Overview of Business

There are many options available to you online if you have a knack for humor or cartoon sketching. A common trend found across humor sites is the inclusion of an opt-in mail list—a joke of the day, quote of the week, or the like. Many sites make their money by allowing other companies to sponsor their mail list or newsletter based on a CPM (cost per thousand) basis. These sites also often sell banner advertising opportunities as well. Some of these sites will allow reproduction of the cartoons or jokes they develop for a fee.

As a freelance artist, you have the option of doing custom work for other companies that they could then include in their media. Depending on your objectives, you may wish to expand your services to include Web icon design, gifts, cards, advertising, and apparel.

Skills Needed

Well-developed artistic or written skills, combined with a knack for humor.

Cost to Start This Business

Web development and promotion costs will play a role in your start-up costs. Investment in equipment to develop the creative side of the business will also have to be incurred if you do not already own items such as a scanner or graphic editing software. Expect costs to run between $3,000 and $6,000.

Number of Employees Needed to Start

This is a one-person business. This business can start as a part-time endeavor.

International Potential

International potential exists, but only if the foreign culture is similar to your own. What you may find funny, others may not. Also, if you’re focusing on current happenings, these happenings may not be of great interest to foreign countries.

E-Business MODEL/Payment Processing METHOD

E-business level 1 is most appropriate for this type of business. For more information, see Part 1.

Important Business issues to Be addressed

Copyright issues need to be addressed. If you are charging for the use of your cartoons, ensure that your contracts are very clear in the usage rights you are granting. Make it very clear whether the client has the exclusive rights, unlimited usage, or single usage rights.

Online Marketing Techniques

• Partner with popular e-zines to include your businesses jokes with their online e-zine distribution, identifying you as the source and providing a link to your Web site.

• Participate in newsgroups and discussion forums related to online advertising or the industries that your ad network targets.

• Online press release distribution and regular contributions to periodicals and publications will be a great asset when promoting your business.

• Develop a sponsored listings campaign to bid on appropriate phrases with the popular search engines.

• Develop links from as many comedy - or joke-related Web sites, meta-indexes, and directories as possible.

For a more detailed description of these techniques, along with many other effective online marketing methods, I recommend the companion book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site. You can also find tons of free resources at Http:// www. susansweeney. com/resources. html.

Additional Income

You can earn additional income by developing your own line of merchandise that depicts your comedic material and then selling it online or offline at local events, fairs, flea markets, and so on.

Online Examples

Funnyjokes. com

Http:// www. funnyjokes. com

A site containing clean humor, dirty jokes, tasteless cartoons, comic strips, greeting cards, free downloads, and a large daily mailing list.

Joke-of-the-Day. com

Http:// www. joke-of-the-day. com

All kinds of humor can be found here, including a few large mail lists. Their

Joke-of-the-Day mail list has over a million subscribers.