I’m writing this post from the sunny Gold Coast – I’ve got views to the beach on one side and views to the shopping Mecca Pacific Fair on the other.

Their proximity has highlighted how important it is to be productive while you’re working away from your usual location. It’s all business – no busyness! If you want to enjoy your location, you get your work done promptly!!

We’re down here for a holiday break but I’m using it to live out a little location independent experiment.

I’ve always dreamed of being able to work from anywhere in the world.

Most recently, my dream found form in creating a business that consumed my passion and was driven by a desire to make a difference to people so they can change their world for the better. This business is being built on a model of processes and automation.

While this year I’ve had success with consulting – one on one and groups – the face to face nature of the model wasn’t helping me reach my goals.

Also, while consulting is great – it didn’t fulfil the passion side of my dream equation. However – if there’s anything I’ve learned this year is that patience is golden and allows you time to figure out what you want among other things.

While I will continue consulting – I’m looking at a more effective way to deliver my knowledge and experience to those who need it. But that’s another story.

I acquired the domain womeninbusiness.com.au late last year. Every time I thought about it I’d lose concentration from excitement.

I knew this was going to help me achieve my dream.

So here I am – the Women in Business website is up but still in development – getting ready for its official launch in a couple of weeks.

I’ve had a taste of managing the business while I’ve been away and it’s worked like a dream (oh <- that’s appropriate!)

I’ve spent roughly 4 hours a day working on the business – 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Posting to the blog, handling enquiries, approving comments, managing the LinkedIn group and building features behind the scenes.

There are a couple of process I can see need to be refined but overall, if I could live my life like this I’d be one happy woman (in business).

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When I interviewed James Tuckerman I was so impressed with what he said that I’ve been keeping an eye on his opinions ever since.

This is probably the best summary I’ve seen yet about where media is heading and how individuals can take advantage of it.

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Chris Guillebeau and the Art of Non-Conformity

Chris is a writer and traveller – his blog is a place for people living their life according to what’s important to them.

The blog chronicles his journey to achieving a big goal – to travel to every country in the world before he turns 35.

Chris also offers practical advice and encouragement for anyone who isn’t content with a 9-5 existence.

His two free eBooks are well worth the read – A Brief Guide to World Domination and 279 Days to Overnight Success.

Gwen Bell

Gwen Bell writes about social media, creativity and entrepreneurship in a fresh, accessible way.

She’s a partner at Kirtsy, a brand enthusiast for Nintendo and owns a yoga studio in Yokohama, Japan.

Gwen always has interesting thing to say – visit her blog here or follow her on Twitter here.

I’d love to know who’s inspiring you right now? Any people that you regularly listen to or follow? Please share them below and spread their goodness around!

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It blew me away. I felt like I was watching an historical moment and it gave me goose bumps (I’m a nerd like that.)

I knew I wanted to be a part of it so I signed up to Twitter.

At first it was entertaining and exciting to connect with people around the world while sitting at my desk in Brisbane, Australia.

Pretty soon though – it became an everyday utility.

I’d wake up and instead of going to a news site, I’d open up my Twitter stream with 100% confidence that I’d get everything I need to know about the state of the world and news about my industry – filtered through my trusted network of global citizens.

My use of search engines has dropped dramatically – there’s nothing like the instant response from a group of trusted people.

The amount of information available is growing exponentially.

Image Credit: yskafotografie2007

People need filters to sort the noise from the sound.

We used to turn to search engines because they were the tools that organised the information into searchable content. That was the best we had – but now we have social networks.

The people in our social networks have become our information filters – information DJ’s.

We’ve added them to our network because we share common interests, or are thought leaders in our industry. They distill the information they find online and through their own networks and distribute what they deem worthy or useful.

Just as we depend on them for news, useful content and inspiration – other people in your network are depending on you.

What do you think? How much do you depend on your network to filter the information you see online every day?

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Ideas that spread win.

Free ideas spread better then paid ideas.

The way you monetize it is by selling souvenirs.

If you haven’t got time to watch the whole thing – the good stuff starts around 15 mins in.

Key points

• Give people an incentive to talk about your idea – you do this – I’ll do that.
• Permission is the asset you should be working to create online – through blog readers, email list, followers, fans – anything opt-in.
• Don’t find readers for your words – create words for your readers.
• Make people care about you – by giving them what they want.

Links mentioned

• http://www.permission.com
• http://www.ideavirus.com
• http://www.bigredfez.com
• http://www.zoometry.com

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If you haven’t heard of him yet – Gary Vaynerchuk took over his family business and grew it into a 60 million dollar business. He leverages social media tools like Twitter and Facebook to promote his daily video blog about wine and has become a leader in personal branding and using the internet for business growth. Read more.

