Build Your Online Business

Ready to Begin Building Your Business? Start Here...

If you're just starting out with your online business, this is the perfect place to learn the basics – from choosing a realistic business idea, to getting your first happy customers.

Below, you'll find our best tips and advice on the fundamentals of building a successful, profitable online business. Let's get started!

Create and Sell Profitable Online Courses

Online courses are a great way to start making money by sharing your knowledge. If you have a passion, hobby or skill, you'll find similar people who are willing to pay to learn. They require very little up-front or ongoing costs, making them among the most accessible and profitable online business models.

These articles and videos show you how to get started building a profitable business selling online courses.

Growing a Successful Business

Your business has the potential to reach more people with your message and products. A growing online business means more sales, more revenue, and more opportunities to invest in the things that matter to you.

This section brings together all our best articles and videos on taking your online business to the next level, by growing your audience, conversions, and revenue.

Running a Successful Client-Based Business

Building a successful agency-type business means sharing your time and expertise to help clients get results.

Whether you're a fitness coach, tax consultant, or web design agency, you'll discover advice and tools to help you acquire new clients and build your online business model.

Buy Thrive Suite And Get Instant Access To All Of Our Conversion Focused Site Building Tools + Thrive Theme Builder!

Yes, really.

Click the button below to see how you can save more than $700, get instant access to all of our plugins and all of our themes (yes, even Thrive Architect with all of the landing pages & Thrive Leads!) and a whole range of further benefits.

All Articles in This Category

How To Build Your Business with Thrive Themes

Do you want to run a successful online business?

Of course you do! We can help.

These topics are perfect for anyone looking to generate income with an online business, selling expertise, information products, or consultation. Do you see yourself in any of the people below?

What Will You Learn on This Page?

This page brings together our best articles and videos on how to build a business online. We share our experience of how we made Thrive Themes successful, and how you can do the same.

But it's a big topic and sometimes feels a little overwhelming!

Read the summaries below to understand which topics are best for your needs.

Creating & Selling Online Courses

Build a profitable online course that connects with your audience

Online courses are a hugely popular business. Not everyone learns best through a traditional academic setting – many prefer to learn at their own pace and from the comfort of their own home.

If you have an area of expertise, there's likely to be an audience willing to pay you to share your experience in a structured format. 

Every day, people buy online courses about web design, dog training, vegan cooking, bookbinding, learning an instrument, yoga, making fishing flies, calligraphy… there's a market for almost every passion, hobby and skill.

A successful online course:

What will you learn?

In this topic, you'll discover how to build, price and promote your online course. 

We share our advice on which tools and plugins make it easier (and even fun!) to create an online course, from structuring your lessons, through to membership tools and accepting payments.

Speaking of accepting payments…

Thinking about pricing your course is often uncomfortable, but you deserve to be compensated for the value you share. And people want to pay to learn an effective solution to their problems.

You'll learn all about effective pricing strategies: should you charge a single price, or offer different tiers? How does a low or high price affect conversions and perceived value?

Once you've published your course, what's next?

Now it's time to tell people about it!

You'll learn how to promote your work with sales pages and funnels built specifically for online courses. We'll teach you how to increase the value of your course to increase value with testimonials, bonus content and more.

Growing your Business

Transform a seedling business into a mighty oak tree. We're rooting for you!

Not all businesses have the potential to grow, but yours probably does.

First, because you understand the amazing reach of the internet.

And second, because you found Thrive Themes, where we share everything we know about taking your business to the next level.

Growing a business can mean different things. Obviously more visitors, leads, bookings, clients, and revenue are sure signs of a healthy growing business.

But sometimes growth is less about the metrics, and more about being able to take time off to spend with your family, or even just being able to help more people without burning out.

A growing online business:

What will you learn?

In this topic, you'll learn the tools available to grow and scale your business, so it reaches its full potential.

You'll learn how to identify and reach your audience online, and how to build more content that keeps them coming back for more. We share our recommendations on using social media to scale your business by promoting social sharing.

Growing your audience is only half the battle, however.

