Flagandmap.com Business Startup
So how did flagandmap.com business concept begin? Well it really didn’t begin as either a business or a concept. Instead it slowly evolved from a rather more limited activity.
It began with a rare concurrence - time away from corporate servility and sufficient funds to pursue some personal interests. It began with a casual attempt to see if artwork could be created and sold online. And it really began after a drift away from ‘artwork’ and the discovery of something that did sell. (Yes, you will notice that flagandmap designs aren’t especially ‘artistic’ – yet!).
As soon as the relative popularity of flagandmap designs became clear, all efforts were focused on creating a comprehensive range of designs on a number of products – a goal that has yet to be fully met. For a long time this was being accomplished solely by means of a gallery/store on the Zazzle site (www.zazzle.com). Only later, after appreciable progress toward this primary goal, was effort devoted to the development of a decent flagandmap website (www.flagandmap.com) and were funds applied to internet marketing. Only now are we ready to start the blog that you are now reading.
So the above approach was to start small, to test the waters with a number of ideas and then run with the one that seemed to be the most promising. Even at that point investment was modest and growth of the business continues to be gradual. We suggest that this approach is sensible if resources are limited and the opportunity being addressed can be divided up between many smaller operators. Clearly this approach won’t work if the intention is to set up something like ’ebay.com’ where most of the opportunity is captured by an early and aggressive entrant. Nevertheless, there are many smaller internet business, such as those operating through ebay, where the lessons learned here might be applicable.
Perhaps you have a comparable or contrasting experience with a similar kind of internet based venture - it would be great to hear from you. Please feel free to add a comment.