Written by: KayS

Lately a lot of talk has gone around about treating your web business "like a business". Well hey you have an accountant and you even talked to your attorney and he said internet porn was ok in your community - you're treating it like a business - right? Wrong. If this is all you've done, you've barely scratched the surface.

How much time have you spent researching your new business? How much money have you allocated for startup expenses? Have you worked out a business plan - even a bare bones one to know what steps to take to grow your business where you want it to be? Have you networked and formed solid business relationships on line?

Research is probably the most important part of developing a new business. Research is more than just liking to look at naked bodies and knowing 50 other people who do too. You need to know and understand many diverse things in any web based business. The first thing you need to research yourself. What can you do well? What do you like to do? What can you hire out that you don't do well and how much will it cost? You not only need to know what skills are needed to run your empire but where to go and how much it will cost to have someone else do those things you can't do well or don't have time to do yourself. When you farm the work out you need to have a basic understanding of that work and be able to clearly communicate your thoughts and ideas to the person or company you are hiring.

Research the traffic types, check out TGP's, Link Lists, Search Engines, and Directories before deciding what kind of sites to build. Look at the top ranked sites and be sure to thoroughly read the rules.

Research the sponsors you're going to use. Take the tours, even ask for a limited membership so you can check the member's area. The more you know about what you're selling, the better your sales pitch to a prospective customer will be. Research the content providers you're thinking about using in the same way. Check their site, email or call if you have any questions that aren't answered on their site.

When you've gathered enough information to have a starting point for your empire, make a plan. It doesn't have to be detailed and it isn't and shouldn't be cast in concrete. It needs to answer Who, What, When, and How Much. Who are you using for content, hosting, traffic? What niche are you going to start with? When are you going to branch out to another niche, sponsor, traffic type? How much are the hosting, content, and programs you need going to cost?

Keep this document handy and check it as your sales come in. It's your guidepost and will need to be re-evaluated often. As you learn more about what you're doing you'll be able to set realistic goals and figure out what it takes to meet those goals.

Read the boards, read articles, newsletters, archived chats, tutorials - anything and everything you can find. Network by talking with people, online, attending trade shows and events when possible and online chats and shows.

Treat your business like a business - something that can and will make money. That's what the purpose of a business is - to make money. Treat yours right and it will make money for you.

KayS