Vishal P. Rao
Administrator
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 491
|
# Posted: 14 Jul 2005 08:10 � Edited by: Vishal P. Rao
Starting and maintaining an Internet business is very attractive to literally hundreds upon thousands of individuals, as it requires minimum investment to start and minimum overhead to maintain. However, how to successfully start and maintain an Internet business is one of the greatest challenges for most "newbie" marketers.
It's been my great pleasure to meet an "oldie but goodie" veteran Internet marketer that has successfully maintained an online business for the past six years. Robert Puddy hails from the United Kingdom and has cut his marketing teeth on Internet marketing. Robert enjoys the challenge of Internet marketing, and has proven time and again that he has what it takes to be a success in the world of E-business.
Robert has successfully established not just one online E-business, but several, with offshoots of his main site/business being developed over the years. He has set up shop using his knowledge of advertising methods at: www.advertisingknowhow.com. In addition, Robert supplies an ad tracking service: www.hitsconnect.com, an auto-responder service: www.fastresponder.com, and an Internet training and seminar service: www.focus4thefuture.com. All in all, Robert supplies a "soup to nuts" approach to successful Internet marketing, and has seen success in his own online business using his methods.
In a recent interview, Robert also shared some nuggets of useful information about the challenges, rewards, and overall obstacles that face others trying to establish an online business. He provided many valuable insights into his own motivations, as well as insight into issues for others seeking to create an online business.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WAHF:
What inspired you to create an online business?
Robert:
Pure chance. I asked my employer at the time if I could create a company Web site for them as a project. Once I had done that, I figured there wasn't much point in just building it unless I also promoted it in the Search Engines. In researching the Search Engines, I stumbled upon the Internet marketing world. Once I discovered it was possible to make money online, I started to build Web sites for myself.
WAHF:
How much did you invest initially in the start up of your business?
Robert:
Initially, just the price of some Web hosting and a domain name. At the time, I also discovered a new service, Host4Profit, which also provided some of my first products. I continued the slow and sometimes painful process of learning, and continued to add products and services to my Internet repertoire.
WAHF:
What exactly was your first product?
Robert:
My first real product was a traffic exchange called AdCredits.com. I have since sold that site and moved on to my current main site: www.advertisingknowhow.com, which is a traffic exchange and list builder. However, the first two years online, my product was my
e-zine, where I built my list and marketed Affiliate programs.
WAHF:
How many months did it take before you actually turned a profit?
Robert:
Strangely enough, I turned a profit in two months, after I discovered how to write articles. I first tried my hand at writing an article about a piece of software I was promoting, and I decided to go straight for the jugular and submit it to one of the premier newsletters on the net. I honestly forgot about the article, only to return home from work two weeks later, and discovered I had made a string of sales. I was in print on with this publication,, I had made money, and honestly, after that, I was hooked for life on E-business. That first article produced sales and inquiries for a whole week, and individuals signed up also for my newsletter, as I provided a link to it. I immediately submitted another article to the same source, but this time it wasn't even printed. Not being deterred easily, I tried another high profile Internet e-zine. This time it was published, and made sales just like the first article. I also met my partner in one of my sites, www.fastresponder.com, Joe Robson. Joe offered me a testimonial initially, and I posted in on my Web site. Three years later, Joe and I met again at a seminar, and now not only run www.fastresponder.com together but have plans for a bigger site to be released later this summer.
HBBO:
What were the biggest obstacles you had to face in your online business?
Robert:
Without a doubt, separating family responsibilities from business responsibilities were the hardest. My wife in particular complained bitterly in the beginning about my "playing on the computer" as she put it. It's a fine balance trying to put in enough time marketing, while working a full time job and not neglecting your personal life.
WAHF:
What was the best decision you ever made in your Internet business?
Robert:
To outsource. By hiring out tasks, like programming and design work, I had more time for my family and my marketing. Of course, I had to invest the money into doing that, but the results far outweighed the price, both in my business success and the improvement in my family life.
WAHF:
What was the worst decision you ever made in your Internet business?
Robert:
I don't consider any decision to be a bad one. Although some decisions have failed, they were all learning experiences for me, and therefore they were valuable in their own way.
WAHF:
What is your daily routine and how do you keep yourself focused?
Robert:
Most of my E-business sites are highly automated, and I don't spend a lot of time daily maintaining them. It's more work to launch a new product or service. I spend about an hour in the morning answering e-mail and then spend the rest of the day communicating with the outsource providers I have chosen. I also have a list of tasks that I go over every morning, and I stick to that list to stay focused.
WAHF:
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in an Internet business?
Robert:
Invest in all the training you can afford. I still attend as many seminars as I can, and buy training manuals. You also should be a good listener, as you can learn a lot from others. Pick products and services based upon their longevity, not on the get rich quick hype you hear all over the Internet. Focus on no more than two programs or products and services and promote them to death. Only when you are in profit with one program or product/service should you think about another one. Don't sit around trying to make something "perfect". Just make it the best it can be, and work on improving it once sales start rolling in. And always try to get the best price for your product. The higher the price, the less sales you need to make to reach your targeted earnings goals.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
As you can see, Robert Puddy has done very well in a totally online business. He has a realistic view of marketing, and approaches his businesses from a very practical standpoint. Not expecting too much, too soon, and being determined enough to succeed, has helped Robert, and will indeed help others seeking to establish an Internet business.
|
