| Earlier today I spoke with a friend who sells web | | | | NO. Is it as glossy and shiny as the $13,000.00 |
| hosting and design services. Take a guess at the | | | | website? -- NO. Might they want to upgrade to |
| MINIMUM price for her company to set up a | | | | something slicker in the future? -- Maybe. But in the |
| website?...SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. | | | | meantime, the $10.00 website will get them started |
| Seriously...$6,000.00. | | | | (and that doesn't mean it has to look like a 5th |
| | | | | grader designed their site). |
| Now please tell me, how many "solo-entrepreneurs" | | | | |
| or "mom and pop" stores or even just small | | | | It's critical to always remember that you don't need |
| businesses in general can realistically spend $6,000.00 | | | | to pay for features, benefits, bells or whistles that |
| just to get a website up (remember, this just gets | | | | you don't need. If it is crucial for you to get across |
| the site up...you still have to figure out how to get | | | | the river to get food, then what you really need is a |
| people to actually VISIT the website). | | | | raft. A boat would be great, but a raft will do. |
| | | | | You don't need a space shuttle or a cargo plane. |
| Oddly enough, later this afternoon I spoke with a | | | | Are cargo planes and space shuttle more glamorous |
| client who told me that they contacted someone | | | | and exciting than rafts? Yes, of course. As a small |
| from their networking group who quoted $13,000.00 | | | | business owner, we often get pressured into buying |
| as their minimum set-up fee for website design and | | | | something that is more than we need for our |
| hosting. We talked for a few minutes about their | | | | business (or our budget). Don't feel as though you |
| business and it was quickly obvious that they did | | | | have to abandon your goals of building your online |
| NOT need a $13,000.00 website. This is a new | | | | presence or aggressively marketing your |
| business, not internet based and frankly, they have | | | | business...just find reasonable and affordable ways to |
| little cash flow right now. We talked about how | | | | get what you want! There ARE solutions that let |
| they could get a professional-looking website up and | | | | you effectively market and manage your business on |
| running today for about $10.00. | | | | a budget so you can watch your profits and your |
| | | | | customer base grow. |
| Is it as customized as the $13,000.00 website? -- | | | | |