Startup Advice/Peer Review

new, business, advice, suggestion

[RyanEnder]

I have been a long-time reader of these boards, and have developed a sincere appreciation of the community’s candor and knowledge base. I’ve never posted until now, trying to figure out how to format my question without insulting you guys (or embarrassing myself… lol).

I have been developing websites as a side business for 10 years now, but I’ve never seen any “upside” to coding for customers. In fact, the majority of truly successful web designers I’ve come across build only for themselves.

Sure, I can make the occasional one-time $4K building a standard site, but it isn’t really worth my time and/or effort.

Here’s my questions:

1) Which type of web-based business given enough time and financing is the most profitable?

Specifically, I am looking to develop a site that does not have any responsibility for inventory (re: reseller), returns a consistent profit, and can be run by essentially one well-versed tech.

I am NOT looking for anybody to post their great ideas here. I’m attempting to find out which types of sites have found success amongst the posters in this forum.

I am a senior systems designer for an agency in Washington, D.C., and believe I’ve finally reached a point where I can design, deploy and sustain a serious web-based business. I’ve read literally thousands of posts on how to perform SEO, attract visitors, etc., etc. I make great money (6F+), but the daily grind is really getting me down.

I’m sure this appears as if I’m trolling, but I honestly need some good, ol’ fashioned advice from anybody (and everybody) that will give it.

Thanks!

[celgins]

Well, I agree that designing for others can be profitable, but can be tedious at times.

1) Which type of web-based business given enough time and financing is the most profitable?

I think most of what you will find profitable is based on trends. If you look at today's "Internet booms", everything centers around social networking, online gambling, online dating, etc.

However, no matter which one you look at, there seems to be some inventory maintenance on the back-end. When you mentioned inventory, you may have been referring to physical products for shipping, merchandising, etc.?

Either way, I think following trends is what eventually dilutes the trends and causing the fad to fade away. When there are one too many Myspace look-a-likes, and way too many online dating sites -- only a few big-name giants will remain standing over the long haul.

[vite_rts]

are you saying that you've been creating websites for your own clients , perhaps in your home study, for 10 years?

That means you must have seen several idea's come an go

And yes, i entirely agree with you that website building for clients as a business in itself is un attractive,

I think things that I like the online poker & dating idea's mentioned above require my attention sometime soon,,

I've used both an I sure see myself,,,, aaagh there I go again, I need to learn to get properly listed on google first :)

One suggestion:
Only go for something you really really enjoy and really really understand as a business.

As an employed guy, moving to business has many pitfalls, an if you neither enjoy nor truely understand your new business, things could become reallly hairy really quickly,,,

Then again, you might start a website selling Alaskan Salmon to Norwegians an it might be a thundering success for reasons no one is entirely certain about,,

Now, Online poker,,, who is hot on independent adjudicators :) :)