I just got a great question about how to get a virtual mall up and running from a boomer who "has decided to do something about my life and have started a business."

"The problem that I see is that some of/a lot them do not have the money or
the expertise to go online. What I am visioning is a Mall online whereby
these boomers can get a 'store' for free, but pay 'rent' after they have
generated revenue," she wrote, citing the example of a woman who has been very successful selling at fairs, but less so on line.

"I have been to your site and am really not up to date or up to tech about
virtual stuff. Is this Virtual the same as a Mall online?"

Great question.

First, operating virtually does not mean on line sales ONLY. You might trek over to my blog, now located on my profile page (AmyZ), and skim through my close to 50 entries (soon to be packaged for downloadable sale on my Web site, by the way . . .)

Working virtually means you use technology to drive your business. That work doesn't have to be on line, though you will use the Web and email as major business tools. For example, I sell content and marketing strategies. I work on line all the time, but only a tiny part of my business involves on line product sales.

Another way you can tell that I work virtually is by a quick tour of my website at www.a-zinternational.com. Note the team of people who work with me. None of them work in my office and many of them are scattered around the country. Each runs their own show and we connect through technology, whether it's phone, fax or the Internet. We are virtual operations.

Now, what you are envisioning is a great idea. Some call it a marketplace. In fact, I've talked to EONS and many other players about monetizing their marketplaces -- meaning they charge a rate for folks to buy/sell on the site. With today's shopping carts, or even PayPal type tools, you can do that without having to charge a direct fee.

To learn more about this, scroll back to my "It's the Backend-Stupid" series I wrote last fall. It provides a lot of easy-reading explanations for the types of shopping carts out there, email broadcasting systems and ways to maximize Web searches with ways to determine what would be right for your level of business. (Note: we've had loads of discussions on the Building a Virtual Company Group about alternatives to PayPal if you don't like their operating style, rules, fees, etc . . .)

But your project wouldn't end with technology. You'll need lots of legal disclaimers so you aren't held liable for activities of the buyers and sellers on your site. If you visit eBay or Amazon.com, which are the most successful on line marketplaces in the world, I'm sure you will be able to locate this sort of legal language posted somewhere on their sites. I wouldn't even contemplate this sort of project without a lawyer who is strong in retail and electronic commerce. Finding one is another story for another time . . .

I don't know if you have a name for your mall concept, but picking a really good name -- called branding -- is an art. You want something that will stand out and catch people's attention while speaking to the types of people you want to attract. And that gets us to marketing, overall, and the most important question of all: who is your market?

Do you envision this being a general goods sort of mall like we see in the bricks and mortar world? Or do you want a niche mall -- say arts and crafts, only? You can even drill down to beads, only, or vitamins . . .even last year's fashions. Whatever you pick you need to have takers, or a market. Eons would be a great place to test your ideas as there are many groups where you can dip in and ask people for advice and responses. You can create an on line focus group, of sorts, that way.

So, you've got your market set, a brand and have decided to be a general service mall (let's pretend, OK?) You've set up your Website with all the right search engine optimization tools I outline in the "It's The Backend, Stupid!" series, have an email broadcast system in place and are ready to rock 'n roll. Do you think that by sitting on the Web you'll attract buyers and sellers automatically?

That's doubtful. The Web is a crowded place today. You may get some hits and even a bit of buzz just by putting yourself out there, but that's not likely. Instead, you'll have to market like hell, using a variety of conventional and non-conventional marketing tools -- everything from Web advertising to setting up a blog to get the word out about your business, to handing out flyers at bricks 'n mortars malls in your community, attending trade shows and business networking sessions.

I've gone on a bit to play this out for you and others who get a great idea and don't know how to bring it to fruition, let alone make it pay. Keep me posted and everyone else about how you're doing.