The business

The concept of the website is simple – it sells a selected bottle of wine per night with a free shipping incentive for purchases of three bottle or more.

Let’s take a closer look

The website uses social media to interact with its customers and helps its customers interact with their own networks.

• Includes user generated content in the form of “comments”
• Shows proof of low pricing via text and link to a popular wine shopping search engine
• Includes several ways for visitors to tell their friends about the site
• Surprisingly doesn’t have a link to the Cinderella Wine Twitter account (@cinderellawine)

Content and Design

The website features a professional, clean design with an obvious call to action.

All content and design support this action – to purchase the bottle of wine that is offered.

Proof of the offers value is displayed clearly with supporting evidence including a link to a popular wine shopping search engine.

Content Distribution

Content sharing buttons are located in prime position, encouraging the visitors to share the deal with their network.

There are links to popular social networking sites in addition to a complementary niche network that the audience may be familiar with.

This allows the content to be shared within the visitors network and within a niche network of wine lovers.

Visitor Interaction

The majority of space on the page is taken up with the primary purpose of the website – to sell one bottle of wine multiple times.

All other real estate on the page is devoted to social media – encouraging contribution, conversation and community building. The user generated content also provides social evidence and proof to purchase.

We’ve got discussions about the upcoming wine submitted by visitors and we’ve got reviews from other wine websites.

The approach is ‘don’t take my word for it – here’s what other people are saying’ and is very effective in social media.

What you can use in your own website

Cinderella Wine is a good example of using social media within a business website and giving your audience the tools to take your offer from your home base (your website) and spread it to individuals networks using distribution tools.

The Tweetmeme button, Facebook button and email sharing buttons are all free for you to add into your own website.

What are the niche networks within your industry? Where do the people who are passionate about what you offer spend their time online? Find those places and make sure you give your audience the tools to share your content.

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The year was 2001. I’d just studied for three years at Uni (QUT) in a course that was ultra new and focused on new media design – namely, designing communication for the internet.

So I go for my job interview – very excited to be interviewing with an online agency considering the .com bubble had just burst and I’d spent the last 5 months looking for a job. Happily – I landed the job as an SEO specialist.

Of course, at the time I didn’t have a clue what an SEO was but I had the web development and project management skills from Uni and it got me through.

Learning SEO

For three and a half years I worked on strategies to drive free targeted traffic from search engines to our client’s casino and poker sites. Google was the new kid on the block and WebmasterWorld was my new best friend.

I got thrown in the deep end (with a budget of $0) and I learned to swim.

I became pretty good at this SEO thing and pretty over the idea that I was helping people lose their money/savings/retirement funds on gambling from home in their PJ’s.

So I left and got another job.

Trying to earn money doing something I didn’t like

Even though I had some problems with promoting gambling as my full time job I’ve always been into leveraging and find making money a bit of a game (hobby/experiment dare I say passion.)

I thought – hey, I should set up some casino affiliate sites, write about Texas Holdem and Bingo, SEO it up and earn myself some money.

I bought a few domains, started writing my content and I got bored. I was enticed by the idea of cashing in on my SEO experience, casino content writing ability but I was absolutely, 100% over it.

Which brings me to my point and where I am now.

You have to do what you love

I’ve just steered my blog in the direction of “Good Business Online”.

Since I decided to start my own business I’ve discovered a passion for launching online businesses that make me feel good and help me to live my life according to what’s important to me.

I can tell you now – writing about that is SO MUCH EASIER and getting up and seeing what comes back from what I’ve put out there thrills me to bits.

If you start doing what you love and turning it into content – on this low barrier to entry, don’t need a dollar to setup platform that is the internet – I bet you’ll be happier and in a better position to diversify your income with a bit of online revenue (if you’re not doing it full time).

You spend too much time in your life working to NOT spend time thinking about what’s important to you – then going after it. Online business is one way to get there.

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Let’s assume you’ve got a product to sell. You might have a physical shop – or not. You don’t need a shopfront to sell a psychical product through your website. You will need a good dose of customer service attitude.

Here’s what you’ll need

1. A domain name
2. Website hosting and an email address
3. A website with eCommerce functionality

1. A domain name

Your domain name is your unique website address. For example, if you want to visit Google you go to www.google.com.au. The google.com.au part is their domain name.

You will need to register a domain name with an accredited domain registrar. You can search through Google to find one (stick to the first couple of pages of results). Melbourne IT and Net Registry are a few of the big ones. It can cost from around $40 for 2 years to register, it does pay to shop around for specials though.

When you register your domain make sure you file the details (including username and passwords) for easy access later. You may have to give these details to your website designer/developer later.

Tips

• Register a .com.au domain name if you’re selling to an Australian audience
• Register a .com if you’re selling to an international audience
• Ensure your domain name is easy to spell and communicates the message of what your eCommerce website is about

2. Website hosting and an email address

Just like you need a domain so that people can find your website, you need hosting so that your website is viewable on the Internet.

Likewise, if you want to create email addresses using your domain name – i.e. hello@clarelancaster.com.au you will need hosting.

Most domain registrars will offer hosting plans, unless you have a specific host in mind I recommend also purchasing hosting through the same company that you register your domain with.

If you decide to purchase hosting separately search Google for “website hosting package” or ask around to find reputable website host. Most website hosting companies will offer different levels of service or packages.

Generally, if you’re a small business I recommend starting off with the smallest/cheapest package unless you’re looking to use lots of rich media on your website (i.e. video) or attract lots of visitors very quickly then you may need a more robust package.

Otherwise, you can usually start small and upgrade later if you need it (always check with your host though).

Hosting pricing can start from as little as $12.95 per month.

When you purchase hosting, make sure you file the details with your domain name files. You will need them later.

3. A website with eCommerce functionality

There are a couple of ways that you can setup your website to sell products online.

You can choose a solution where all transactions occur within your website – from browsing through to purchasing.

Or you can choose a solution where the purchase transaction is handled by a third party.

Before we get into that let’s break down exactly what your eCommerce website will need to work.

• A catalogue of products
• Individual product details
• Shopping cart
• Payment processing

A catalogue of products

A catalogue of products will group your products into logical groups for your customers to browse through. For example, if you sell dive equipment you would group your products into wetsuits, fins, snorkels, masks etc.

Individual product details

It’s incredibly important to provide as much detail about your products as possible.

High quality photography showing the product from as many angles as possible, close up images showing any important details, thorough descriptions, dimensions, weight, price are all vital.

Consider giving customers the chance to review products or add comments about products. Doing this can help you increase your social proof and encourage trust from new customers.

What’s the point of all this detail? If a customer has never purchased from you before you have a number of barriers to making a sale. Providing all the information they need and anticipating any questions or concerns they may have will help remove these barriers.

Shopping cart

Your shopping cart provides the functionality for customers to add products to an order, checkout and complete the transaction.

Payment processing

As I mentioned earlier there are a couple of way to handle the payment processing.

The first example I’ll take you through is when the customer completes the transaction without leaving your website. This is known as a seamless payment solution.

When your customer initiates checkout – the process of completing their order – they need to purchase the products. To do this you need to have a payment gateway enabled.

There are two steps involved with setting up your payment gateway.

1. You need a merchant account from a major bank
2. You need a payment gateway to securely handle the transaction and connect with your shopping cart

Some popular payment gateway providers are eWay or Securepay.

Alternative payment processing solution

If you don’t want the costs involved with seamless processing (e.g. higher Merchant account fees) you can choose to go with a third party provider like PayPal.

PayPal offer shopping carts and payment processing for a fee on each transaction. This option is worth considering if you are just starting out, testing the waters and don’t want to commit to a full development just yet.

Read more info about their business services.

eCommerce Best Practices

• Keep your website design as uncomplicated as possible – the purpose of your website is to showcase your products and encourage your customers to purchase
• Make your “Add to cart” button unmissable and use a contrasting colour to the rest of your design to help it stand out
• Always use “breadcrumbs” to help the customer identify where they are on the site
• Keep your checkout process as brief as possible
• Write a list of frequently asked questions and answers and have them accessible to your shoppers on every page throughout the website
• Be upfront about delivery costs, product inventory, shipping expectations

What are your experiences setting up an eCommerce website? Thinking of setting up shop but still not sure? Leave your questions and comments below.

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Kay Lam-Beattie was a godsend who appeared when I was looking to consult with a Lawyer about the legal requirements for my first online business – womeninbusiness.com.au

I wanted to talk to someone who would understand what I needed and advise me about what was required legally, while talking my language when it came to technology and doing business online.

Kay’s business website Idealaw outlined her credentials (Law & IT qualified) and convinced me this was the woman I needed to talk to.

Kay works with a variety of online businesses and here she shares with us some seasoned advice when it comes to your business online and legal requirements.

Q) What are the most common legal mistakes new website owners make?

A) People building a new website or online business are usually excited, and they have a vision that they want to create.  But they tend to gloss over boring details like having clear agreements in place with their web designers, image providers, graphic artists, copywriters and service providers etc

The agreements  should deal with intellectual property ownership/licensing.For example, a few weeks ago a couple came to me with a letter of demand from a stock images company.  Their web designer had ‘borrowed’ a few images from a stock photo site, believing that it okay because it was ‘royalty-free’. The stock images company tracked them down and were demanding thousands.

