Create Your Own On-line Boutique

Ever thought about starting your own on-line boutique or business?  It’s really not as difficult as you might think.  I did it with no previous experience!  I’m a nurse and mom of three, not a computer person ; )  Here is some basic information to get you started.

 The first step is, of course, deciding what your business will focus on (e.g. a service or product)  and a business name.   Once you’ve decided on these basics, research your state requirements for business owners.  Most states have a website with this information.  For example, information about starting a business in Texas can be found at http://www.texas.gov/en/discover/Pages/topic.aspx?topicid=/business/start.  Click on the Small Business Develepment Center link for step by step instructions on how to start your business. 

Once you’ve gotten all the legal and financial information taken care of, you can focus on your website.  You’ll need to find a host for your site.  There are plenty out there.  Try comparing different hosts to see what is a better fit for you. 

Next you’ll need a website design.  You can either hire a designer or do it yourself.  Most hosts now offer templates that you can just edit to change pictures and text.  These templates require very little technical experience or knowledge and are fairly simple to complete.  The drawback, of course, is not having a customized website.  However, this could be a good starting point, especially if you are trying to keep start up costs low.

These are just basic tips.  Hope that it helps you!