Online Business Ingenuity: Ingenuity means capacity for invention or construction. This blog then is about the clever resourcefulness of using what the Internet has to offer for the invention, construction or growth of an online business. It is aimed at those interested in Building Online Businesses, Internet Marketing, Selling Online and Personal Development required to be successful Online.
You will find:
- A collection of useful articles for entrepreneurs, business builders and internet marketers. These articles are aimed at showing you how I started my own online business, what steps I took, what I would repeat and what I would avoid in order for you to be able to build your business online successfully.
- Reviews on Internet Marketing courses I studied, what ‘gurus’ I studied, what books I read and courses I attended. I have highlighted those that made a difference to me, which ones helped me, confused me, wasted my money etc.
- Fresh content is added regularly with current hot topics, updates on my business ventures, news and information from the Internet world. The main aim and focus of the content is to help newbies or budding entrepreneurs understand why so many people fail and how they can prevent failure.
Who Is Kerry-Ann Edge?
Hi, I’m Kerry-Ann and I’m the writer and entrepreneur behind Online Business Ingenuity.
After receiving my BA Hons Graphic Design degree I had the privilege of working as a graphic designer, (cum everything design from brochures to video productions) for non-profit organisations for 4 years. This was a wonderful time of learning business skill, money management, marketing and a wide range of technical skills.
When we moved to New Zealand January of 2006 I decided to start my own Web Design Business. I quickly learnt that there was more to saying ‘web designer for hire’ and enrolled on courses at the Business Centre to learn the ropes. The things that were drummed into me:
- Have a very clear plan of what you are doing, how you are going to do it and the results you are expecting.
- Have a clear financial plan – how much do you have, how much it will cost to acquire a new client, how much will maintenance be, expenses cost etc. all need to be included. It is quite an eye opener working out profit made when including client acquisition. (It also highlighted that my first business model would make a loss!)
- Outsource! I am a business owner and need to work on my business not in my business. How can I work on my business when I am the manager, project director, developer, communications officer, public relations officer, marketing specialist, sales personnel and accountant? Outsource – what I don’t have to do, or what I can pay others to do which works out cheaper than my time, then give it to someone else to do!
- It is not about ME it is ALL about YOU! If I heard this once I heard it a million times. It is about the audience, it is about your client, it is about your target group, it is about your niche market. This became the single biggest driving factor in the changes I made to my business and the direction I have taken within my business.
Business Evolution
It was so exciting when I got my first ‘real’ client. Without knowing it, he became the second biggest driving factor in the changes I made to my business. I realised that building a website was great. However, more important was having that website found and generating business. As I started meeting more business owners I found that sadly websites were built with no marketing plan.
I made it my mission to have a solid marketing plan before I would build a website. As a result I did lose a few prospective clients. However, I wanted to the satisfaction of knowing what I had put in place for the business actually worked – it added to them and contributed to business.
After years of building my business and going through the various phases and changes from being a pure web designer, to building marketing plans, to being an Internet marketing consultant and then moving into the Social Media realm I realised that I had done all these things for others, spent all my time getting their systems to work, but had never done it for myself.
So once more I have changed my focus to the building of businesses online from scratch. That is starting with no product, no niche market, no database, no list and working out how I can build a business that is profitable. In theory I use the same principles and techniques that I have used for clients. However, most clients already have a business vision, or a business idea. They at least have something to work with.
I wanted to start at the very beginning before the idea is birthed and find out how I could start with nothing and build something profitable. Either profitable enough to sell or to keep as an income earner. Also this falls into my long term goal of being totally location independent.
And that is how this blog was birthed – it is a record of what I am doing, how I am doing it and the results I have achieved (or have not achieved as in some cases). It is a chronicle of my journey as I journey towards making my goals a reality and doubling or tripling my income.
Join me on my journey and learn from what I did so that your journey will be easier and shorter. All my blog content is completely free and available 24/7.
I would love to hear from you about what successes or lessons you have had.
Photos of me in various places round the world:
