Help with start-up business

[chaosgundam]

Ok, I hope that I’m posting this in the right place.

My friend and I have an idea to start an online advertising company (we would make those flash ads you see on the sides of webpages). We both have zero experience with this but I believe that we should be able to pull it off. The main thing is that we want to have fun.

He is an animator and is currently unemployed. He can do the admin, marketing and make the advertisements while I handle the finances of the business (I don’t have as much time available). The plan is to make very cheap but professional ads for smaller businesses online.

Can any of you guys give me some advice as how to proceed? Or do you guys think this is a bad idea and a waste of time and money? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[vagabondette]

You have a lot of competition from a lot of cheap resources.  My suggestion would be to list yourselves on some of the freelance sites and developer forums to start building a reputation and portfolio while still making a little money.  Once you learn what people are really looking for and get a good business going you can start charging more and being more selective about who you work with.  Coming up with a plan for how to get clients that want to pay big money will be your biggest challenge as I can get a flash ad made for about $15 right now and, depending on where you live, that's probably not enough to make it worth your time.  Good luck!

[Braunson]

I agree with vegabondette, start building now, get a portfolio going, just get your self out there, start doing jobs (from elanace, odesk, kijiji, craigslist, etc), even if your not making a large or any profit, your still getting your name out there, getting products out the door, building a portfolio.

 

I would suggest first making a list of your local competitors, look at their clients, see how they are marketing their products. Just size up the competition in your area. Write this down and figure out what makes you unique to your competitors, why a potential client should choose you vs someone else.

 

Ask a lot of why's

 

Recap: get your self out there asap, you may not be making tons of cash but your getting yourself out there, getting your name out, get networking (ask any friends and family if they know someone who needs x, go to meetups, pass out business cards, ask for referrals from existing clients). Try to appeal to the smaller businesses somehow. Do some market research on your local competition.

 

Hope this helps!