i think many are misising the point?

[mayana]

Well, of course it was probably a good idea to found an e-commerce venture for 15, 20 or 25 years. But you can't point at Zappos and say at the same time, well see e-commerce is successul, let's start an e-commerce venture. Time changed and our environment is a completly different one.

In Sky's listing of CENTS you revealed, that entry is massive violated. And in fact, the core problem from "low entry barriers" is, that you will have high competiton and the the resulting problems. And if you have a small market and established competitiors at the same time, the opportunity doesn't look seductive.

However, in my opionion founding an 0815 e-commerce venture is a really bad idea. Additionally that has nothing to do with "entrepreneurship".

Edit: I mean, for nowadays of course. Of course we have now successful e-commerce companies, but they were founded in a different time. And in this time, founding an e-commerce store was highly "entrepreneurship". But i'm afraid, it isn't nowadays. At least, if they offer no additional value compared to all the other established e-commerce stores. But if you found such an e-commerce store, the command of "entry" no longer is violated.

Ummm... I think a big problem that we've had in the conversation is a misunderstood definition of what "e-commerce" is.

E-commerce is selling goods and services online, and reached $684 BILLION in US economic activity (2010). The numbers have only gone UP since then, in just about every country, too.

Does this mean that you'll get a piece of this action if you setup a "website tonight" site and start dropshipping iphone cases?

I think this is the big misunderstanding that is happening in this thread. There is a HUGE different between setting up a wordpress site and signing up to dropship some cheap products. The step that is missing is PROCESS.

If your e-commerce store requires a PROCESS to get started, then you might be on the right track to providing value. It's not only about entry.

E-commerce stores can consist of original digital goods, services, inventions, original combinations of products and information... the options are literally LIMITLESS. I believe that e-commerce is going to continue to grow (and it doesn't take a genius to see it).

 

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[theBiz]

Zappos started by taking pictures of shoes from a local retail shoe store and putting them on a website. When someone bought a shoe on their site they would go to the local store, buy the shoe there and ship it. Its doesnt get any more bootstrapped than this.

theag... awesome stuff, now thats what i call MVP right there (minimum viable product)


on a lighter note---

But then their fastlane idea is e-commerce, affiliate marketing, day trading....Aren't many breaking the commondments right avvay vvith that stuff? isn't that slovvlane?

Maybe, maybe not... either way you need to learn how to crawl before you can walk. If anything that is the biggest problem with newbies here.... you dont want to try and compete with walmart with $1, i mean its obvious, try to tackle a problem you have a realistic chance of accomplishing, usually this involves selling/marketing a unique product/service in an industry or just being in a niche industry...

No reason to go into business on day 1 and try to solve the worlds energy crisis....again, learn to crawl before trying to walk... so i see no problem with people trying to dig a hole with a shovel on day 1 and evolve it into manufacturing earth moving equipment... that is the untold story most successful people have you dont hear/want to hear about.

 

[limitup]

As others have said, not everything you do has to be fastlane. I know of people that are making 7 figures a year online doing stuff that isn't exactly fastlane, but who cares. Hard to go wrong doing that until you get that one awesome fastlane business idea and pursue it. Or not for that matter. If you can make a bunch of money relatively quick online, and then semi-retire in your 30s or 40s, you can live a nice life without ever hitting on a truly fastlane business.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

As others have said, not everything you do has to be fastlane.

Yup, and I think a lot of folks might be missing out on standard B&M type businesses that could scale to a franchise model as well. Just because it isn't "fastlane" right off the bat, it might get passed over. The hardest type of commandment to fulfil, IMO, is NEED. If you have an inside track to solving a tough problem, go for it -- you can figure out scale later.

 

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[Pete799p]

Yup, and I think a lot of folks might be missing out on standard B&M type businesses that could scale to a franchise model as well. Just because it isn't "fastlane" right off the bat, it might get passed over. The hardest type of commandment to fulfil, IMO, is NEED. If you have an inside track to solving a tough problem, go for it -- you can figure out scale later.

I totally agree with this statement, it seems like everybody is so fixated on that perfect business to billions and forgetting about all of the other ways to make some nice money and learn a lot about business. I just saw a Janitorial company for sale the other day that has a 7fig cashflow. But cleaning just too easy of business to start so it's not fastlane.

More money is printed everyday so go grab some of it.

 

[TheTruth]

Just the way you articulated and performed a masterpiece with your words within these 2 paragraphs deserves you getting speed+ my friend.

Let alone the value provided.

Speed++

Maybe, maybe not... either way you need to learn how to crawl before you can walk. If anything that is the biggest problem with newbies here.... you dont want to try and compete with walmart with $1, i mean its obvious, try to tackle a problem you have a realistic chance of accomplishing, usually this involves selling/marketing a unique product/service in an industry or just being in a niche industry...

No reason to go into business on day 1 and try to solve the worlds energy crisis....again, learn to crawl before trying to walk... so i see no problem with people trying to dig a hole with a shovel on day 1 and evolve it into manufacturing earth moving equipment... that is the untold story most successful people have you dont hear/want to hear about.

 

[Thriftypreneur]

Ummm... I think a big problem that we've had in the conversation is a misunderstood definition of what "e-commerce" is.

E-commerce is selling goods and services online, and reached $684 BILLION in US economic activity (2010). The numbers have only gone UP since then, in just about every country, too.

Does this mean that you'll get a piece of this action if you setup a "website tonight" site and start dropshipping iphone cases?

I think this is the big misunderstanding that is happening in this thread. There is a HUGE different between setting up a wordpress site and signing up to dropship some cheap products. The step that is missing is PROCESS.

If your e-commerce store requires a PROCESS to get started, then you might be on the right track to providing value. It's not only about entry.

E-commerce stores can consist of original digital goods, services, inventions, original combinations of products and information... the options are literally LIMITLESS. I believe that e-commerce is going to continue to grow (and it doesn't take a genius to see it).

In addition to this, I think the thing the main ingredient people are missing is Branding.

Every Tom, Dick, and Joe can throw up an e-commerce site, but the vast majority have no idea how to start and build a BRAND.

If you understand how to start and build a brand and gain customer loyalty better than your competition, you can be offering the exact same stuff and still come out on top. The internet in 2013 and beyond is all about brands. If you're not building brand equity in your ventures, I suggest you get started!

 

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