Keeping Costs Way Down

One of the greatest things about the internet is how easy it allows you to shop around and find ways to save money. To find the best deal on whatever you're looking for. (Or find out if you're already overpaying for something.) So the costs of starting your own internet marketing business are no exception.

Especially in the early going, I plan to keep my operating costs as low as possible. The way I look at it, you don't have to sell much to be into profit if your operating costs are next to nothing. (And I know this can be done.) If nothing else, this can allow plenty of time to do some good "on-the-job training" while I figure out the ins and outs of this business.

I'll admit I got impatient a few weeks ago and fell for one of those "It's all done for you" deals, where you get a beautiful website all set up for you within 24 hours. I got tired of thinking about all the decisions I have to make just to get this business started at all. (And I'm not the type that makes decisions very quickly!) So I figured that would be a good way to get started, if nothing else.

It wasn't what I thought it would be...

Turns out that this deal required you to host the "free" website with a company that charges $24.95 per month. (Nowadays, anything over $10/month is way out of line!) Plus you had to join what amounted to two different multi-level marketing type programs, one of which cost $24.95 to join and $19.95 per month thereafter. That already brings the monthly cost up to $45 before you've even made a sale. Then the first day of instructions given with the program strongly recommended upgrading the email autoresponder service (which was supposed to be included) so that outside party ads won't be included in all your automated emails. That's good for another $17.95 per month. Now we're up to $63/month. Then there's the ad tracking service that's free for the first 90 days, only to go up to $19.95 monthly once you're locked into using it. ($83 per month?!) Then the participants are wondering in the program's own forum why they're having such trouble making any money with it. It's obvious that the famous internet guru who started it has all the odds stacked in his favor. Everyone that joins that program puts additional monthly paying members in his downline and creates residual income for him - at absolutely NO COST to him. He can't lose. It wouldn't matter if no one stayed in the program very long - there's probably a constant supply of new participants that keep it all going. It's actually a work of genius (for HIM!)...but I'd rather be on the guru's end of the deal!

There are no secrets on the internet...

With just a little bit of surfing the net, it's clear that NONE of those costs are absolutely necessary. I found cheaper or even FREE substitutes for all of those expensive services that could be used at least in the early going. That's money that stays in your pocket that could be used for advertising, etc. In fact, I've already spotted at least a couple of people who copied that marketing idea and attempted to become the guru themselves with their own "plug-in-profit" type offer, featuring less expensive services required to join. I think they've got the right idea.

I started this blog just for something to build from for my own business ideas, and the cost for this has been zero. Now THAT'S a price I can live with!