These agreements should also set out the scope of the work, the costs, timeframes and technical specifications etc of the website.

I’ve seen websites fail before they even go live because the business owner has an informal agreement with the web designer, then they have a falling out,  leaving nothing but disputes, bills, and useless half finished code.  And of course, no one really knows who actually owns the code either.

Q) What advice would you give for new online business owners regarding getting their legals in order? What will they need? When should they seek advice?

A) Every startup has a long shopping list of things to do, and usually a tiny tiny budget to do it all with!  So it is a matter of prioritising.

Some businesses are simply higher risk than others – if your proposed website has gambling, has stock tips, financial advice or P2P file sharing – then you are in an extremely high risk category and good, robust legal advice is a must, and if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford to be in that business.

But even for small and less risky start ups, it’s a good idea to find a lawyer who can work with you (and your budget) before you sink substantial funds into the business, or sign any major agreements.

You certainly don’t have to do it all at once, but most start-ups should be looking at:

• basic structuring to minimise risk, minimise tax, and give asset protection, allows you to build more later
• intellectual property advice – identifying, owning and licensing – so you don’t accidentally give away or compromise your IP
• agreements between owners of the business
• other internal agreements such as employment agreements
• external agreements with contractors, clients and suppliers etc – including website legals
• financing – loans, venture capital etc

Remember that while it’s tempting to just ‘make do’ and delay setting things up properly,  the longer you leave it, the harder and more expensive it’ll be to change over to a new model or structure later.

Q) Is it important for businesses to consult with a lawyer who specialising in online requirements? Why?

Any good general commercial lawyer will be able to help set up a business with some basic tools.  But it’s important to find someone who understands your website and the technology behind it.  Someone that you feel comfortable communicating with.

Don’t be nervous about asking your lawyer what kind of experience they’ve had  with online businesses like yours.  Especially if this is your first online business, having a lawyer who has ‘seen it all before’ means that they can also help you with parts of your business model you might be struggling with.

For example, I was recently asked to write the website legals for a business that sold ornaments online.

Customers ordered and paid  through the website, and an independent supplier shipped the goods directly to the customer.

I was able to help her refine her business model, identify risk areas, protect her payments, and  liaise with her web-designer to check where and how the terms appeared on the site.  And talk her out of offering a 30 day no questions asked returns policy – because her suppliers would reject returns unless goods were actually faulty, and then she’d have to pay the supplier’s bill, the courier’s bill AND refund the customer.

Q) Are there common legal requirements that every website should meet? Do they differ depending on what you’re offering?

An online business is first and foremost a business – just interacting with customers online rather than through a physical shopfront.  So the website needs to comply with the same local laws and industry specific regulations as physical businesses – and maybe the local laws where the customers are, too.

Websites should try to comply with best practices – being quite clear about who they are, supplying an ABN, plus issues like privacy, payments, refunds and so on.

Many online payment facilities now require you to have certain website legals in place before you can process payments through their systems.

Q) Say I’m a physical business and I want to set up a website to sell my products, what legalities do I need to consider?

The basic transaction is the same (customer gives you money, you give the customer the product).

But think about the extra steps and issues when selling online:

• Local laws that might apply to your customers
• Export laws for overseas customers
• Technical errors – eg wrong descriptions or prices on the site
• Payments, rejected payments, exchange rates
• Cancellations or changes to orders
• Delivery, delayed delivery, damage or loss in transit, wrong address supplied
• Returns policy – change of mind, goods that are defective, inferior, mistaken, wrong quantity etc
• Privacy policy – what you can use the customer’s information for
• How you’re going to communicate or interact with the customer
• Limitation of liability
• Website usage rules – eg whether customers can post comments or reviews or ratings on the site, and whether you can edit them

Not all of these issues will apply to every physical business setting up an online presence of course.  It will depend on the nature of the business.

Visit Idealaw to learn more about Kay Lam-Beattie and online business legal requirements.

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I visited one of my favourite sites this morning – Dooce.

If you don’t know about Dooce yet her story begins with getting fired from her job in 2002 for blogging about her workplace.

I’m browsing through the site and I notice a new button on her menu bar called “Hate”.

I’m intrigued. I know that a lot of people disagree with her honesty about family life etc.

The navigation button called “Hate” is alluring – it makes you want to click on it – what’s Hate? Is it going to outline a procedure for letting her know you hate what she wrote? Is it going to be a sad story of how the hate ruins her day?

No, turns out it’s a clever way to turn a negative into a positive – literally.

Dooce has published her hate mail on a page filled with advertising.

Sure, some people might click back. But if you like Dooce and what she does then you’re probably going to give her a break and click on an ad.

I know I did.

Would love to know conversion rate on that page!

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