Starting an online business

thebillywhizz

hi have joined the forum for some help any and all would be appreciated. am 64 years old and a week before xmas  got made redundant.  caronavirus down sizing last in first out was the blah blah from the company. Anyway not down hearted i have started an on line business  with 18 months to go before I reach mandatory retirement I am looking at this to supplement my pension  as my ex wife is enjoying all the benefits of mine. 
I want it to achieve an income stream but also keep the grey cells occupied. Don't fancy endless viewing of Loraine and judge grinder. as a start up am i still entitled to job seekers until it becomes viable. i will still be applying for work as much as is offered.  the business revolves around  print on demand so i have no capitol investment  or stock holdings to consider. any information will be greatly appreciated  thanks in advance  

Stay Safe 

bermudianmark

I ran two online businesses the last of which was sold in 2016,  it has become very hard to promote a website online without a huge budget, Google are very ruthless now and make it very challenging to do unless you are a big corporate.  Two very reputable sites with blogs and guides for newbies are ahrefs and moz, Google them and take time to follow their advice.

thebillywhizz

THANKS  that's an interesting comment will take a look  have a great day.

idlewild365

I would 2nd the above advice from bermudianmark, those sites provide interesting advice.  If you are looking at print on demand the key is having good designs.  One piece of advice I heard recently on this was to get lots of designs and try to find a good niche.

Browntoa

Link to own website removed , not allowed

_theinsider

As mentioned, you definitely need to find a niche else you will quickly burn through money if you start trying to advertise on Google against the all the other print companies out there trying to attract customers. Find a niche, join online communities (facebook groups/web forums) related to that niche and genuinely participate in those communities. Build your profile on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by posting regularly and using appropriate hashtags. Finally, build an email newsletter list that you can promote to in future. Offer an incentive to join the list such as 10% off your first order or similar. Good luck, it will likely take several months of promotion and hard work laying this ground work before you start seeing the rewards.

clompalot

You can claim new-style JSA if you’re working less than 16 hours a week and have paid enough national insurance contributions in the last couple of tax years. 

Foreverfinance

What print on demand service are you using?
Teespring, Redbubble?