Getting Started with Electronic Commerce

Friday January 30th, 2004

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Summary: In order to get started with Internet Commerce, you need to develop a business plan. You also need to perform a number of assessments to gauge your readiness to enter the world of on-line commerce. You will also need to examine a wide variety of electronic commerce services, vendors, and other resources.

Business Planning for Electronic Commerce

The business plan is your primary document for developing a new business, whether it is a completely new enterprise or just an offshoot of an exiting firm. The business plan defines:

	What the business is (the description)
	How it will be promoted (the marketing plan)
	How it will be financed (the finance plan), and
	How it will be operated (the management plan)

In addition to the above, the business plan should also include an executive summary, supporting documentation, and financial projections. In addition, you should have a highly-visual version of the plan available with which to make oral presentations. The Online Business Development Center has an entire section devoted to Business Planning and software which will assist you in producing a professional plan. Assessments

Are you ready to enter Internet Commerce?

How do you know if a business host can support your requirements?

What skills are required to develop and operate a successful web-based business site?

The three forms in this section of the site will help you discover the answers to those questions. Just print each of them and use the assessments and checklists as tools to help your endeavor succeed.

E-Commerce Services

In order to operate on the Internet, you need a number of special services and products. Business Hosts and Internet Service Providers supply a home for your business and access to the Internet for you and your customers. In addition to the hosts, there is special software which is used in electronic commerce. Web development software is the basic software which allows you to create web pages.