{"id":14148,"date":"2010-07-22T19:09:21","date_gmt":"2010-07-22T13:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=14148"},"modified":"2026-10-31T20:24:02","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T14:54:02","slug":"start-small-business-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Small Business Online: 9 Steps (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking about starting an online business but keep putting it off? The good news is that you can <strong>start a small business online<\/strong> with very little money and a few hours a week. Free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/ai-tools-for-small-business\/\">AI tools for small business<\/a> can now handle much of the writing, design and admin. Guest author Jo Barnes wrote the original 7 steps in 2010. The basics haven&#8217;t changed, but the tools have: website builders, online stores, payment apps and social platforms now let anyone launch in a weekend. Here is the updated 2026 plan.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/yourdon\/3405811164\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-14153\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-business.jpg\" alt=\"Start a small business online\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-business.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-business-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/small-business-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Pick a niche you know with real demand, choose a simple business model (products, services, digital downloads or content), register a short domain, build a site with WordPress, Shopify or a website builder, set up payments with Stripe, PayPal or Razorpay, sort out basic registration and taxes, then focus on getting customers through search, social media and email.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af6759b4be2e\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af6759b4be2e\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#9_steps_to_start_a_small_business_online\" >9 steps to start a small business online<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#1_Pick_a_niche_you_know\" >1. Pick a niche you know<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#2_Choose_your_business_model\" >2. Choose your business model<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#3_Register_a_good_domain_name\" >3. Register a good domain name<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#4_Build_your_website\" >4. Build your website<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#5_Choose_reliable_hosting\" >5. Choose reliable hosting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#6_Set_up_payments\" >6. Set up payments<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#7_Handle_the_legal_basics\" >7. Handle the legal basics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#8_Learn_to_get_customers\" >8. Learn to get customers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#9_Take_action_every_day\" >9. Take action every day<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#Common_mistakes_to_avoid\" >Common mistakes to avoid<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#How_much_does_it_cost_to_start_a_small_business_online\" >How much does it cost to start a small business online?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#Do_I_need_to_register_my_online_business\" >Do I need to register my online business?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/start-small-business-online\/#What_is_the_easiest_online_business_to_start\" >What is the easiest online business to start?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_steps_to_start_a_small_business_online\"><\/span>9 steps to start a small business online<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Pick_a_niche_you_know\"><\/span>1. Pick a niche you know<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Start with your skills, hobbies or work experience. Check demand with Google search suggestions, Google Trends, marketplaces like Amazon or Etsy, and forums where your customers hang out. A small, specific niche is easier to win.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Choose_your_business_model\"><\/span>2. Choose your business model<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Services:<\/strong> freelancing, consulting, design, tutoring. Fastest to start.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Physical products:<\/strong> your own, handmade, or print-on-demand.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digital products:<\/strong> courses, templates, e-books, software.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Content:<\/strong> a blog, newsletter or YouTube channel earning from ads, affiliates or sponsors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Register_a_good_domain_name\"><\/span>3. Register a good domain name<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Choose a short, brandable name that is easy to spell, ideally a .com or your country domain. Avoid hyphenated keyword names like the 2010 era&#8217;s &#8220;buy-dolls-online.net&#8221;. See our tips to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2005\/02\/buy-domain-names\/\">buy domain names<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/05\/how-to-manage-domain-names\/\">manage domain names<\/a> safely.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Build_your_website\"><\/span>4. Build your website<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You no longer need coding skills. Use <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WordPress<\/a> with WooCommerce for full control, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shopify.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shopify<\/a> for an online store, or a builder like Wix or Squarespace. Keep it simple: home, about, products or services, contact and policies.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Choose_reliable_hosting\"><\/span>5. Choose reliable hosting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you use WordPress, pick a reputable host with good uptime, SSL, backups and support. Free hosting is rarely worth the downtime. Shopify and website builders include hosting.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Set_up_payments\"><\/span>6. Set up payments<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Accept cards and wallets with <a href=\"https:\/\/stripe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stripe<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PayPal<\/a>. In India, <a href=\"https:\/\/razorpay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Razorpay<\/a> and UPI are popular. Most store platforms connect these in minutes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"7_Handle_the_legal_basics\"><\/span>7. Handle the legal basics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Register your business if required, check tax rules (such as GST in India or sales tax in the US), open a separate bank account, and add privacy, refund and terms pages. A local accountant can save you mistakes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"8_Learn_to_get_customers\"><\/span>8. Learn to get customers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>As Jo said, the hard work is traffic, not the website. Combine search (SEO), social media, email and partnerships. Start with these guides to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/04\/top-sites-to-drive-traffic-to-your-blog\/\">drive traffic to your site<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/07\/facebook-marketing\/\">Facebook marketing<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/03\/email-marketing-tips\/\">email marketing tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"9_Take_action_every_day\"><\/span>9. Take action every day<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Set a weekly schedule, even one hour a day, and treat it as a business, not a hobby. Launch quickly, listen to customers and improve as you go.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_mistakes_to_avoid\"><\/span>Common mistakes to avoid<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Spending months on the logo and website before talking to a single customer.<\/li>\n<li>Choosing a niche only because it seems profitable, with no interest or knowledge.<\/li>\n<li>Relying on one traffic source, like one social network.<\/li>\n<li>Buying expensive courses that promise fast money.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_does_it_cost_to_start_a_small_business_online\"><\/span>How much does it cost to start a small business online?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>A service business can start for the cost of a domain and hosting, often under $100 a year. Stores with stock need more.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_need_to_register_my_online_business\"><\/span>Do I need to register my online business?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It depends on your country and income. Many places let you start as a sole trader, but check local registration and tax rules.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_the_easiest_online_business_to_start\"><\/span>What is the easiest online business to start?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Selling a service you already know, such as writing, design or tutoring, needs the least money and setup.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally written by guest author Jo Barnes, who wrote about starting a business online. Image by Ed Yourdon under a CC licence. Updated for 2026 by QuickOnlineTips.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thinking about starting an online business but keep putting it off? The good news is that you can start a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[44,52,49],"class_list":["post-14148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-guest-posts","tag-popular","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14148"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69196,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148\/revisions\/69196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}