Creating an internet store requires both a little time and a certain amount of money. Indeed, although there are free ways to create your own website. You should know that to really start your internet store, you must invest a little money. Even if it is only with a view to fulfilling the contracts of the future company.
In this context, we propose to give you some advice on how to proceed so that you can, at best, create your own internet store that will work with or without stock.
A few questions to consider before setting up your online store
Before launching your online store, it will be essential that you ask yourself a few questions to determine if you are on the right track .
Opening an internet store is a paying operation (“Time is money”, isn’t it!) which requires a certain motivation (and therefore a certain passion). It is therefore appropriate that you ask yourself fundamental questions that can help you to briefly identify your projects and your intentions.
Below are the various questions that you absolutely must ask yourself:
What area should I invest in to start?
Do I have to manage the stock of products to be marketed?
How long can I give to this activity?
What technical bases can I rely on?
For each of these questions, we are going to try to clarify the issues that may arise regarding the choice of method for creating your internet store.
What area should I invest in to start?
Your first concern will be what your starting capital is.
Do you have some savings that you can rely on? Or are you going to have to do with your own energy and your elbow grease?
As we told you before, you can now create an internet store for free. Indeed, there are free solutions . However, if you want to open your store, you still need to invest some money to make it accessible on the Internet.
In the absence of savings, it is possible to carry out your project, but it will take a good dose of both motivation and enormous personal work. On the Internet, when you succeed, nothing is really expensive… It just takes time!
What do you think is the use of outsourcing website maintenance for various companies? It is simply to maintain their own activities in other projects.
Do I have to manage the stock of products to be marketed?
The second question you need to ask yourself is a consequence of the first. Do you plan to open an internet store with or without stock?
To answer it, you will need to decide which of these three questions is best for you:
- Acquiring products wholesale to resell in small orders, in other words being a retailer.
- Be a wholesaler, which means you have to sell in large quantities
- Create an internet store, which means that you must offer products without buying them. You must therefore manage the associated stock.
Of course, if you have little or no savings at all, the third solution is the one you should use to achieve the creation of an internet store.
How much time can I devote to it?
This third question also concerns the budget that can be allocated to the creation of the site. You should not invest considerable funds without having time to grow them and devoting yourself entirely to this task.
This answer seems simple, but it is of capital importance. If you invest money, it is better to have the time to make your expenses profitable .
What technical bases can I rely on?
This question is the fourth and last question to ask yourself if you plan to create an internet store. Carefully preserve your qualities and skills. Also, consider leveraging them when you get started. Remembering its essential points will be a real asset for the motivation that this project will require of you.
Also, ask yourself about your technical skills . Indeed, many options are offered as part of the creation of your internet store. However, some require technical knowledge, while the others are easier to handle but are generally more limited.
Thus, depending on the budget, time and technical skills you have, the creation of your Internet store will be considered with site creation solutions such as Prestashop. This solution has been proven for several years and allows the management of wide ranges of products. Its disadvantage lies in its technical complexity, which makes it inaccessible to everyone (you have to manage hosting, developments, etc.).
On the other hand, when you do not have technical skills or your wallet is limited, we advise you to choose a subscription. Indeed, this solution will allow you to easily create your own internet store without technical skills.
The cost varies between €20 and €30 excluding tax per month, which allows you to test your market and see if online commerce is right for you. It is indeed a matter of doing business without taking great economic risks.
Actions to take
Creating and launching an internet store involves following certain procedures. France, as you know, is an administrative country. For this, a few steps are purely administrative. On the other hand, other steps will serve you mainly for the validation of ideas.
The choice of legal structure
Before any step, it will be necessary to define the legal form of your company.
It is essential to have a status before opening an internet store. Thus, if you only have to dedicate a few hours to your shop during the week, self-employed status is sufficient at the start. The same is true if the store is only designed to provide you with exceptional income.
Indeed with this status, you can make up to €160,000 per year in turnover. In other words, this status will essentially allow you to supplement your income.
On the other hand, if you want to add value to your activities very quickly and if you plan to invest your time and money, it would be good for you to consider creating an EURL or an SAS. This status will allow you to finance yourself and organize your retirement. This will make it easier for you to access suppliers…
