Sara's Pathway Education

Ever feel like all popular websites are set up the same way?   Well, I do.   But there’s a reason they do that – it’s eye-catching and entices the user to continue exploring their site.   Just like brick and mortar retail stores use placement to gain the best possible sales, online businesses need to be concerned with the messages they are sending to their customers.   If it is difficult to find answers or products, they are going to leave and find something better.   If the products don’t meet the mark, move on.   It’s a hard world out there, especially with trying to compete with places like Amazon.   Not that I would even try, but it would be nice if I was able to have some customers find their way to me. Another thing we learned this week was about taking credit card payments.   It’s really easy just to add a PayPal button to your online store.   It’s a place that many people have associated with security in online payments.   An...

Ever feel like you are looking at the same product over and over again, with basically the same features and prices?   Well, this week was just like that.   I was trying to find web hosting and a platform to build a website in.   A lot of the decisions rest on what you chose as your selling model last week.   One thing I found out is that although Oberlo is a wonderful service, you have to pay a high monthly fee for a Shopify store.   Couldn’t they use that same technology and service in a less expensive hosting store?   That alone might be the breaking point for deciding to steer away from dropshipping.   I guess I understand why, though.   To be able to use shipping codes from all over the world isn’t something easily set up in stores.   Plus, a lot of effort and testing go into each supplier.   So it might be worth the money spent to have the ease of mind. This week we finished our first project.   When I first started this a...

It is one thing to know of the different business models, but it’s another to really understand what the terms and advantages are for each.   This week we learned about buying inventory directly from brokers, wholesalers, and manufacturers, as well as learning about the drop shipping program and affiliate program.   Here are a few of my main take-aways from this week: Inventory: Pros – Lower cost by buying in bulk.   Physically have the product, so you know what you are sending to the customer. Cons – Must store the product and keep it free from damage.   Demands on shipping the product out to the customer quickly.   High initial costs.   Possible returns and chargebacks. Drop Shipping: Pros – Receive profits without ever having to physically store the product. Cons – Rely on the manufacturer or wholesaler to make sure the product is free from defects.   Possible returns and chargebacks. Affiliate Program: Pros – No inventory to worry...

Hello viewers.  My name is Sara Smith.  My formal college educational path led me to the BYU-Idaho Pathway Program in the Winter 2014 semester.  At the time, I was working full-time, so I was only able to do a few credits each semester.  However, I am happy to say I'm now a Senior, with the hopes of graduating April 2020. I am currently taking 2 courses this semester.  Which I'd like to give a disclaimer in which I am terrified out of my mind on!  It's really fun to just pick 2 course codes from a paper and then be able to see how they work together perfectly.  This semester for me is New Ventures and Web Business Creation.  I was thinking it was just going to be what it takes to start new businesses, which I am grateful the New Venture course is just that.  However, I am really nervous about my Web Business class. It truly requires me to start a business online!  This week we dug right into the heart of online business – competition...