In the short time that Rebekah Nahai has been online, she is already making some very impressive progress. The Small Business Web Site recently interviewed Rebekah about her online businesses.

Rebecca Nahai

Small Business Web Site: Could you tell us a little bit of background about yourself?

Rebekah: My name's Rebekah Nahai -- I'm living in Carthage, Missouri, USA, but I'm getting ready to move back to California, where I'm originally from (born and raised).

SBWS: Can you describe your business for me?

Rebekah: My business at present consists of two websites --
http://www.gotitmarketing.com and http://www.thesaleslettereditor.com

Got It? Marketing is an extremely simple site that acts as a "billboard" for my newsletter, Got It? News. The Sales Letter Editor is my copyediting and proofreading services designed for Internet marketers and small business owners.

I also recent launched Master-The-Basics.com, which is a step-by-step, illustrated guide that takes "technically-challenged" marketers through website building, autoresponders,affiliate programs, FTP, and several other business necessities.

SBWS: Can you give us an idea of the size of your business?

Rebekah: Every bit of my business activities are built, maintained, operated, and managed entirely by myself. I have the worst sort of "independent streak", and it's tough for me to entrust my work to other people. It means a heavier load on myself, but it provided the peace of mind in knowing that my projects will always be a direct result of my own efforts.

SBWS: How long has your business been on the internet?

Rebekah: I've been up and running for a mere seven months -- absolute peanuts. However, I've spent more time on the computer, building and expanding different aspects of my business model, than the average person does in two years. Well over a thousand hours in these past eight months have been spent glued the computer screen, learning, applying, testing, and profiting.

SBWS: How and why did you decide to go online?

Rebekah: I decided, "You know what? I'm going to work for myself."

I haven't looked back.

Too many ridiculously mediocre jobs weren't fulfilling my desire for a challenge, and my independent streak was a constantly dragging me down. I fell for my fair share of envelope-stuffing scams, "sit back and do nothing" MLM programs, and $5 ploys.

It was all a joke, of course. I think we all have to go through that at the beginning to prove to ourselves that there's really no "easy" way to financial success. Simple, yes. Easy -- no.

SBWS: What's the main function of your web site?

Rebekah: The main function of Got It? Marketing is to get subscribers for my newsletter.That's the entire focus of the site. The Sales Letter Editor aims to bring in new clients from the get go. The purpose of Master The Basics, is, of course, to make the sale.

I'm all over the spectrum when it comes to the function of each website :)

SBWS: What was your thought behind how you wanted your site to look?

Rebekah: Each of my sites are designed with one thought in mind: simplicity. A lot of people just don't get it when it comes to web design. People are bombarded all day, every day, with flashy sales messages, bright colors, and moving objects (just think of TV commercials).

When they come online, what happens? They visit one site after the next that are filled with blinding, bright colors, spinning gifs and moving images, distracting banners, and a ton of popups.

Simplicity is key. My sites aim to present complementary colors that are pleasing to the eye and have a cheery, peaceful sense about them.

SBWS: How long did it take to start seeing some results?

SBWS: How long did it take to start seeing some results?

Rebekah: My editing business took off after I had an article published in an ezine with 50,000 subscribers. I wasn't expecting it -- I'd sort of forgotten I'd even submitted the article, because it was published several weeks later. That was about 3 and a half months after I got online.

I started getting subscribers to Got It? almost immediately. People subscribe if you set your "offer" up well. That wasn't tough to do.

I began seeing steady results beginning about two months ago -- not a long time, but it's been a complete uphill climb. The supplementary income I've generated so far this month has my skeptical family impressed, to say the least.

Now that I'm getting to launch my first product -- followed by my second one a few weeks later -- I can only begin to imagine the income potential (both of these products are highly-desired with literally ZERO competition). I have a complete system in place. It's impossible to not make sales.

SBWS: Has your business benefited from the internet, if so how much business is
related to the site?

Rebekah: My business was non-existent before the Internet -- it's completely web-based, so I attribute every bit of success I've had and have yet to experience to the Internet as a business medium. It's not a magic pill, but it's a darn good opportunity that anyone can make money with if they have a burning desire to do so.

SBWS: How is most of the traffic generated to your site?

Rebekah: I get most of my traffic from reciprocal links I set up a while back (about six months or so) as well as online forums. Forums have been an incredibly valuable asset for my business. I've gained a ton of advantages that would never have otherwise been possible without my participation in these candid "online communities". Forum posting is one of the absolute most valuable tactics for branding yourself, building a respected reputation, and generating a steady stream of traffic and sales (for free).

