Throughout the month of November we will be running our “SMB blog series.” While SMB traditionally refers to “Small/Medium Business,” here at Volusion it has come to mean something else: “Small Made Big.” This month we will be sharing resources, tips, stats, and inspirations to help you turn your small ecommerce endeavor into something greater- something BIG!

Many small business owners view a business plan as a necessary evil in order to get a bank loan, but Online Business Advisor reminds that it is much more than that.

“A business plan is a living document. That simply means that the words you put on paper have to mean something and they must be defensible. Too many people who write business plans are careless or simply do not place enough importance on the meaning and impact of the words they put on paper… Business plans also should be written annually to support and complement your strategic plan. A business plan is not only a funding document, but a very important road map that details how the business will function over the next year.” (more…)

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Related articles:Because September and October are historically times when many people open their first business, this week is dedicated to topics surrounding starting your own business. While this is not an end-all-be-all list of steps you must take, they’ll help you get a solid head start on your new business venture. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Marketing Your New Business

Congratulations! You’re well on your way to getting an online business started. You’ve got products for sale, an awesome design and you’re ready to launch. The next thing you should think of is how you’re going to let people know about your company and get them to trade dollars for your goods and services. This is where Marketing comes in.

To get started, take a look at the four building blocks of marketing. Then use social media technologies to tie it together. We call the foundations of Marketing the “four P’s”: Product, Price, Place & Promotion. (more…)

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Because September and October are historically times when many people open their first business, this week is dedicated to topics surrounding starting your own business. While this is not an end-all-be-all list of steps you must take, they’ll help you get a solid head start on your new business venture. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

If you’re starting an online store the most important thing you will need to secure before your store goes live is a way to get paid! This may seem obvious but it is something many first-time online store owners overlook. Once this step is completed, you can add products, make the store live and start selling right away!

Some online store owners start off by signing up for a PayPal account and only offering PayPal, but the majority of online store owners sign up for something called a merchant account. A merchant account is how online stores accept credit cards. While solely using PayPal is an option, conversion rates tend to be higher when using a merchant account. (more…)

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Because September and October are historically times when many people open their first business, this week is dedicated to topics surrounding starting your own business. While this is not an end-all-be-all list of steps you must take, they’ll help you get a solid head start on your new business venture. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Obviously, any online business owner is going to want a design for their website that will hit one out of the park, but when you’re just starting out you may not have a full understanding of exactly what you need (not to mention the funds to achieve it). So, which design elements are absolutely essential? The absolute most basic piece you will need is a well crafted logo.

Think about it in terms of a physical retail location- would you walk through an unmarked door off of the street to do your shopping? Probably not. Your online store needs a logo to tell your customers who you are as a company.

Here are five things to think about when designing your logo: (more…)

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Because September and October are historically times when many people open their first business, this week is dedicated to topics surrounding starting your own business. While this is not an end-all-be-all list of steps you must take, they’ll help you get a solid head start on your new business venture. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

Drop shipping is a practice of order fulfillment where a manufacturer/distributor ships a product to a consumer on behalf of the retailer. Drop shipping can be very attractive because it helps to minimize risk and cost while offering convenience and practicality.

But how do you know what to look for in a dropshipper? Here are 10 questions that will help you select a dropshipper to fit your business’ needs: (more…)

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