The U.S. needs more startups to stay competitive, a Federal Reserve official said Thursday.
Dennis Lockhart, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, spoke at the Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in Washington and had this to say, “If we want to grow jobs, one place we should look is to startups and young businesses, especially scalable-growth businesses that often set out to commercialize innovation,”
He noted that research shows that with regard to job creation, its new businesses that make the most difference in creating jobs. He cited a 2010 Kauffman Foundation study showing that just one percent of employer businesses–those growing the fastest–generate roughly 40 percent of new jobs in a given year. Three-quarters of those businesses are less than five years old.
Finally a government official saying something I agree with! The key to our economic recovery lies in the hands of entrepreneurs. Not big companies!
But if you want to help the economy and your bank account what businesses are best to start-up? Here’s a list of the top seven internet businesses set to soar in 2012.
1. E-commerce
E-commerce simply refers to online businesses that sell a product or service. When deciding what product or service to sell keep in mind the best sellers are always the ones that solve customers’ problems. Hair ties solve bad hair days. Fishing lures solve the lack of catching fish.
Can’t think of a product to sell? No problem, join an affiliate program. Affiliates are entrepreneurs who make commissions every time they make a sale of another company’s product/service. Most affiliate programs offer commissions of 50 percent or higher! It’s a great way for new businesses to make some easy cash before they get their own products up and running.
As an added bonus most affiliate programs are free to join. Once you sign up you get your own affiliate code to track how many units you are selling. As an affiliate you don’t have to deal with answering customer questions or billing issues. You just sit back and collect a check each time a sale is made.
2. Information Marketing
This type of internet business doesn’t sell products or services, it only sells information. If you are pretty well versed about a particular topic then this is the type of business you should start. Write manuals and how to guides for customers to buy about anything related to your niche. This is a great business because your product development costs are virtually zero. You never have to pay for packaging or shipping because all of your information can be sent electronically.
3. Cater to Baby-boomers
The biggest demographic group in the United States is baby-boomers. They also currently have the biggest purchasing power of any age group as well. So it makes sense to start a business that targets them and their needs.
These aging Americans will do just about anything to hold onto their youth. They are particularly interested in beauty treatments, nutrition and pain relief. Look for products like anti-aging, joint pain relievers and supplements to capture these boomers retirement dollars. The best part is these types of products don’t have to have FDA approval which cuts through a lot of the governmental red tape.
4. Consultants
A lot of times people are too scared to become internet business owners because they don’t think they have anything that anyone wants. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. All of us have acquired skills over our careers that others are willing to pay us for. This is especially true if you’ve ever worked in the service industry. Accountants, lawyers, customer service representatives will always be in demand.
Even if you haven’t spent any of your career in the service industry there are still plenty of opportunities for you to sell your knowledge to other businesses. You just need to look at your skills as an asset. Think about how you can help other businesses improve. Being a consultant can be a part-time or full-time money making job. You can add it to the other product/information you sell or make it your sole business.
5. Cater to the current baby boom
All good business owners are constantly on the lookout for new market niches they can sell to. The fastest growing niche? The current baby boom. New parents will pay hand over foot for toys, electronics, nutrition, and anything that will make their child better, faster, smarter than the neighbor’s child.
6. Business to Business. Services for internet business owners. Web design, hosting, accounting, writing, editing,
An often forgotten way of doing business is between companies rather than between companies and customers. Although early interest centered on the growth of e-commerce, forecasts are that B2B revenue will far exceed business-to-consumers revenue in 2012. Entrepreneurs that focus on selling products/services/information/consulting to other internet businesses will see the most profit. Services like web design, hosting, writing, editing, blogging, product development, marketing, etc will always be in demand between businesses. If you can get a couple of clients on board you can quickly build a reputation that will far out way your work scope.
7. Social media management.
Social media has given us a whole new set of marketing channels to master. When we were in school no one was teaching us how to make money with Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. We’ve had to figure it out ourselves. Some businesses still haven’t quite figured it out. Those of us that understand that social media is an ongoing conversation and a way to interact with our customers have the opportunity to help other businesses with their social media efforts. You don’t have to be a 15 year old to get this business. You just need to understand the fundamentals of social media. When you do you can offer up your services to companies big and small, to teach them how to best utilize social media to benefit their business.
By no means is this meant to be an exhaustive list of all the types of internet businesses one can start and be profitable with. It is meant to be a list of the EASTIEST and most PROFITABLE types of businesses entrepreneurs can start in 2012. My efforts are solely based on my desire to help you line your pockets with cash. I hope you prosper in 2012.
