Hey guys I m looking to start an incentive site. My business has been going very well at getting me refs. However, I feel I can have more earing potiential if I owned a site instead of completing sites. So here's my list of questions...(oh by the way please save critisism, it won't do much good. Just looking for help)

1. How much capitol do most sites need to start?

2. How much does it cost to get a custom script and where can I find someone to do it for me?

3. How long does it take for most affliate sites to pay the owner/owners of an incentive site?

4. Can I advertise offline as well? I ask this because I never see any sites dvestised anywhere but online.

5. I would like to sponser a forum like this one (if not this one) in turn for the same. How likely is this idea?


Ok I think that's it for now, if I have any other questions I'll be sure to post. Thanks in advance for the help.

I'm not a site owner but I do believe I may be able to help in answering some of those questions.

1. How much capitol do most sites need to start? All depends on what your sites payment structure will be. I wouldn't recommend paying instantly at the beginning. This is for two reasons, one being by paying instantly you are opening yourself up to a lot of fraud that could possibly be caught if you were to pay on say a weekly schedule. And secondly, this will lessen the capitol needed.

2. How much does it cost to get a custom script and where can I find someone to do it for me? Not sure how much a custom script would cost but I would imagine upwards of 10k and I'm sure you can find someone on GetAFreelancer.com.

3. How long does it take for most affliate sites to pay the owner/owners of an incentive site? Some pay net30, some pay net15. It ranges, what this means is say you earn commission in January if you are with an affiliate that pays net30 you won't see that revenue until February 28th, normally it would be the 30th but there aren't 30 days in Feb.

4. Can I advertise offline as well? I ask this because I never see any sites dvestised anywhere but online. Of course, actually affiliate networks would always prefer offline advertising as opposed to online as it produces better lead quality.

5. I would like to sponser a forum like this one (if not this one) in turn for the same. How likely is this idea? I'm sure it could be a possibility in the future, as long as the traffic going to your site is at least equal to what's coming in for the forum you'd like to be sponsored by.

And just to add, unless you have something unique to offer to this business the way it stands now is the competition is stiff. There are probably thousands of IFW sites out there if not more, takes a lot for yours to stand out amongst the rest.

I miss these threads.

1. How much capitol do most sites need to start? $1,000,000

2. How much does it cost to get a custom script and where can I find someone to do it for me? $1,000,000& I'll do that for you. I could use $1,000,000

3. How long does it take for most affliate sites to pay the owner/owners of an incentive site? 9 months

4. Can I advertise offline as well? I ask this because I never see any sites dvestised anywhere but online.
Yes, I recommend writing your site name on stop signs and overpasses.

5. I would like to sponser a forum like this one (if not this one) in turn for the same. How likely is this idea?
Very likely for $1,000,000.

Ouch...

haha, Braden, you're too gangsta.

As for the original poster...just buy a site that's sinking, pay off the people that are owed money and you would be the talk of the town....or A4F at least.

Hey thanks alot that sounds very doable. I can always count on an a$$ to give qualified advice. Next time I have a question or need any help I'll be sure to to just go straight to you.

roffles.

epic.

Thank you for the quick response. All of those things sound very doable. As far s being unique, I have a few ideas that I haven't seen yet. I'm also fortunate to be able to just give stuff away to get people interested. Once they try the site I'm sure they'll come back. I want to focus on making a great site and then I'll worry about profit.

Jee, that wasn't very nice. If you do end up starting a site, I recommend relaxing a little since you'll have to deal with real jerks that aren't kidding. Well at least I got Schiz to type "haha".

I wanted to buy a site that was sinking but I feel like when I pay people off they will just take it and run (which they have the right to). I don't want to get a site with a bad rep. I think starting from the ground up with no rep may be a little better. I may be wrong though.

I'm guessing you're still waiting to get paid from a site. Sorry about that. But it helps me learn from peoples mistakes. Make sure when you always have money on hand besides profits and don't go on a shopping spree with profits until you have enough to payout and shop I guess.

See that thing with that though is sure you might be able to say that now, however, will you be able to resist the temptation when you have thousands of dollars coming to you each month (before paying users). This is where a lot of sites have gone wrong and ultimately failed, they saw their escape and took it.

