When starting an online business, we suggest you treat it exactly the same as a brick and mortar business. Start with research and planning. Is there a market for your products or service? Do you have experience working with the audience you want to attract? What value are you bringing your potential customers? How are your competitors doing and what are they doing to attract online customers? What start up expenses will you have? Do you have the techinical skills needed to manage an online market place or can you learn them? Do you have reliable high speed internet service? If you answered these questions and would like to move forward, make an appointment with an SBDC consultant to discuss your idea.