Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Thinking Like a Netrepreneur

Using the Internet to conduct business is similar in many ways to operating a traditional company. Profitability (or how much money you make after subtracting your expenses), taxes, and customer feedback are examples of factors that affect your business whether it's online or off. Some exceptions, however, set apart an online business. Even the most experienced entrepreneur can get caught in the trap of forgetting those differences. Particularly important are your attitude and how you approach the business as a netrepreneur.

As you read this chapter, you see the term netrepreneur frequently. You often hear it used in the business community, too. The term developed in response to the growing number of people moving their businesses online. The term combines Net, the slang term for Internet, with the word entrepreneur, which is someone who assumes the risk and rewards of a new enterprise. Netrepreneur (or the variation netpreneur) simply refers to an innovative business owner, like you, who conducts business online.

Adjusting your attitude slightly and viewing business from behind the lens of a netrepreneur isn't difficult. Doing so is simply a matter of recognizing that the Internet changes the way you can and should operate your online business.

When you think like a netrepreneur, you

• See the invisible storefront. Although the doors, walls, and even the salesclerk for your online business might be invisible, they definitely exist. In fact, every part ...