Busting Myths About Starting An Online Store - This is Not Field of Dreams

Starting an Online Store requires a great deal of passion, persistence, and patience (one thing it does not require is capital thanks to Zlio stores, CafePress, and others). This is not Field of Dreams - there are real challenges to overcome. However, most of these challenges are addressable and are not the ones that folks anticipate. The purpose of this article is to debunk, clarify, and cut through the quagmire of myths and preconceptions that can cloud our thinking about how to start an online store.


Myth #1 - You Need A Lot of Capital To Start An Online Store

Fact #1 - You don't need to invest any capital at all to start an online store. Anyone can start an online store for free using Zlio or CafePress. Yahoo offers an online service that won't cost an arm and a leg.


Myth #2 - If You Build It, They Will Come (customers)

Fact #2 - This is not Field of Dreams. Noone cares about your new online store but you. This means that as entrepreneurs it is our sole responsibility to find a way to drive interest in our own web site. Now, that being said, we're going to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, right? Let's offer our customers a great experience by providing something that they want other than just products. How about writing helpful reviews or articles, written from a point of expertise about something that you care about? Providing interesting content around the theme of your store will attract visitors and potential customers alike. This point underscores the importance of anchoring your store around a tightly focused central theme that intersects with your passions.



Myth #3 - You Need Them To Come

Fact #3 - You're already there. Most americans have already purchased something online. Online sales are growing thanks to powerful underlying macrotrends. And chances are that you and your family buy quite a bit of things online in any given year. Why not buy them from yourself, from your own store, and get paid? It just makes good sense. For instance, do you think that someone in your family is going to buy an iPod at some point this year? You could add an iPod to your Zlio store sourced from the Apple Store in 30 seconds or less. These types of savings can add up.

Allow me to put another spin on the experience of starting an online store that will perhaps allow us to look at things through a somewhat broader lens. The first sale we need to earn is our own. If you buy from your own store, its a great validation for what you're selling. Perhaps more importantly, the reward in starting an online store is not limited to just making money (although that would be nice). If you're passionate about something, starting an online store represents another axis or dimension for exploring that passion. For instance, a hot sauce collector might enjoy building an online hot sauce collection that doubles as a store.

More to come.