Welcome to

RISE WEEK 2012

Ready to Ditch the 9-5 Grind?Start an Online Business!

Hosted by Volusion®

Is the 9-5 Grind Not for You? Start Your Own Online Business! Presented by Megan Harron

Megan HarronSales Engineer

Pleased to meet you.

Megan HarronSales Engineer, Volusion

• Ecommerce Software Expert• Helped over 600 entrepreneurs

set up their online stores• Favorite Ecommerce Tool: Auto

Responder emails

volusion.com

volusion.com

• Ecommerce Leader with 35,000+ customers and 250+ employees

• Founded in 1999

• Has 24/7 Austin, Texas based tech support

What is Ecommerce?• Selling products or services through an

online store.

volusion.com

Why is Ecommerce Important?

US Ecommerce projected to be a $279 Billion industry by 2015 (Forrester)

61% of shoppers begin their research for purchases online (Website Magazine)

By 2014, 53% of total retail sales (online and offline) will be affected by the Web (Forrester)

84% of consumers said they were more likely to check online for reviews prior to making a purchase compared to twelve months ago (Retail Bulletin)

$279B

61%

53%

84%

volusion.com

Why Ecommerce?• Costs a lot less than a brick and

mortar business• Software makes it easy for anyone to

build a site• Integrations to credit card

processors• Integrations to shipping carriers• Less time building, more time

marketing and sellingvolusion.com

Today’s Agenda• Products – What will you sell?• Domain Name – What’s in a name?• Ecommerce Software – How do you choose?• Credit Card Processer – How will you get paid?• SSL – How secure is your site?• Legal – Is that allowed?• Accounting – How much do I owe the IRS?• Design – What’s the user experience? • Marketing – Who will see it?• Budget – How much should I spend?• Plan – What’s the plan, Stan?

volusion.com

What will you sell?

• Sell something you are interested in.

• Find a supplier that will store and ship items for you.

• Most Ecommerce software can help you set up Auto Drop Shipping.

volusion.com

What’s in a name?• When selecting a domain name, keep it simple and

easy to read.

Good

www.petplace.com

www.petland.com

Bad

www.bestpetclothingandsupply.com

www.dogcatbirdandhorseshop.com

volusion.com

Ecommerce Software

• Hosted – Information stored on a Server– SAAS (Software As A Service)– Cloud Software

11

• Licensed – Information and Software stored on a Computer

• Pay for updates• Archaic

volusion.com

How do I Choose?Two types of Hosted Ecommerce

SoftwareOpen Source Closed Source

• Server not Included• Server Hosting Included

• Less Support • More Support

• Can Edit the Software• Cannot Edit the Software

• Costs More • Costs Less

• Not as Secure• Security Usually Included (PCI Certification)

• Often Requires a Developer

• Easier to use, no Developer Needed

volusion.com

How do I get paid?

• Use Pay Pal and Google Checkout at a minimum

• Merchant Service – Accept Major Credit Cards

• Get a Business Bank Account

volusion.com

How do I make my site secure?

• SSL Certificates Protect clients’ credit card information as it travels from the online store to the Merchant Account.

Customer’s Credit Card Information travels to the merchant service

Funds Transfer to the store owner’s bank account

volusion.com

Is that Legal?• Consult a lawyer to find out what you

need to do to set up your business.

• LLC

• Copyright

• Privacy Policy

• Terms and Conditions

volusion.com

How Much do I owe the IRS?

• Consult with an Accountant or Accounting Firm to make sure your costs are covered • Sales Tax that you will charge your

shoppers

• Taxes you pay as a self-employed business owner

volusion.com

How will it look?

VS

Focus on great design - How many times have you left a site because it seems unprofessional?

volusion.com

How will people find out about your store?

• What is the point of having a site if no one goes to it?

– SEO – Search Engine Optimization– PPC – Pay Per Click Campaigns– Shopping Feeds– Facebook Advertising

volusion.com

Budget

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Ecommerce Budget

Investment

Marketing

Design

Ecommerce

Perc

en

t of

Bu

dg

et

volusion.com

What’s Next?• Who will build the site?• Where will you get

help?– Are manuals good for you?– Do you work better asking

someone questions?

• How will you ship the products?

• What is your return policy?

volusion.com

Don’t Give Up!• Take your time to do

this right.• Always ask for help• Network

• Tell everyone about your business

• People are more likely to buy from someone they know

• Referrals are huge

volusion.com

Connect with Volusion

facebook.com/volusion

Linkedin.com/companies/volusion

@volusion

Onlinebusiness.volusion.com

Youtube.com/volusion

volusion.com

Thanks for listening. I’m ready for your questions!

Megan HarronSales Engineer