Last month, we introduced businessman and motivational speaker Bill Rancic as one of the celebrity judges in our #InternetOfficial contest. We recently sat down with Bill to discuss his tips for business owners and entrepreneurs. Bill wanted to be an entrepreneur ever since he was young, starting at age 10 when one of his grandmother’s friends paid him five dollars for making pancakes during a weekend visit to her house. Since then, the business world has evolved, and we’re in a time that allows a great idea to become a full-fledged business in a matter of minutes – no pancakes needed.
Starting a business is something many people want to do, but ironing out the details and getting it off the ground can be overwhelming. People ask Bill every day, “What do I do to get my own business started? I don’t know where to begin.” He shared the following tips:
- If you have a great idea, don’t sit on it, put it in action. It’s really all about getting started. People often get stuck in between the idea and the launch phase, so it’s important to make the commitment and move forward. Once you make the decision to get started and follow through, you will have no regrets no matter what the outcome is.
- The right .com domain name makes all the difference. .com has truly transformed the way we do business over the past 30 years, and helped change the way customers engage with a brand. So if you have the right .com domain name, it’s easier to cut through the clutter and reach your customers. Make sure you register a .com domain name that’s keyword-rich so it is not only creative, but accessible and memorable for your customers so they continue to visit.
- Content is king for a good website. I view great websites as the ones that are not just selling something to me, but they are also providing content that helps enrich, simplify and change my life. When people are looking to launch their .coms, I tell them to ask themselves the question, “What would make someone want to buy something from you?” It can’t just be all about selling, the website needs to provide valuable information as well to help create engagement.
- It’s easier than ever to start a new business. Today, we experience a lot of innovation around us, which is exciting for small businesses that want to get online. Getting your business off the ground doesn’t require a large amount of seed money anymore. Starting a business is all about the concept and the work ethic behind the person who is running the business. It’s really inspiring that you can easily create a website today, and in just a few minutes, you can be doing business globally from your .com domain name.
- You have to have a .com. And I do, too, at billrancic.com, rpmsteak.com, rpmitalian.com, and xogwine.com. If you want to be credible, do business globally, and be able to reach your customers, you have to have a .com domain name. It’s as simple as that.
Do you have an idea you are looking to put into action? Register your new .com domain name through a participating partner on or before April 30, 2015, and enter it into our #InternetOfficial contest for an opportunity to win up to $35,000. (Not a bad way to kick off your business success story!) Go to VerisignInternetOfficial.com to enter and for additional details about our #InternetOfficial contest.