The following article is a guest post by Matthew Buckley.
Overview:
David Soskin’s internet business guide, Net Profit: How to Succeed in Digital Business, is in a minority amongst the many such books and how-to guides that have been published in recent years. This is because, rather than being written by a professional author or a marketing solutions guru who has no actual experience of the field, David Soskin’s book comes from someone who has worked successfully in the field, developing and managing cheapflights.com
Content:
The book starts with the story of the dot com crash, the casualties of which David Soskin uses to teach what does and does not work in online business. The book moves swiftly on to cover the most important factors in any business, online or off; your customers and target market, your product, the necessary skills, the investment and returns and marketing. The book finishes off with a look at the global market and the future of digital business
This is not a book for people who already know it all, although they could probably benefit from the lessons and observations within. A complete novice to internet business and internet marketing solutions can pick up the book and follow it easily. The book is thankfully lacking in jargon and technical speak, which is an impressive feat, considering the in-depth information on exactly how internet companies work, spend and profit.
David Soskin also puts his money where his mouth is in terms of the internet as a valuable resource. The book is peppered with references to various websites that illustrate the lessons and advice of the book, so it may be best to read it with a laptop on hand to get the full picture.
Summary:
David Soskin emphasizes that an internet business is still a business, and all the skills and work-practices that you may know from brick-and-mortar ventures should not be forgotten, but carefully analyzed for if and how it will fit into the online model.
It is in chapter 6 that David Soskin’s most useful advice emerges. He clearly and concisely explains how marketing in the digital age is both similar and different to that which has gone before, and offers concrete examples and advice on the marketing solutions that will grow an internet business and make it profitable.
The bottom line of David Soskin’s message is encompassed in the title “Net Profit”; a business is only successful if it makes a profit, and that is the most important thing any budding online entrepreneur should bear in mind.