It's how they respond to your offer that counts too.

Together, we'll explore new ways to improve conversion rates on your website: converting more visitors to leads, and leads to paying customers. Discover how to get the most from your current customers by offering new products, up-sells and cross-sells.

Running a Client-Based Business

Build a profitable client-based business that grows beyond your personal capacity.

Whether you're a freelancer, coach or consultant, your business model relies on finding new clients and keeping them happy.

Of course you need to be able to help them solve their problems – that's the very basic requirement – but it's surprising how much of the job is really about client servicing and repeatable processes.

In fact, most business owners would agree the process of finding and qualifying new clients requires too much time and limits profitability.

Would you agree?

Thankfully the internet has transformed agency and freelance businesses, making it much easier to generate leads, bookings and appointments online.

An effective client-based business:

What will you learn?

In this topic, we share everything we know about starting and growing a client-based business, so you can decide if it's right for you.

You'll learn how to choose your business model and niche, whether you're a freelance digital marketer, a fitness coach, a build risk consultant, or a translation agency.

We'll talk about pricing strategies: both setting your rates and how to get paid.

You'll discover how to find clients and win their business… and how to keep them!

And of course, we'll share our favorite tools to help you capture leads, bookings, appointments and call-back requests on your website.

How to Build Your Business in 6 Steps

Starting an online business can feel overwhelming. There's a lot to take in.

There's almost too much information available online...

• Who should you trust?
• What advice is actually useful for your situation?
• How can you avoid investing time and money in the wrong things?

Don't worry, we can help you cut through the noise.

Here are the 6 big steps you need to build your first online business:

1. Choose your business idea

A good business idea provides people with a solution to a real need.

Look around for unsolved problems that people are willing to pay for. If you can help them save money, time or stress, you've got yourself a business idea!

If you don’t have a good business idea yet (or you’re not sure what a good business idea even looks like) don’t worry, we’ve got you! You'll find everything an aspiring entrepreneur needs to get started in our multi-chapter Online Business Guide.

2. Understand your audience

Your success depends on how well you identify and understand your audience.

What are their needs?

What solutions have they already tried… and why didn't they work?

How much are they willing to pay?

There are hundreds of questions you'll need to ask before you move forward. The more you answer, the better your chances of success.

3. Build your website

If you want to build an online business, you’ll need a website. Period.

A well-designed website enables you to build an audience and authority through your content. It provides you with a platform to sell your products – regardless of whether they are physical goods, information products, collecting leads, or booking appointments.

However, a nice design isn't enough to ensure a profitable business.

Why have a website, if it doesn't convert?

Here at Thrive Themes, conversion is a key focus in all our designs. You're in good hands.

4. Build your product

You know what to make, who will buy it, and where to sell it.

Now it's time to make it.

Start small with a minimum viable product (MVP) - a simple product that tests your theories in the real world without committing too much time or money.

If people buy it, congratulations, you've got yourself a business model!

If you offer services, this is your chance to create repeatable processes to save time and guarantee consistent quality. The more you can automate and repeat, the more profitable your business.

5. Tell people about your product

It's no use creating the best product in the world if no one knows about it!

If you're a freelancer or coach, you should read our most effective ways to find clients.

If you sell products or services, you can get the word out by learning which online marketing methods best fit your business and audience.

6. Grow your business

So you have an idea, an audience, a website and a product that sells.

If you're here, then congratulations, you already have a profitable online business!

Now it's time to find ways to continually improve and grow: more visitors, customers, revenue and self-satisfaction at what you've built.

Start Building Your Business Today

So that's it!

That's how to build an online business in a nutshell.

Sounds easy. Right?

This page is your starting point to find the articles and videos to help kickstart your business. It's packed with tips and advice to get you started making money online.

Buy Thrive Suite And Get Instant Access To All Of Our Conversion Focused Site Building Tools + Thrive Theme Builder!

Yes, really.

Click the button below to see how you can save more than $700, get instant access to all of our plugins and all of our themes (yes, even Thrive Architect with all of the landing pages & Thrive Leads!) and a whole range of further benefits.