Forbes Article: How To Plan Your Online Assault

I’ve made more mistakes running online businesses than I care to recall. (That noise you hear? That’s me swallowing my pride.) With any luck, I’m going to spare you as much of that pain as possible.

Too many people who give the Web a whirl start with an idea, build a site and don’t worry until later about how to make money. The lucky few who do manage to attract a few eyeballs out of the gate often don’t have much of a strategy for cultivating a loyal following going forward.

You don’t need an M.B.A. to know that’s no way to build a sustainable business. And yet scores of would-be online entrepreneurs continue to make the same mistakes. Here’s a better,five-step plan:

No. 1: Identify Your Target Market
Before you can sell something (products, services, information, advertising, whatever), you have find a willing audience–as in, those who might actually pay for what you are selling. Think classic-car enthusiasts or diehard videogamers. These passionate customers are your path to profits.