Be READY for business

I know that what I am going to say will step on some toes and offend some.

But this blog is named 'Blunt Business Advice' for a reason.

I have seen several businesses use free hosting and free domain names (i.e. www.freewebs.com/yourbusinessname). This is truly my biggest pet peeve and I think the largest mistake any wahm can do.

I frequently shop online and I try to support other small business/wahms. But I will not shop from a store that does not have it's own domain name, and paid hosting. As a customer I think 'This must be a 'fly by night' company, because it didn't invest in it's own hosting/domain.' I also find banner ads/pop up ads that are frequently on free hosting annoying and very unprofessional. Even if I like a product a business has I will not buy from them.

A customer has to trust online companies more than they do Brick and Mortar stores. We are paying you for a service or product and are willing to wait a few days or weeks for it to arrive. As business owners we need to make sure that there is nothing on our site to compromise that trust.

The biggest excuse I've heard is: "I can't afford a domain name or hosting right now." Would you open up a coffee shop and tell customers, "Sorry, no coffee, we can't afford it right now."? I don't think so!

A domain name and paid hosting is an important part of an online business.

I honestly would rather wait until I could afford a domain name and hosting then risk giving off an unprofessional image to (future)customers.

The truth is it does not cost a lot to have paid hosting and a domain name. I currently host a site with www.doodlebabies.com. Stacey, the owner, is very helpful and always emails me back asap. Hosting with Doodlebabies starts at $3 a month for the Starter package ( includes 50 MB Web Space, 100 MB Transfer, 1 Email Address). I currently use the $7 WAHM business package and have no complaints. The 'doodle cart' - Doodle Babies shopping cart- is a bit expensive ($85 license fee and $10/month for hosting). I can't afford that right now so I am using a different host for my shopping cart.

If you decide to use Doodle Babies and need a cheaper shopping cart there are several options (these options are for every host, not just Doodle Babies):

Use an open-source cart such as OScommerce or Zen Cart. These are free to use but have a HUGE learning curve and are difficult for those with limited techinical knowledge. These are available for download through most hosts.

Use a free shopping cart software such as Mals Ecommerce (mals-e.com) or Pay Pal. These are DIFFERENT than free hosting in that you are given code that you can copy and paste or your site.

I use www.wahmshoppes.com for my shopping cart. The 'Feature Cart' is great and has a ton of features for only $7 a month. Customer service with the owner is not as good as Doodle Babies, but there is a support forum for all the wahmshoppes customers and I've always had my questions answered there in a timely manner. Wahmshopes is also a host (included in the $7 a month fee, but I just use the shopping cart for one site).

As for a domain name, I never pay over $8 for one. I use Godaddy.com (the cheapest and has great customer service). Before I purchase a domain name, I search 'cheap domain names' in yahoo. A Godaddy ad will appear in the 'Sponsored Links' section at the top of the search. Click on this link and you will be able to purchase a domain name for $6.95 a year.

In summary, if you have about $15 (and the $3 or $7/month thereafter) and do your research, you can create a professional image online.