Have you ever dreamed about starting an online business but held back because you thought it would cost too much to get started? Maybe you had a great idea for a product and didn’t want to invest in inventory and other upfront costs to help you sell. If that’s what’s stopping you, perhaps it’s time to “sit,” “stay,” and think like a dog before you put this idea on hold. That’s right. I said, think like a dog. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, I promise that you’ll understand how you can develop and turn your online business into a howling success. Bark Up the Right Tree To illustrate, let’s imagine what motivated one man, we’ll call him Alex, to create a new business with the help of Rex, his dog, and beta “taster.” Like many other people during the pandemic, Alex and his girlfriend Mindy decided it was a good time to get a dog. Rex kept Alex and Mindy company while they worked from home. Mindy was a software developer, and Alex was a part-time copywriter. As more places opened up again in their community, Alex and Mindy spent an increasing amount of time away from home—often leaving Rex behind. To protest, Rex went on “hunger” strikes, leaving his kibble untouched until he was absolutely starved, which worried them. They also noticed that inflation was starting to kick in, they were spending more money, and their rent increased dramatically. Then Alex had an epiphany. If they wanted to maintain their lifestyle, he realized that it was up to him to make more money. Mindy was already working full time, and he wasn’t. Alex thought about taking on more clients as a copywriter, but he was ready for something new. He’d keep his part-time work but had really wanted to create his own online store. However, he wasn’t quite sure what business to enter but knew that it had to offer products he was passionate about selling. Here’s where Rex played a big part. Every Dog and Online Store Has Its Day Alex noticed that Rex would treasure the special times he’d be treated to a nutritional gourmet dog meal. Alex thought that if Rex enjoyed this food, so would other dogs. And with more than 900 million dogs in the world, their owners represented a huge potential market! As a copywriter, Alex had worked on a variety of websites and was familiar with what it would take to have a compelling website that would attract buyers. The next step was to select the right products. Alex researched dog food affiliate programs, ordered some samples of different brands, and gave them to Rex and some neighborhood dogs to beta test — or should I say beta taste? Of course, the dogs didn’t make all the decisions—just the ones related to their palates. After researching some options, Alex narrowed the list down and chose a program that would provide quality products and give him a high commission rate without needing to invest in inventory. Save Money with an Approach that Is “Doggone Good” Alex also needed to pick a CRM to help him launch the online store and do all the back-end heavy lifting. It included integrations for the site and funnel building, email marketing, fulfillment capabilities, fraud protection, payments, and more. Plus, instead of paying expensive upfront fees, monthly fees, and getting locked into long-term contracts, he chose a CRM with a transaction-based model at a low cost per transaction. Alex liked this pay-as-you-go approach, which really minimizes the cost of launching and growing an online store. If you’re thinking of starting an online business, this can be an affordable, lucrative, and fun opportunity. Pick a growing industry that interests you. Do the research to understand the products, competition, and potential market. Take advantage of the ability to use affiliates so that you don’t have to purchase and store inventory. Finally, consider using a CRM with a pay-as-you-go model that also lets you scale. Once you’ve gone through this process and everything is in place, you can begin to gain the many benefits of having an online business. Now that’s worth barking about!

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