Some of my sports obsessed friends got together and decided to start a sports picking business as a side income.
They had a common problem many people have: they had no idea where to start. I decided it would be interesting to document their progress as they develop their business:
So these guys know their sports, but not much about how to create a small web business. They started mapping out how to sell their picks, but were stumped when it came to actually implementing the page on the internet.
I helped them setup a website on my server, showed them how to use the basic functions of Macromedia Dreamweaver, insert PayPal payment buttons and how to buy and modify a webpage template from TemplateMonster.com.
Here is what they came up with: ParlaysAndPicks.com
Now this site looks pretty amateur and unprofessional. HOWEVER…..at least they got an actual working site up and running, more than what 90% of people will accomplish. Another surprising fact is they actually get orders and make money after less than a month in business. Their only “Product” is their sports picks which they send by email. Therefore there is no real overhead for their business. They can have 5 customers or 5,000 and have almost the same overhead costs.
They tried advertising with Google Adwords, but Google wouldn’t accept their ad because their site was considered a “Gambling” site. However, Yahoo allowed them to advertise, and they spent several hundred dollars getting traffic to the site through Yahoo. In return, they made more than double their investment back in just a month.
They have already proven they can make money with their micro business, now the goal is to make more. The next step is hiring a web designer to “clean up” the site and make it more professional.
I get questions everyday concerning how to start a small online business, so I think this will shed even more insight on the subject. I’ll continue to document their progress.