Displaying All Posts tagged with Business Models

7 Figure Blogging

Collis Ta'eed 29th July Blogging 2 Comments

If there is one subject that’s been written about a lot, it’s how to make money blogging. In fact the very first blog that I ever wrote focused on that very topic, despite the fact that at the time I, myself knew very little on the subject! Happily in the last few years I’ve had the chance to learn a lot through our many blogs and have experienced the many highs and lows of running blogs in every capacity, from designing them to writing them, editing them to managing them, buying them to selling them, and everything in between. Today our blog network here at Envato grosses well over 7 figures a year and is one of the largest in the world, and certainly here in Australia. Read More

So You Want to Start a Startup? 5 Places to Start

Collis Ta'eed 16th April Startups 25 Comments

startThe world is rife with business opportunity, and nowhere more so than online. I often think of the web as something of a wild west frontier, awaiting anyone intrepid enough to stake out a claim. But to start an online venture you first need to have an idea of what you want to do. For many would-be entrepreneurs ideas are many and easy to come by, but not everyone feels this way.

Some time ago I met a very talented developer who was independent and industrious, more than capable of developing a brilliant web app. Despite wanting to start some sort of online business of his own, he was hamstrung, for he wasn’t sure what exactly to build. I remember being asked how I found so many different business ideas, and my on-the-spot reply went something like “uhm… they like, just pop into my head.” Not exactly a useful reply!

With a bit more thought and contemplation I’ve decided to catalogue some different methodologies for finding a business to get into. The post is split into five parts, each one detailing a different angle. Read More

How to Find a Business Model for Your Startup

Collis Ta'eed 26th March Business Models 19 Comments

businessmodelsA useful classification of online startups is to put them in two groups: Scale-First and Monetize-First. The first type is all about getting as big as possible, as fast as possible and then figuring out how to make money from the market. This Scale-First approach requires an often significant amount of capital to fund until either monetization or acquisition occurs. The other is about producing income as fast as possible and then using that cash flow to grow larger. This Monetize-First approach tends to be slower but comes with far less risk.

In his post Are you a Seesmic or Balsamiq Entrepreneur, blogger Jeremy Chone gives a good roundup of the pros and cons of both these approaches, using two well known startups as examples of each. Of course a brilliant example of the Scale-First approach is Google, who for a long time had a big question mark hanging over them regarding their business model. If you flip back to December 2000, you’ll find BusinessWeek published an article that literally had the words “But how will Google ever make money?”

Personally I fall most definitely in the Monetize-First camp. I like a business to be self-sustaining as soon as possible, and that means you need to have a clear plan from the out-set about how to actually make money. In startup literature this is called a business model and this post is all about finding one! Read More