Starting Your Internet Business Right
Are you an Ecommerce business owner, or do you just "play one on the Internet"? There is a difference, and that difference will hurt your business.
As I've said several times so far, when you sell products on the Internet, just like anyplace else, you need to be Sourcing those products from a direct Wholesale Supplier. Most of the time, that's a Factory-Authorized Wholesale Supplier. If you're not, you're paying middleman markups that chip away at your profits until you're barely making enough to pay your hosting fees. Sometimes I think that there are more middlemen on the Internet than there are Ecommerce sites, and they're all targeting YOU!
Here's a scenario:
John Doe wants to open an Internet store, and make lots of money. He's seen all the news items about new Internet millionaires. There are pictures of some of these people in the news and on the 'Net, and some of them seem to be one sandwich short of a picnic.
"If they can do it, so can I!" he thinks, and starts to search around the 'Net for information on starting a business. John is luckier than most; he comes across a good Internet Mall early in his search, and realizes that he can set up an Internet store quickly and easily. All is right with the world!
Only one thing left; what to sell?
John looks around the Internet for product Suppliers. He comes to our site, sees our Directory of WBI CertifiedTM Wholesalers, and realizes he's found legitimate sources for millions of name brand products from real Wholesale Suppliers. Then he realizes that he will have to have a Tax ID number to buy from these Suppliers, because they are LEGITIMATE.
"Yechh!" thinks John. "Tax ID number?" That sounds like work. Worse, it sounds like LEGAL work. That's a scary thing to most people, and John is one of them!
A little more searching and John finds a web site called "Stuff R Us". Stuff R Us is screaming at him: "Thousands of wholesale products you can sell on your website! NO investment for inventory! We send each item right to your customer! No shipping, no handling products, no minimums! Sign up for our FREE TRIAL and we handle everything! This is your road to Internet Riches!"
Well, that's the road John was looking for, alright, so he happily sends his
name and address to Stuff R Us along with his sign-up fee. Suddenly he can put all
kinds of products on his web site, and all he has to do is email his orders to
Stuff R Us, and they handle the rest. No paperwork, no hassles.
John is creating a new Internet millionaire, all
right. No doubt about it. Unfortunately, it's not him. It's Stuff R Us.
Stuff R Us is a middleman. They sit between John and the REAL wholesaler. Every
time John places an order with Stuff R Us,
they turn around and place that same order with the real wholesaler, who
sends it to John's customer. John never knows this is
happening.
Stuff R Us is marking up the real wholesale price to John. John will piddle
along selling the same over-marketed imports as
thousands of other Stuff R Us clients, at over-inflated wholesale prices.
Stuff R Us thinks this is great, and they're laughing all the way to the bank.
So, where did John go wrong? What did he do to unwittingly get stuck in Ecommerce�s
biggest trap, the "middleman rut"?
It's simple. He took the easy way out when searching for a supplier. Stuff R Us
said, "We�ll handle everything", and John said,
"Hmmm, that sounds
easy!" So, instead of bothering to do some simple legal paperwork for his
business, John let Stuff R Us cheat him out of most of his profit, because it
was easy.
Please remember the following two statements:
1.) You MUST work DIRECTLY with REAL Wholesale Suppliers to be truly successful
in Ecommerce.
2.) You cannot buy from a REAL Wholesale Supplier if you are not a LEGAL
business.
Let me repeat that last one, for those who may have their Pandora Radio turned
up too loud:
YOU CANNOT BUY FROM A REAL WHOLESALE SUPPLIER IF YOU ARE NOT A
LEGAL BUSINESS!
ANYONE who allows you to purchase wholesale products for resale without legal
business paperwork is NOT a real wholesaler,
and is taking profit that should be yours.
As you know by now, we created our Directory of WBI CertifiedTM Wholesalers, the world's only
complete Product Sourcing Solution. It helps people like John find and contact
real wholesalers that will work with Home-based Internet Businesses. Every once
in a while, we get an Email from someone who says, "Wait a minute, I don't
have to go through all this legal stuff to use the suppliers YOU list. I can
just go to Stuff R Us and do it the easy way!"
I have no doubt that Stuff R Us finds this
absolutely hilarious. Getting legal is not that hard. Don't listen to the
people who tell you that you don't have to do it.
Here are the basics (in the US):
1.) File your Business Name - You need an official business name that's
recognized by your state government. You can do this one of two ways.
���� A.) Corporation: You can file a corporation with your State. All States in
the US have web sites where you can get information on this, and in many cases
actually file your business papers online.
���� B.) Fictitious Name (or "DBA"): This is a simpler way to
register your business, but it does not afford you the protections that a corporation
does. This doesn't cost as much as a corporation. In some States, this is
called a DBA (Doing Business As), and is obtained from your local County Office
building for a minimal fee. ($50 would be an average).
If you're not sure which way you want to go, ask an attorney or accountant.
There's got to be one in your family somewhere,
right? :o)
2.) Obtain a "Tax ID" - In almost every State you are required
to have a Tax ID. Some call it a Sales and Use Tax Certificate, some call it a
Seller's Permit, etc. It's the same thing. It allows you to collect Sales Tax
on sales you make within your own State. In Florida, we can get a Tax ID fairly
quickly. We must again show our Business Entity papers. This is done at the
local State Tax Office. When you buy from a wholesale supplier, you will be
asked to supply them with a copy of this certificate. They use it as proof to
the IRS that they are not required to charge you tax on the products they sell
you at wholesale.
3.) Open a Business Bank Account - If you're going to do business, you must have a business bank account. You'll need your Business Name papers. Here, we can open a business account for a deposit of $50 to $100. Almost all banks offer business accounts.
4.) Open a Merchant Account - The last thing you need is a Merchant Account. You'll need everything you obtained in the steps above for this one.
This is the thing that allows you to accept credit cards from your online customers. Without this, you'll get nowhere. Online buyers are instant gratification junkies. They want it NOW! If they have to mail you a check, they'll go somewhere else and buy. Merchant accounts used to cost a thousand dollars and more to set up. They've come down a LOT. We just opened a new one for a one-time fee of less than $200, complete. The Merchant Account will collect funds from your customers' credit cards, and deposit those funds in your business bank account. The Merchant Bank will charge you a percentage of the amount you charge your customer's credit card, plus other fees.
Your Merchant Banker will help you to incorporate your Merchant Account into your Internet store software.
You can also use your Merchant Account to sell on eBay, of course.
There are also a couple of ways you can accept credit cards on the Internet without opening a merchant account, such as PayPal. �
Well, there it is. That's the "business end" of an Internet business. Sound complicated? It isn't, really. Just take it step by step. Don't let a few pieces of paperwork stop you!
As I said above, these are just guidelines. Some states may require an additional license, such as the inexpensive "Occupational License" used here in Florida. When you set up your Business Name, they will tell you if you need anything like that. If you have questions, please consult a professional.
Getting legal is not hard, and the benefits are tremendous. Don't make money for a middleman; make it for yourself!