Well jerks are fine and I'm very relaxed. However, I'm sure all the "jerks" I speak with in the future will not just post to waste my time. Your post was pointless....so how was I being rude? Sarcasm wasn't necessary. If you didn't want to help you could've kept it to your self. I'm very serious about doing this and I will succeed, even if I had to endure 1,000,000 more sarcastic posts from you.

Maybe next time you ask in the right forum.

Freebie Related
Put all your off topic freebie related stuff here!

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This topic has been moved from "General->Lounge" to "General->Lounge->Freebie Related".

Don't do it, you'll crash and burn and everyone will hate you! You might want to consider the background behind schizer's post (i.e. if there are that many networks that can't afford to pay the money they owe and will likely close and scam them all, then maybe starting a new one to saturate the already stinking fat market even further isn't the best idea).

Great post bradenr!

For capital (did I spell it right doylnea?), you'll need at least $5k, but up to $10k.
Most of your questions can be found in other threads, so the Search feature is your friend.

-edit-
hey, I clicked on the site in your sig and noticed an issue. There's <!--[endif]-->'s showing up.

The reason bradenr posted what he did is a good one. We've heard sooooo many people ask exactly the same thing OVER and OVER and we keep seeing the market get way oversaturated with sites that just fail. People that don't know the answers to these questions aren't ready to start a site, sorry, but it's the truth. I've been doing freebies hardcore for 3 years now (I've made about $14,000 so far in 2008 alone), I feel I know a lot about the system, I'm a web designer and programmer with a degree in Computer Science, and a few years of SEO and web marketing experience and the capitol to start a freebie site, and even I think it's a bad idea.

We're tired of trying to convince people not to start sites, hence the sarcasm. A very simple search through these forums would turn up piles of threads with questions identical to yours, which have already been answered.

I wouldn't start a site right now.

Too much competition, too high offer requirements, too little payouts and too many of the same faces doing offers over and over again.

Unless you can gather up quality leads (fresh faces) you won't last long and you won't have a good userbase.

I have started a site, ran it for a year, sold it then tried something new (freebie related) and found out it didn't work well.. So here are my answers to your questions.

1. How much capitol do most sites need to start? Need: Just enough to buy a script and pay for hosting (~$600). However, I would highly recommend having ~$5,000+ (ideally $10,000) to get started, as well as a day job, so you can afford to give the site time to grow. This pool of funds is in addition to the start-up script costs.

2. How much does it cost to get a custom script and where can I find someone to do it for me? Custom.. Depends upon the quality of script you want, most likely $10,000 for it (this includes a quality script plus solid design).. However, I highly doubt you know all the features (security/administrator/automation/etc) that you want included, so it may be easiest to buy a canned script to take a look at and go from there..

3. How long does it take for most affliate sites to pay the owner/owners of an incentive site? Typically NET30, occasionally NET45, rarely NET15, and even never in some cases (revoked credits or shady owners [see midfielder100's nexus leads as a bad affiliate site]

4. Can I advertise offline as well? You can advertise however you would like. It would be your company. However, offline advertising is expensive and imo conversion rates are very poor for a website. BUT, it does build a brand name (but a brand name doesn't necessarily make you money)

5. I would like to sponser a forum like this one (if not this one) in turn for the same. How likely is this idea? What are you asking? You can advertise places like here if you would like. Almost every where has a going rate, typically on a CPM or fixed rate..


As others have said, I would not recommend opening a site right now. The competition is fierce and the advertising rates are low (trust me). You will spend countless hours in front of a computer, which can get mind numbing after awhile. Plus, it will take you several months of grinding to see any meaningful return on your investment (and this return won't necessarily be profit yet either). The accounting is difficult, since you never know when a seemingly abandoned account will finally complete and cash-out; and accountants are expensive (so are lawyers, programmers, graphic designers, and customer support staff). Also, the freebie enthusiasts are a little fickle, so one month business can be booming, but the next month you could be left wondering if anyone even visits your site. Plus, if you do open and then decide to close, the market is almost non-existent for defunct freebie sites, and people get very angry when you do not deliver on your promises, especially with money. Oh, and scammers are no fun (but I apparently am a 'tastey fet') and sometimes hard to catch (it's disheartening how base some people are) [and they make your advertisers pull leads, which makes accounting even harder]. That is why I would not get into running a site right now...

