Help me start my own ecommerce website.

December 2, 2008 11:38 AM

I have an idea for a ecommerce web site. I am currently a web application developer, and I ran an ecommerce site for a few years so I have a great concept of the nuts and bolts. I just wanted to ask for help because I am likely to be weak on the business end and design end of things - I have no clue how to start a business or design an entire website from scratch - let alone do in part-time on top of a full-time job.

A) I have no clue how to design a website from scratch, really. I'm not a designer at all.
B) I have no clue how to start my own business or how I should do it
C) I want to get this started outside my fulltime job, so I want to do it quick and dirty.

My website concept has to do with recipes and cooking. It will probably be a subscription pay service for about 5$/month. I currently have a good working knowledge of html, css, asp.net, C#, and some experience with javascript and photoshop.

My main hangups will probably be all the business-end of things, setting up the credit card processing, as well as coming up with a good design in photoshop and then actually implementing them. I already have a couple hundred dollars in web-hosting to blow - and though I would love to do the website in something like PHP, my experience is all ASP.NET so I think I will stick with that.

posted by scottschulthess to computers & internet (9 comments total)

Do you have a specific question?

Stepping back a bit... It sounds like you have a rather optimistic view of online businesses. Do not expect to set something up and watch the money flow in. Not going to happen.

Is there a way to test your concept? Setup a basic site and see if anyone cares about the content enough to visit? Once you have some visitors, you can start to think about converting them to paying customers. You're going to need to think deeper about your business model. Lots of info about online businesses models, but Freemium seems to be one that works. People need to know what they're buying. (You might also want to read up on the problems of micropayments, and why they don't work too.)
posted by kamelhoecker at 1:13 PM on December 2, 2008

I may be able to point you in the right direction. I hope this doesn't sound like bragging

A) I have designed many websites from scratch. I design and do some (light) coding (but mainly I rely on Expression Engine to run my sites). Consider hiring a web/graphic designer to layout a nice site for you (just don't get a print designer to do it as they don't really think about how a site should be laid out).

B) You ask and talk to people. I've been running my design/illustration business for almost 10 years and I started out by asking questions in forums and groups. Here in Atlanta there is a freelance forum that people can go and swap ideas. Post things on forums and ask your questions there. I think there is a podcast called Freelance Radio by Dickie Adams (I think it's Dickie that runs it) and you can find it on itunes. It's got some insightful stuff for people running their own business

C) I up and quit my fulltime job and got started quick and dirty. Just know that quick and dirty does not bring in the bucks. I made a *lot* of mistakes along the road. But that's how you learn. Make sure you have some savings, this is not the best economy ever right now

I hope this helps. you can mefi mail me and we can chat more if needed.

Best
-Scott

ps-Photoshop smotoshop...real designers design in Illustrator! (let the flame wars begin!!!)
posted by Hands of Manos at 1:18 PM on December 2, 2008

Your first step should be to hire or partner with a good designer, who understands application interface design as well as look-and-feel stuff. Involve him or her early in the process (i.e. before you start writing code, not after.) Design is a profession, it's every bit as difficult and as important as developing the code, and most developers suck at it, because it requires a completely different mindset. Don't bother mucking around in photoshop and trying to do it all yourself, because you won't do a good job.

(Actually, your first step should be to do some competitor research and decide whether your idea is really going to be profitable: there are already dozens of different free recipe websites out there; is your idea so much better than them that users will find it worthwhile shelling out an ongoing subscription fee?)

"Starting a business" can mean a vast number of different things; even on the simplest, I'm-just-doing-this-as-a-side-project end of the scale, though, you should have a lawyer help you through writing up a contract between you and your design partner, and should probably incorporate as an LLC just in case something goes wrong. Handling credit card transactions is easy: you pay someone else to do it for you. (Dealing with credit card numbers is not the sort of thing where you want to roll your own.)

If you're really going to do this, it's going to take more than "a couple hundred dollars" and some spare time.
posted by ook at 1:28 PM on December 2, 2008

ps: real designers design in Illustrator!

Well, that's just a ridiculous statement, no matter what software package you name as what "real designers" use. The software is just a tool; the results are what matter.
posted by ook at 1:34 PM on December 2, 2008

I suggest you use WordPress to create your site: it's very versatile, easy to use, and has lots of support and plugins.

As for how to start a new business, you may want to check with your local SBDC (Small Business Development Center), and let them walk you through every step of the way. It's free, and you'll know for sure you didn't skip any of the important steps that will come to bite you later.

Good luck with your venture.
posted by adriana at 1:45 PM on December 2, 2008

The SBA has some pretty useful info and tools, for free.

I'm an entrepreneurship student in business school, so, feel free to MeFi mail me with any specific questions, I might be able to help. For my online business, I process payments through PayPal.

And, finally, do you know if there is a market for that sort of site? I bake and cook a lot, and I enjoy using recipes found on the web, but I would never pay for them because you can find just about anything for free. Just a thought!
posted by firei at 3:42 PM on December 2, 2008

Firstly: Why will people pay you money for what you want to sell them? Where will you find these people who want to pay $5 a month for recipes?

After you have a good answer to that question, then you can worry about design and credit card processing.
posted by yohko at 4:10 PM on December 2, 2008

Where will you find these people who want to pay $5 a month for recipes?

That.
posted by trinity8-director at 5:17 PM on December 2, 2008

"It will probably be a subscription pay service for about 5$/month... My main hangups will probably be all the business-end of things, setting up the credit card processing,"

You probably need to find a way to take money & paperwork out of the project initially. Money complicates things an awful lot, and a subscription system would impose even more complications and security concerns than basic purchasing. It's also especially hard to convince people to hand over cash to a new site with no track record.

So rethink your business model so you can dip your toe in the water. Offer some free content and focus on building a loyal audience, with some sensible plans in mind to possibly offer premium content/services for payment down the line or display advertising.

I've worked on a few projects where people have disregarded this advice and blown all of their money and enthusiasm trying to go directly from nothing to a complex, commercial service. They all had visions of that sweet internet money flowing in while they sit in the pub, and all had a terrible shock when they realised how much of a hard slog it can be to get customers, especially when you've already blown all of your cash on barely-used payment systems.
posted by malevolent at 1:34 AM on December 3, 2008