Internet Entrepreneur

Internet entrepreneur resources are quite plentiful. In fact when you go looking for information on building an online craft business, it seems like everyone wants to sell you something. The challenge when you're looking for resources for selling your crafts online isn't in finding resources, but rather in sorting the good, helpful resources from the items that just waste your time and money.

Below are a list of several resources for internet entrepreneurs that I have used myself and found helpful and cost effective.

Complete Internet Business Building Package

Site Build It: site-build-it.craftabetterbusiness.com
Site Build It is an all in one set of software tools that allows you to build an information based site and turn your hobby or passion into a viable online business even if you are not a "techie" and don't have any experience in building and marketing a website.

Site Build It is, by far, the best, most complete set of internet entrepreneur resources I have ever found.

Domain Name Registration

www.GoDaddy.com
While Site Build It is the company I prefer for all in one internet business building tools (your domain name registration is included in the annual subscription fee) I do have several domains registered at GoDaddy. I've used GoDaddy for registering domains that I'm not currently using but that I want to reserve because I will likely use them in the future to pursue business ideas that I have in mind but just haven't had time to work on yet. GoDaddy's customer service is very good; they have always responded quickly and clearly any time I have contacted them.

Graphics Editing

Paint.net
Free graphics editing software. I use this software regularly; it is completely free and simple to use. It's very similar to Photoshop.

HTML Editors

KompoZer / Nvu
KompoZer, which is considered a bug-free fresion of Nvu is a free WYSIWYG HTML editor. WYSIWYG stands for what you see is what you get. When you work with this type of HTML editor, the graphics and text appear the same way they will appear when displayed on your website, which can be particularly helpful for beginniers who are less experienced with HTML. I used Nvu in the past, when I built my first website. While I prefer Arachnophilia or HTML Kit, KompoZer/Nvu is a good, free option if you're more comfortable using a WYSIWYG HTML editor.

Arachnophilia
Free HTML editor. This is not a WYSIWYG editor, so you'll need to be more comfortable with HTML code to use Arachnophilia. I really like this HTML editor. If you decide to give Arachnophilia a try, be careful to read the instructions for installing very carefully and do not skip any steps. The first time I installed this software, I just skimmed the instructions because I assumed I knew how to download and install software. That was a mistake. The instructions are very clear, so read them through, and don't skip any steps.

HTML Kit
I also like HTML Kit for writing content for my site. It's free and simple to use, and it speeds up the writing process by adding HTML code with a simple click of the mouse.

Free Templates

OSWD and Open Web Design
I have not used either of these resources myself, so I can't comment on them from personal experience. However, they have been recommended by a source (Site Build It) that I know and trust, so I'm comfortable adding them to this list of internet entrepreneur resources.

Keyword Search Tool

Word Tracker
Research tool to discover what keywords people are searching for online. There is a free trial version as well as a paid version available.

Gather Statistics

Google Analytics
Free, easy to use tool allows you to gather in-depth statistics about how visitors find and navigate your website. This is vital information for internet entrepreneurs.

Copyright Protection

Copyscape - Copysentry
If you're concerned about plagiarism (as any internet entrepreneur should be), Copyscape allows you to search for copies of your webpages on the internet. The basic search is free, or you can pay to subscribe and access more in-depth protection. You'll also find information on dealing with plagiarism on the site.

Third Party Sites

Below are third party sites (good and not-so-good) I have used for my own craft business. Please also see my article Online Craft Sales, which compares selling crafts on third party sites vs. selling crafts on your own site.

Etsy
Etsy has very reasonable listing fees, and the focus of the site is handmade items, so anyone visiting Etsy is specifically looking for something that is handmade. See also my article on selling crafts online at Etsy

eBay
I have not sold handmade items on eBay; I have sold craft supplies on eBay (items from my stash that I know I won't use). However, I did do a lot of research to determine whether I would try selling my handmade jewelry on this site. While there are some people who appear to have success selling handmade items on eBay, my own feeling about it is that profit margins are so low here (because customers' price expectations are low and competition among sellers is high), you need to sell in large volumes to make a profit here - not something you can easily do when your items are handmade.

Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane has a section for selling artisan jewelry. After selling my jewelry on Ruby Lane for a short time, I came away with mixed feelings. I like the fact that it is a high end site with rules in place to prevent sellers from underpricing items. In my opinion, the monthly fees are quite high, and you really need to pay additional fees to get your items to the front page of their search results (which is not clear until after you sign up for your store).

Free eBooks

Make Your Price Sell: make-your-price-sell.craftabetterbusiness.com
Helpful information on pricing products. This book is not specifically written from pricing handmade items, but the information in it can easily be applied to a craft business

Make Your Site Sell: make-your-site-sell.craftabetterbusiness.com
In-depth information on building a successful online business and becoming and internet entrepreneur. Again, ths information is not specifically written for building an online craft business, but the information can be applied to this type of business.