Oh, and I forgot to mention Taxes (just go ahead and write Uncle Sam a check for 30% of whatever you earn).

But, don't let me stop you from launching one if you want to. Just be ready to actually work (managing freelancers can be hell too).

-Joe

yo....Joe! Where have you been?

I might have to refer to your post every time someone asks a question about starting a site.

Well first off NO ONE is born with the know how....They FIND out what they need to know. So that's why I asked. If I didn't ask that would be stupid. So your statement of :"I'm not ready if I don't know the answers makes NO SENSE!! You learn things by asking and research. Being a smart a$$ is not getting any point across. Money is not an issue. I have 3 internet businesses already. I can't help what people do. If the sites fail that's them. Maybe they didn't have the money. So therefore I don't care who asked what or when or what they decided to do, b/c I'm not going to get into anything I can't handle. So for anyone else who wants to post negative replies thinking that it may discourage me or change my mind you can save the key strokes. I am sorry you may have gotten screwed in the past. I've been dealing with freebie sites before they were popular and I have been screwed before. SO WHAT!! You have a choice when my site is up if you choose not to try it cuz it's new go ahead. I would love your business but it wouldn't hurt me if you didn't. Some people fall off the horse and get right back on some don't. So since you and anyone who has something to say has been screwed and are tired, you decide not to try another new site. It's just a shame how negative you people are. I actually get a good laugh from you guys. I'm 23 and have already made my first million. GED only. Real good with computers but no real training. All because I do what I say. Now here come everyone tell you can't do this, you shouldn't do that, I have this degree so I know more than you. MAN PLEASE....I asked a few simple questions and simple answers are all I'm looking for.

Why are you so defensive? It's silly to post a thread and only expect answers that you want to hear. Nobody belittled you. I made a dumb joke, a couple people gave you real answers and Jennywren gave her opinion. This is the lounge. Expect to get many different types of posts in your threads.

I do have a question though. From your last post, it seems that you are a smart business person. I find it interesting that a smart and experienced business person would choose this type of business in it's current state. What made you decide to pursue this when it's clearly overflooded with failing networks? Even some of the sites that have been around for years are getting out of it.

I do think it's a bad idea but if you do end up starting a site, I wish you the best. Many of us still try new sites....although I'd lighten up a little if you want us forum members to join. Forum folks generally like to support friendly site owners.

I'm not defensive just kind of frustrated. I find it silly to post silly replies that have no point. That's just me. I have a great sense of humor, goofiest person you may ever speak to but I guess it caught me off guard when I asked fellow freebie lovers for help and I get what I got. I love to hear peoples opinions. I have the right to respond how feel just like anyone else. Yes I feel I've made a few good choices business wise. I've also made 1 mistake. Yes business isn't good for some sites. I just asked a question. I'm in a position where I don't plan to spend any money from my incentive site other than payin people off. So they only way I can fail is from major fraud or no one trys my sites. I plan to let my money build up and sale it after a year or 2. Then I have my profits in one lump sum and my customers are happy. Also I've seen VERY NICE site owners take people money and run. I'm nice but I'm direct and honest. My customer service skills are there but I feel like a nice site owner is awesome and I will be one. However, that's not going to keep people supporting me. People support sites that give them what they've earned in a timely matter without all of the excuses I read on here and other forums

It sounds, from what you've said of your past experiences, like you have a good business sense and the money to get something profitable up and running. What we are trying to say is that this probably isn't your best option for a new business. Check out the forums about freebies and see how many people are saying that the interest is just waning more and more and that the freebie marketplace is slowly fading. This doesn't mean that it won't make a comeback, but considering the amount of effort to get a freebie company well established, combined with the low success rate of new freebie sites, your skills and money are probably going to go farther in a different venue.

There's nothing inherently wrong with asking the questions that you did, and you did get some specific answers to them, but a simple search would have revealed that these and other questions like them have been asked (and answered) before. I think people's frustration with the current downturn in the freebie industry is being reflected (perhaps unfairly) in their responses to your inquiries. It's not a personal attack, it's people who honestly believe that it's just not a good idea to start a new freebie site. There's nothing for us to gain in driving a good business away from being born. If it was a good idea for you to start a new site, we'd be all over that, because it would be good for us, as users, as well.