Business Blog About Online Business

Hello!

If you’re new to Inscribd or online business, you’re probably wondering what this website is all about and where to begin.

First, an introduction. My name is Justin and I’m the Editor in Chief of Inscribd. That’s me there …


 
I’m the one on the right messing around. This photo was taken in South Africa around 30 years ago and since then I’ve moved to Australia, put on weight, lost some hair, started a family and managed 3 thriving businesses with a strong online presence.

It hasn’t all been easy and running a business is a steep learning curve.

I’m a qualified Engineer but I didn’t go to business school and was never taught any specific techniques or business models.

My first business got started when I was still in High School. I made websites for family and local businesses. I was only 17 and the Internet was the hot newfangled thing only the kids understood. Luckily for me, I started my online business at the ground level when the Internet was still a baby. My friend Steve and I were one of the first Australian businesses to have an online merchant account with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. During that faithful meeting at the bank’s head office we were told they had only processed a few dozen applications. We had no trouble getting ours approved and set up.

Back then, doing business online was easy. There was far less competition and it was extremely simple for our websites to rank highly in the search engines. Our web design business morphed into a web hosting and server management company that still operates today. We also branched out into audio production for radio stations and telephone on hold. Our other company creates customized products such as wristbands.

The Internet Has Changed Business Forever

Those simple times of doing business online have changed drastically over the past few years and the learning curve is even steeper. Even if you operate a traditional offline business, it is expected that you will still have an online presence. Society expects it. Businesses need to be online whether it’s simply having an email address or a website or an e-commerce store. You’re expected to maintain a social media presence on Facebook or Twitter. For a lot of people, being online is fraught with technicalities beyond their grasp.

Where Inscribd Can Help

Our goal here at inscribd.com is to write informative, sharable, timeless articles that provoke discussion centered around the improvement of team relationships, workplace technology and business economics. Our content is written for you, the entrepreneur, with helpful tips and advice for surviving in the online marketplace.

I have been piecing together a set of guidelines for any business to be successful online in the mature Internet economy. Some may call it a business model, but I prefer not to give it such a prestigious moniker just yet. My goal is to get all the information, techniques, strategies, recommendations and study material into eBook form and offer it to Inscribd readers.

Online Business Bare Bones Essentials

My background as a webhost has placed me in the position of watching new businesses go online. When they come to me, they are already armed with the knowledge that step number 1 is to get a domain name and web hosting. If you are new, you have a couple of options here.

For example, if you want to set up a blog, you could create a site with free hosting such as Blogger or Tumblr. Starting a blog for free is relatively easy and you don’t need to worry about web hosting and domain names but there is a downside when using free services for your business.

Downside Of Free Services

• The domain name will not be customized for your business name and will always include some “extra” part to it that makes it look less professional: eg, http://yourusername.tumblr.com instead of http://www.yourbusinessname.com.
• Most free services do not provide you with customized email addresses such as [email protected]
• Your website address is not portable. Conversely, if you purchase a customized domain name, you can move to any webhost at any time without losing the address.
• You may be limited by the type of content and not allowed to advertise anything.
• Little to no tech support.

I recommend going with a self-hosted website because you have more control, it looks far more professional and you have technical support from your host when you need it.

If you want to host your website on Australian servers, you’re welcome to check out my web hosting business. If you are from anywhere else in the world, I recommend going with BlueHost* to register your domain and host your website. I’ve used and interacted with Bluehost for many years. They’re always very reliable and quick to answer questions through live chat.

Newsletter and Subscribe

You are invited to subscribe to my newsletter, which is full of exclusive content that you won’t find on the site. You can unsubscribe at anytime, but I promise you will not be disappointed.



Now I encourage you to go read and take action. If you have any questions, I do my best to respond to all emails so feel free to contact me.

Thank you so much for your support! Oh, don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and feel free to comment on our articles and share them with your colleagues and friends.

Cheers!



Justin Cohen
Editor in Chief

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