Business Goods & Services

I am 18 years old. I am taking up BS Business Administration maj. International Management. I want to have an online business.
I am good in designing things such as jewelries and other things. I want to enchance my talent too.

[ also I want to help my father who is supporting my studies]

Can you help me how to start a business through internet?

Please give me some suggestions and advices for this kind of business.

Thank you.

Yes, I can help…

I use a step-by-step approach and it works all the time. Here you go:

1) First validate the demand (FREE keyword tool):

Are there people searching for what you want to offer?

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

2) Build your website with this FREE tool:

http://www.officialsitebuilder.com/

3) Select a URL and setup Hosting (not FREE but darn cheap and reliable – something like $4 per month…):

http://www.officialsitebuilder.com/domain-checker.php

4) Drive traffic (not FREE but you cannot do without):

https://adwords.google.com/

5) FREE Online Business Creator:

(http://www.sandrosalsi.com/tools/online-business-creator.html)
This is a list of tools and resources I use myself to build and market my websites.

Highly recommended. Hope this helps…

If I am interested in being an international trade business consultant, should I be reading BusinessWeek, The Economist or what other type of publication?

If you don't have any experience in international trade business, then take some courses in community college. Take some courses in consulting business also.
Other thinks are peripheral to keep you up-to-date with whatever is going on in the world.

I have a 6 month son. My husband works 12 hour shifts and we barely have enough to pay for bills.Daycare is so expensive and I prefer to take care of my son. I need ideas in starting a home business.I need to work from home, I have a BFA although I don't know what to do with it.What can I do.

The best home business that you can be sure is not a scam is one that you start yourself. It will depend on what you want, how you define to be interesting. A person may consider a pet sitting business to be the most exciting work in the world, while another person would rather watch TV than take care of dogs.

The key is to determine what your interests are, what you want to do, what is suitable for your lifestyle and your overall goals, and what can fit with your resources.

Dan Ramsey in his book "101 Best Home Businesses" has a chapter on how to find YOUR best home business. He suggests these 10 steps:

1. List 5 things you do best
2. List how others would benefit from what you do best
3. Find out how to give people what they want
4. Learn the value of your services to others
5. Find out who else offers similar services
6. Learn from the successes of others
7. Learn from the failures of others
8. Plan your own success
9. Make low cost mistakes
10. Enjoy what you do and how you do it

He then made suggestions on the best home businesses according to type. Here are a few of them:

Best Businesses Using Craft or Physical Skills
- antique restoration
- auto detail service
- carpet cleaning business
- errand/delivery service
- housecleaning business

Best Service Businesses
- bed and breakfast operator
- caregiver
- catering service
- senior day care center
- tutoring service

Best Professional Businesses
- desktop publisher
- magazine writer
- import/export service
- income tax preparation service
- event planner

I will be going to college soon and after college I would like to have a career in business. I thought about marketing but I have always struggled with math. Is there any business courses, like marketing, that does not have to have so many math courses?

You may be in trouble… Marketing is the least math-oriented of the major business disciplines. Most of the others, finance, etc, involve much more math and much higher degree math. Come on, how much math is involved in marketing? I think you can do it. Don't be afraid of math, you have to go for it.

mach-zehnderI have taken some business courses but I don't really know where to go to get the merchandise, the type of business I wanted to start was a business selling digital cameras and equipment. Would I just have to contact the manufacture directly? Can anyone help me and give me suggestion on starting a retail business? Thank you .

Digital camera market is very competitive, and unless you have a "good head on your shoulders", I would suggest you stay away. On the other hand, if you want to give it a shot, why not. You would first need to find someone to supply you with the cameras (a reliable wholesaler). Start small from there, and do not make any huge investments. Try it out for a while. If it goes well, you can start expanding.