Infopreneur: The "No Risk" Web Entrepreneur
Author: Claude Jollet

You may be one of a growing multitude seriously thinking of
starting a small business. You would like to strike out on your
own, but you hesitate to take the plunge. You may not know where
to begin and – most likely – you have nothing to sell ... or so
you think! Become an "infopreneur" then!

Share What You Know

An "infopreneur" is a pure information provider. You know ...
the stuff everybody, and I do mean everybody, is looking for on
the Web. Millions of Web surfers hit the Net every day looking
for an answer to a question, a piece of information to fill a
gap in knowledge, or a solution to a nagging problem that needs
to be solved.

We are in the "information Age"!

So. There you are. When you want to start a business, you
should start by offering something everybody wants because they
need it.

Give It To Them

Why not offer information then? Give them what they want. But
what information, you may ask? Oh! That's an easy one, so I'll
answer it right away.

You offer what you know! That's right, your knowledge and
know-how. Surely, you have mastered something that you love
doing ... and can't stop talking about.

That's what you offer your Web visitors. Yes, you need a Web
site to start a business on the Web. That's the easy part! The
hard part is identifying what you should be sharing with
people. You already know what it is. You just have not yet
recognized how valuable it is to others.

Sell Nothing ... But Visibility!

If you limit yourself to giving away helpful information ...
how can your earn an income? You're not selling anything? I
guess I owe you an explanation here.

People are curious or in need of helpful information. They will
usually find your Web site by using keywords and a search
engine. They read what you have to say. When you speak (write)
enthusiastically about your favorite subject, you immediatly
communicate your enthusiasm. Your enthusiasm is catchy. The
information you are parting with is useful, helpful. You make
sure of that.

With time, as you offer even more helpful information on your
Web site, a growing number of people will visit your site. That
is called "traffic".

In other words, you give away information. It attracts people.
You help them solve a problem, or fill a need for information.
Once you have a steady flow of traffic flocking to your Web
site ... you sell the traffic! That is, you sell the high
visibility an advertiser will enjoy by advertising on your Web
site. The more traffic goes through your Web site, the more
your advertiser will be likely to get the "click" and a sale.

You give people what they are looking for. You give your
advertisers the quality traffic they want. You also get what
you want, because you can profit from that same traffic,
through add revenue and affiliation commissions.

Your Cost Will Be Time

You will have noticed that it will take "a certain amount of
time" before you build up the kind of traffic that will attract
advertisers, or that will enable you to sell someone else's
product as an affiliate. That time will be your "major" cost of
doing business.

I know, I hear you! What about the Web hosting and the site
building. Heh! That is only going to cost you about one dollar
per day! Yup! A buck a day. No kidding, that's what I pay to
have my Web site up and running.

The rest of the costs is almost all "my time". I run my Web
business on less than one thousand USD per year! Honest!

Next To No Operating Costs

I get away with it because I am an "infopreneur"! I give away
my know-how as a business planning adviser ... and I sell
others' products and services, as an affiliate. By helping
people plan their Web business, I attract an ever growing flow
of traffic to my Web site.

My visitors get what they want. I make sure of that! I monetize
the traffic that I attract with my Web site content. Therefore,
I get what I want. It's the give and take of sound business. It
must be a "win-win" proposition, otherwise it cannot work.

"Infopreneurs" mostly risk their time. No significant
investment, no inventory, near negligible operating costs. With
proper planning and guidance, they reduce the risk of doing
business to ... next to nothing!

I do business, and run negligeable risks, as an "infopreneur".


About The Author: Claude Jollet is a former planning advisor to
major industrial and commercial clients. He specialized in
weather related operational planning issues. He holds a B.Sc.A.
specializing in business process analysis and automation. He now
devotes himself to the promotion of entrepreneurship on
http://www.top-web-entrepreneurs-plan-it.com