In today’s challenging economy where do budding entrepreneurs look for business ideas and how do they do find success? What is meant by a small business varies widely around the world. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations or partnerships with generally less than 50 employees. But if you are looking for good small business ideas, starting business with 50 employees may seem anything but small!

Good small business ideas are ideally suited to internet marketing because it can easily serve specialized niches, something that would have been more difficult prior to the internet revolution.

It is no secret that there has been a massive shift to people buying products and services online and this continues to grow which is good news for anyone doing business online.

Small businesses do not suffer equally in tough economic times; while some will be hit severely, other small businesses will only experience a slight dip and still others will actually prosper.

It is interesting to note that in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity. The new digital internet economy opens up infinite possibilities of good small business ideas. For some, this means crisis, for others, opportunity.

But how do businesses become a reality online? There are millions and millions of websites all fighting for attention and the only way to survive in the highly competitive online business world is be skilled on how to use it to your full advantage.

New online entrepreneurs need to learn how to set up and earn from their online businesses. To succeed good small business ideas need to have somebody who is willing to learn a new set of skills and be committed to success.

Good small business ideas on the internet

Affiliate marketing is one of the most profitable business ideas on the internet. Quite simply, you promote other people’s products and services and, when somebody buys something that you are promoting, you get paid a commission by the product owner. You do not have to worry about creating a product or service, dealing with the fulfilment or any customer queries.

There are so many different products and service which are available to promote, you are sure to find something that interests you.

ClickBank is a popular online marketplace where you can find products for your business ideas. It boasts a vast selection of ebooks, software and other digital goods, which are products that are downloaded over the internet and where the buyer has instant access. ClickBank contains thousands of products that you are free to promote as a ClickBank affiliate. The vast majority of ClickBank vendors pay a commission of between 50% and 75% on the sale price of their products. To put this into perspective, ClickBank has paid out over $2 billion in commissions in the last 10 years.

It is no secret that we are are currently in the longest depression since the 1920s. Unemployment remains uncomfortably high five years after the financial crisis and many of those in work have had to accept lower pay, part-time work and temporary contracts.

The time has come for many to stop depending or be satisfied with just one income from one job. Entrepreneurs with good small business ideas and who take those ideas to the internet to start generating a new income are ahead of the game. We are at the start of the digital internet revolution and those who take the time to learn the skills and techniques required to succeed online will reap the benefits.

If you tried to think of people involved in product creation, who would come to mind? You may think of Edison, Franklin, or maybe Henry Ford. Would you ever think of yourself as someone who can create a quality product? Product creation is actually relatively easy and product launching is not that tough either! If you follow a few easy to understand steps, you could be starting the product creation and product launching process sooner than you think.

The first step in creating your information product is to know and understand your market. This can be very time-consuming, especially if you are unsure of what to do or where to look to know your market. Studying your niche market and understanding the buzz words and buying patterns can ease the process dramatically. Personally, I would recommend networking with someone who has had success in the niche market you are considering and learn from their results. If they are into product creation and not very business savvy expect some hesitation. If they only sell products and have nothing to do with product launching or product creation you may your first affiliate (sales person)! Something else you can use to find hot trends is with the Google Trends tool.

The second step is the product creation process. Take your niche market and brainstorm ideas and topics relating to it. There are a lot of product launching contests going on recently relating to a newly created internet marketing tool. There are so many aspects to the mentioned niche that literally, and unfortunately, anything can be considered an Internet Marketing tool. The reason that anyone can basically create an Internet Marketing tool is because of something called Private Label Rights products.

What I use private label rights products for, and highly recommend them in this specific manner, is to cure writer’s block especially when it is lingering. Many people base their entire product creation and product launching on a private label rights product. This is where you can start to shine and build a strong brand for yourself. If you set goals for yourself, short-term goals to be exact, you can see your product creation come into being much faster and there is a good chance with less revision needed. If you keep hitting time restraint road blocks; however there is nothing wrong with a slow and steady approach, you can consider outsourcing portions of your project. Outsourcing can be an extremely huge benefit or just as great of a disaster.

You can find someone to outsource work to at a freelance site such as Guru.com or eLance.com. When reviewing proposals it is almost mandatory you perform a background check on them as you are in essence hiring them. Doing a background check on freelancers is as easy as asking for samples of their work and reviewing feedback on the freelance site from previous customers. Depending on the size and requirements of your project this can add up to a decent sized investment, so caution is very important. One tip I always recommend to people looking to hire an individual is to ask them what they can provide you that no one else can. This simple question gives them a chance to “toot their own horn” and acknowledge where they feel most competent as far as their skill set.

The final portion of the product creation and product launching formula is the launch. This can literally make or break the effort, time, and maybe (if you invested) money you put in to your project. There are numerous aspects to product launching and although their relevance is debated in terms to their effect, experts agree all must be followed. The person in your field who you asked for product advice from can help you substantially if you have kept in touch. If not, the first thing you need to do is to create a visually appealing website with flawless design work.

I also mentioned outsourcing before, this is one aspect of product launching I have little strength in and I always outsource this portion. The website does not have to be large however the content (ad copy in Internet Marketing) must be stellar and as perfect as possible. This is where advertising knowledge or experience is beneficial. When the site is set up you now put a lead capture form on your website.

I put two lead capture pages on all products I create on the internet and is one of the best methods of getting a solid start when you are in the product launching stage. When you gain information from a prospect or someone looking to get paid for referring sales you are able to provide them updates or specials. Many people abuse their prospect or affiliate lists by in turn emailing them with a new product daily and I find the recommendations to be totally unrelated to their original need, problem, or interest.

Another stage in the product launching stage is creating a free report or demo version of your product to entice the product to sign up to your email list. Using proper follow up with this can help generate numerous sales for you. One thing you need to ensure is that your free product completely relates to your main product that you are looking to sell.

You are now ready to advertise your product launching to customers as well as the opportunity to sell for affiliates. This is the single aspect that many product creations and launches fail on. It is actually not entirely difficult. One thing you can do is write articles (and a good amount of them) on topics relating to your product. I am a huge advocate of giving a solution in forums. When you join a forum you are normally offered the opportunity to create a signature. In your signature, you should enter the link to your opt-in or lead capture page. When you respond to posts, you are advertising your opportunity.

It is not impossible to create a product and it does not have to take a long time. You need to setup a plan and stick to it. If you get stuck, look at similar and successful products to your own and try and see how they did it. When you sit down and brainstorm you will be surprised with what you can imagine.