Online business?

Dimaer

Hello ppl.
I am kinda new in all this stuff and looking for some help from people who are running internet business(internet shops, service).
I am looking forward to create a web portal with some integrated services and be an intermediary for some other services.
But as have checked you need to be a sole trader at least to register .ie domain and then you need to show connection of business to registered domain.
I wonder, how does this exactly work?
Will I need to register business name(sole trader) and meet all requirements before I even start to work on portal?I mean what is the point like register domain and then it will take some time to develop portal, get customers etc.:(
Any suggestions please...

aidan_walsh

[quote[I mean what is the point like register domain and then it will take some time to develop portal, get customers etc.[/quote]
Its going to work like that regardless of whether you have to register yourself as a sole trader to get an IE TLD anyway.

You could always get one of the many, many other options out there, like .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz, .etc.

DOLEMAN

You can get a .ie domain if you show them you are serious about using it. For example, the domain in my signature, I do not have a registered business (or whatever) for this domain. I explained clearly to the IEDR what I wanted it for, and how I was going to "make it happen".

So don't get hung up on administrative things like registering domains.

As someone who has been involved in online ventures for a few years, this is my advice -

1. It's a lot harder than you think.
2. Be prepared for failure (seriously).
3. Work on your marketing techniques - SEO, Public Relations, Sales etc.
4. Website design and code always require tweaking. It's not just a case of getting it online and then forgetting about it.
5. Be patient.
6. Try to get an original idea. For example, Dole.ie is the only website in Ireland which lists every job from (nearly) every jobsite. It is also the first jobsite in Ireland to use RSS feeds. While this may not be ground breaking stuff, it's original for Ireland.
7. Realise that running an online business is nearly the exact same as running a traditional business. In some ways it's harder, because you don't have a big shop with your sign outside it.
8. Don't be afraid to hire cheap labour from sites like www.scriptlance.com to do the tricky stuff...

That's just off the top of my head. PM me if you want any advice/whatever.

Dimaer

Oh..Thanks for answers.
It was nice.
Special thanks to Dole.
Will pm you later;)
I am going to go through this.