How to start business?

[Yano Heir]

I even don't know if this is right place for this question:

Theoretically - if I have idea for freelance business (nothing big - custom textures) how can I chceck if there is any demand for such a service? And how to attract customers? How and where can I advertise myself?

 

Adding:

I'm theoretically start from totall ZERO. Heph. I even don't have enough cash to rent a space for shop or advert...

[Alwin Alcott]

the best check for a market is: start and see what happens

 

[Lindal Kidd]

There's a big market for pre-made, packaged textures.  So there might be a market for custom textures, too.  Advertise in the classified ads under Services.  You might build a small gallery/office in world to display samples of your work.  You can advertise in the Forums, too.

The problem with textures is hanging on to your intellectual property rights.  To be useful to a buyer, a texture should be full permission.  But that means they can give the thing away to their friends or re-sell it in competition with you.  You have to provide a use agreement with your work, and be diligent about reporting thieves via DMCA notice.

Custom textures have a similar problem.  You make an agreement with a client.  You produce a texture.  Now, if you send it to him for approval, you had better make it no mod, no copy, and put a watermark on it or he might just say, "no, I don't like it.  I'm not paying you" and then walk off with the texture in his inventory.

Custom work of any kind is best paid for in an incremental arrangement.  Half down, half on delivery...or 1/3 down, 1/3 on approval, 1/3 on delivery.

[Tamara Artis]

1. Check how many people already run a business like this? 
2. Do some exploring and collect infos about business in general, how much time and effort it needs, see can you do it.
3. Make a good plan and stick to it. 

What I noticed about businesses is that in many cases businesses fail because the owner doesn't know how to promote it, how to connect with potential customers or do the customer service. Remember, you will most likely have to do everything on your own; this means not only to create items but also to:

1. search for best land, buildings, decorations, furniture, scripts and different gadgets that help you run the business. Find those and keep yourself updated (buy new gadgets as soon as they are out, buy the best/newest or the most popular items so that your customers can get a feeling of satisfaction, you want your business to be updated and on the top;
2. learn about marketing and promotion, how to reach out to new potential customers and get them to buy from you, how to keep them come back and keep them informed, how and where is the best to post about your new releases (you will use in-world marketing tools but also join and stay active on different social websites);
3. do the customer service - here I mean people who most likely are from the same market and use their alts to harm your business, if you make anything close to successful business you will have to deal with them;
4. learn how to manage your land and your groups, how to manage and define your price range and how to set them so that you actually earn something, how to deal with the copybotters and your everyday customers;
5. and last is, to find some time to create new products lol

[Amadeu Callow]

You Can start your business when you wish

How to start?

First you need to set what you want to do, how you will do and when

Set your goals and check if you have market in second life for it

You need to know how much will cost for you start, for example if you need a land for sell things, a store rent, cost by upload thing to second life, if you need a server  and need pay a hosting server

The start your work and set your things to sell

Check what is the best price for you start "just my opinion" start with low price and then you can up when you be more popular.

Advertise

it is very important advertise your product or service without people know you and your product you can be successfully

You can advertise  in Spam group and use adboard to advertise, and promote you place with system traffics or parties.

remember advertise will set the future of your business

 

Hope had help you