If you and I were to decide to go into business together, and we chose to open up a brick and mortar store on Main Street, there's no way we'd sign an 18-month lease, order display furnishings, install carpet, hook up a phone line, and hire employees without first knowing what we're going to sell. Yet, online retailers--or, more accurately, casual sellers who want to become successful online retailers--do it every day.

Without giving much thought to a company name, product line, or business or marketing plan, new online sellers sign up for services like Doba, work with a third-party vendor to build a webstore, and only then get around to asking, "Hey, what should I sell?" They head to eBay, see what is selling, and then decide to sell the same products--usually consumer electronics--for slightly less than the competition. They end up being disappointed, mainly because their profit margins are so low.

The problem is that...

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Search for a product on eBay or any number of other online marketplaces, and you're likely to find yourself inundated with product listings that look pretty much the same. All things being equal, you're going to click the item offering the lowest price, right? Or maybe you weigh price and trustworthiness, and you order the product from the big-name retailer that offers the lowest price. After all, when prices are comparable, why would you risk ordering from an unknown merchant?

It's tough to admit, but that's pretty much how online shoppers arrive at their purchase decisions. To encourage shoppers to break that routine, give them a reason to buy from you. Reach out to them to attract their business, brand yourself as the product expert, and prove to customers that you're as reputable as the Amazon's and Wal-Mart's of the world. This article shows you how to take an entrepreneurial approach to marketing—to pursue business rather than waiting for it to come to you.

Giving yourself a corporate makeover

People prefer to buy products from a company rather than from an individual, so the more you can make yourself look like a legitimate business, the better chance you have of attracting new customers. To give you a more professional look and feel...

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The IRS doesn't require certain small businesses to have a TIN (Tax Identification Number), but more and more businesses, some of which you may want to do business with, require a TIN.

What is a TIN or EIN?

A TIN is like an SSN (Social Security Number) for businesses. It identifies your business entity to the IRS and to any businesses or individuals who may want to do business with you. Like an SSN, a TIN is nine digits, but the nine digits are arranged a little differently. Instead of appearing as 000-00-0000, a TIN appears as 00-0000000.

The IRS officially refers to the TIN as the EIN (short for Employee Identification Number), because the number was originally intended and is still primarily used by companies who must process payroll taxes for employees. The number is usually referred to as a TIN when used to identify a business and as an EIN when used to report employment taxes, but TIN and EIN are just different names for the same thing.

Do I need a TIN?

Depending on how you've structured your business and whether you have employees on your payroll...Read More

A well-designed eNewsletter, packed with valuable content and exclusive offers, can help you walk the fine line of keeping in touch with your customers without annoying them.

In this article, you learn:

• How to design an attractive eNewsletter that increases your brand presence.
• What to include in your eNewsletter and what to leave out.
• How to encourage customers to subscribe without being pushy.
• How to automate distribution to save valuable time.

Whenever you contact a customer, you have an opportunity to impress or disappoint, so you want your first attempt at an eNewsletter to be impressive. In any publication, your first impression hinges on...

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