Statement.
I have decided on a company name.
I have my tax requirements in order and/or have talked with a tax
advisor/planner.
I know what my core business products or services will be.
I know if my business is going to be homebased or will require an
office.
I have analyzed my competition.
I have insurance, if required.
I have a business license, if required.
I am passionate about the product or service and know it well.
I have secured products or services and have the business process
streamlined.
I have secured any needed permits (see later in this section).
FINANCIAL PLANNING
I have the startup capital needed or have a plan to get startup capital.
I have a list of items I will need to start my business.
I have a one- to two-year cash flow projection that I can live with.
CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
FILL IN WHEN
COMPLETE WEB SITE INITIAL SETUP
I know if I’m using a web developer or designer.
I know if I’m creating my own site or having a designer do it.
I know if I’m going to secure my own hosting or leave it to my developer.
My content, graphics, logos, and so on are ready to be handed off to the
web designer.
I know what type of integration I want on my site. I know what I intend
to offer (blogs, chats, forums, FAQs, etc.).
I have my business policies,; return policies, etc. written down for the
web developer.
I have the domain name and hosting services secured.
TECHNOLOGY SETUP
I know what technology I will need.
I have a computer.
I know if I need server space and what type of server I will need to
rent/lease/buy.
I have e-mail set up.
I have high-speed internet access.
I have a business line.
I have faxing capabilities.
CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS, CONTINUED
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
FILL IN WHEN
COMPLETE ADVANCED E-COMMERCE
I have a merchant account and business checking set up and in place.
I have the capability to process online transactions.
I have created a solid shopping cart.
I have sophisticated security implemented on my website.
I have a solid backup system in place.
ADVANCED BUSINESS PLANNING
I will be able to recognize if I need to hire employees.
People are beginning to know my name or my business’s name in my
area of expertise.
I am using social networking sites to help build my brand.
I am networking myself well online and participating in areas where
potential clients are.
I have an advertising campaign; I sell ads and/or buy ad space.
I am becoming highly networked in my business area.
CHECKLIST FOR SUCCESS, CONTINUED
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
OCCUPATIONS REQUIRING STATE LICENSES
There are many careers that require state licenses. These are some common
jobs requiring licensing that may take some time and effort to get:
• Contractors (of nearly any type)
• Mortgage brokers/insurance agents/bankers
• Doctors
• Accountants/tax advisors
• Real estate agents or brokers
• Cosmetologists (even for online advice)
• Auctioneers
• Security (of any type—investigations, guarding online activity, etc.)
PRODUCTS REQUIRING PERMITS
Many products you might want to sell online require permits. If you intend to
sell any of these, be sure you get the appropriate license:
• Guns or any type of firearm
• Lottery tickets
• Liquor
SALES TAX PERMITS
If you need to collect sales tax (generally if you are shipping to a state that has
a sales tax or you are conducting your business in a state with a sales tax, you
must charge sales tax and therefore report sales tax), you need a sales tax per-
mit. You can get a reseller’s permit for your own state. Visit the site for your
state’s board of equalization; most have forms online.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FOR CERTAIN CAREERS
There are certain careers that require you to have special federal permits that
go beyond the state licensing discussed earlier. Some of these (with their asso-
ciated federal web site) are
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
• Investment advice: Securities and Exchange Commission at sec.gov
• Online pharmacies: Federal Drug Administration at fda.gov
• Transportation of goods: Department of Transportation at dot.gov
• Selling any type of alcohol, firearm, tobacco, or anything related (double-
check): The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms at atf.gov
• Selling meat or other products: Federal Drug Administration at fda.gov
TEN TIPS FOR BLOGS AND PODCASTS (FAQ)
I am sure by now you have a list of questions that need to be addressed. Here
are my top ten tips for podcasts and blogs and an FAQ section for both,
adapted from a book by Babb and Lazo.
1. Update your podcasts often. If you want people to keep coming back,
your content has to remain original.
2. Be consistent. Pretty soon, you’ll have an entire series of podcasts and
blogs. You should have a consistent theme throughout with regard to
the look and feel. This will serve as your own trademark.
3. Be timely and timeless. Your content has to be timely in terms of the
issues that are most appealing to people at that particular time and
needs to maintain its freshness.
4. Sacrifice some speed for quality. In my opinion, it is preferable to have a
presentation-quality podcast that takes a while to load than it is to
have a low-quality one that loads right away. The initial extra wait is
well worth it.
5. Preparation is key, but scripting is not. When recording your podcast,
you certainly need to be prepared for the content that you’ll be pro-
viding. However, don’t script it, because scripting can sound stiff
and impersonal.
6. Conduct interviews. Don’t assume that you know exactly what people
are going to want to see in your blogs and podcasts. Why go through
the trouble of creating content only to have to revise it significantly
later? Find out up front and minimize the rework.
7. Don’t take personal attacks personally. Not everyone subscribes to the adage
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” If you
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
do receive some negative feedback on your blog or podcast, look at it
constructively and definitely don’t allow it to discourage you.
8. Get your own domain name if you don’t already have one. Although there
are plenty of platforms out there for blogs and podcasts, using one is
impersonal because it just makes you appear as one in a sea of many.
Therefore, make a small investment at the outset and secure your own
domain name that will come to be closely associated with you in time.
9. Come up with a hooking strategy. Very often, attracting new users and
hooking users require two different strategies. Ask yourself the fol-
lowing two questions and hopefully some aspects of each answer will
be different: “What do I need to do to get people to visit my blog
and/or view my podcast?” “What do I need to do to create enough
interest in people’s minds to have them keep returning to my blog
and view my podcast?”
10. Comment on other blogs. A great way to spread the word about your own
blog is to post on other people’s blogs, especially if those blogs are
popular. Make sure your posts are interesting enough to generate
interest in your own blog, but definitely don’t simply advertise your
blog without adding value.
Frequently Asked Questions
• Do I need to buy an iPod to create a podcast? You absolutely and most cer-
tainly do not need an iPod.
• OK, so if I don’t need an iPod, why do they call it podcasting? Well, the name
actually does originate from the word iPod. It’s basically a combination
of iPod and broadcasting. I wish that I had enough influence to change
the name because it is confusing!
• How do I know if my podcast is successful? You’ll have to define first what
success means to you. If it’s in terms of number of downloads, a third-
party hosting service can provide these numbers for you. However, if
it’s in terms of your bottom line, then it’s up to you to determine how
much your business has increased as a result of your podcast.
• Can I legally add copyrighted music to my podcast? In short, no. Many
people do without realizing that it’s illegal. However, there are many
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The ONLINE PROFESSOR’S Practical Guide to Starting an Internet Business
up-and-coming musicians who are willing to provide “podsafe”
music.
• Is it expensive to create a blog? Expensive is a relative term, but the answer
is probably “no” by most people’s definition. In fact, Blogger.com
allows you to do it for free!
• How do I advertise my blog? Of course you can use methods like emailing
and your existing advertising; however, actual content will go a long
way towards spreading the word.
• What should I include in my blog? Look at other blogs for ideas, but cer-
tainly don’t copy them. A great way to start is to interview your exist-
ing clients!
• Are there directories of blogs to which I can add my blog? Absolutely. Check
out BlogWise.com and BlogStreet.com. There are many others as well.
• What is RSS? It stands for rich site summary (Web 1.0) or really simple syn-
dication (Web 2.0). It’s basically a way for blog sites to share headlines,
much as syndication works in newspapers.
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