It’s no secret that millions of Americans lost their jobs last year. And it’s no secret that the economy has yet to recover from the almost total collapse experienced in the winter of 2008. Yet, despite, and nevertheless, certain signs point to the new year 2010 as being the right time – an advantageous time – to begin your ecommerce business. There are the usual dangers associated with any new business venture, of course, but there are also some rare and potentially vast advantages.
Danger and Opportunity
President John F. Kennedy once expressed admiration for the Chinese symbol for “crisis,” which is composed of the symbols for both danger and opportunity. To Kennedy, this duality represented both the hazards but also the call to arms that such times of great confusion presented.
It’s true that in many ways our economy is in danger right now, with unemployment and trade debt becoming potentially crippling hazards to our growth and return to prosperity. But there is also opportunity, in that resources have become available that were perhaps overlooked before.
You Make Your Own Breaks
The spirit of American business has always rested in the individual’s ability to make something from nothing: that is, to create his own means of generating profits for himself or herself. In the field of ecommerce, many of the tools needed to create a new business are completely and thoroughly right at hand.
For example, many online search engines such as Yahoo provide ecommerce “store space” at a fraction of the cost of maintaining a regular web presence, as an incentive for the small and startup ecommerce business owner to get their efforts up and running. Other software platforms, for example the blog service provider WordPress, provide free services and even technical support.
You Build Your Own Business
Another great opportunity for fast tracking your ecommerce business growth lies in the ability to outsource your logistics management and order fulfillment responsibilities. Third party order fulfillment providers are able to warehouse, process, ship, and track your inventory, freeing you to further develop and reinforce your ecommerce business’ strength and web footprint alike. There are a variety of fulfillment service companies available, located throughout the country but especially in the southern parts of the country. These fulfillment companies can accept your inventory direct from the wholesaler or manufacturer, so you don’t even need to worry about reshipment.