SBWS: Can you give us an idea of how much traffic your site generates?

Rebekah: Both of my sites get a little over 100 visitors a day. Not a lot. I'm relatively happy with it, though. I get a 25% subscription rate to Got It? News and a new editing project every couple of days. My main focus (and profit center) is going to be on Master The Basics, as well as the second project I'll be releasing within the next couple of weeks. I'll be getting into some joint ventures and placing ezine ads for those -- that'll get the traffic and sales rolling without much effort on my part.

SBWS: What role, if any do you have in the design and maintenance of your site?

Rebekah: Complete. Like I mentioned earlier, I like having control over my activities. It's even hard for me to let someone else do any graphic work for me. What if I don't like it? I know they can do a heck of a lot better than I can but if I don't know how to do something, I always figure out a way around it.

SBWS: How much time and money has gone into the site?

SBWS: How much time and money has gone into the site?

Rebekah: Whew...Time? Hundreds of hours. You wouldn't guess it to look at them. But each of my sites has evolved -- from small changes to complete redesign -- over, and over, and over during the past seven months. I'm constantly trying out new things.

I've spent a ton of money on things that I didn't need, but as far as the aspects that count toward what I actually consider necessities for each site -- I'd say a couple hundreds bucks. Not bad considering the return on investment :) But anytime I want to get a new site up, I can get it up and running (just the basics) in two days for under 20 bucks. I love it.

SBWS: Was there much of a learning curve for you as far as the internet and web sites were concerned?

Rebekah: I'm pretty "tech savvy". It took me about five hours to learn HTML, but that was only basic stuff. Still, those five hours put me far ahead of most people who don't know a tag from a hex color code.

A lot of people struggle with the learning curve of online business. It's tough figuring out how to do all that "technical" stuff. After a friend of mine complained that he was completely lost when it came to techie learning curve, I started putting together Master The Basics. It's a real step-by-step guide written in "newbie talk" that makes all those issues simple to do.

So no, quite the opposite. Jumping the learning curve and figuring out how to manage my Internet activities was quick and painless for me.

SBWS: Is there any mistake(s) you made along the way with the site that you learned from?

Rebekah: YES. The worst mistake I made was not having a clear-cut system for my website. I set it up. Made a nice design. Included a few affiliate links, free downloads, and articles. Heck, I even added a newsletter subscription form.

But I didn't have a system.

If you don't have a system, your business will die. If it's not alive yet, it never will even get to that point.

I figured out a simple system that works. With information overload running rampant, it's easy to get confused. Pulled in ten different directions at once. But you've got to maintain a focus. You've got to figure out a system that works for you. Then YOU have got to work the system.

If you find yourself saying, "I have my website up. I have my affiliate links up. Umm...how do I make money?" it's because you don't have a system.

I actually go into the simple, 5-step formula I use personally in course at http://www.master-the-basics.com

SBWS: How quickly was it profitable for you?

Rebekah: I started seeing a profit from my online activities about three months after I "set up shop". Each month the income is climbing. With the launch of my own products, it can only take off from here.

Keep in mind, though, that three months IS faster than average. Don't be discouraged if you've been at it for a year and still haven't seen more than a couple of $10 affiliate checks. I've spent abnormal amounts of time building my business -- time that you may not have. Keep at it. The "breaking point" comes at a different time for everyone.

SBWS: What software or web sites do you use pretty frequently for your business?

Rebekah: Dreamweaver 4.0! I'm completely addicted to it. I use Dreamweaver several times a day for a variety of purposes. I'm decent at hand coding HTML but Dreamweaver makes it so "point and click" it blows my mind.

I also use Mail Genie for sending out my newsletter, which is at http://www.mail-genie.com

SBWS: What future plans do you have for your site?

Rebekah: I could go on for hours but my fingers are about to fall off :) Basically -- to make money. I want to develop new products every three months or so, roll them out within a couple of weeks, and get a steady stream of income coming in from a variety of places (affiliate programs included). Multiple streams of income is the way to go. If one runs dry, you've still got X number of others working for you.

SBWS: Thank you for your time Rebekah. I wish the best for your success online.

Rebekah: Thanks for interviewing me Tim! I really appreciate it :-) Have an excellent day!