For a small business (about 12 physical products), how much should I charge for implementing an online selling platform?

First you have to understand what STYLE of selling you're looking for. A book for one style may be great for me, but you'll think it's weak and ineffective. Two main distinctions are the "hardcore closer" (traditional) approach versus the "consultative" (more modern) approach. One appeals to an individual while the other does not. Many people are unaware of anything under than the fast-talking, bombastic style of selling made popular by movies and television, however; it took me 10 years in the professional world to even figure out the right question to ask ("IS there another style of selling?"). Once you understand which style of selling you want to learn or expand on, then you can choose appropriate books or courses. There is little point in giving SPIN Selling to a Hopkins devotee. And The Challenger Sale will fall on deaf ears to those who are desperate to not be seen as "pushy."

First of all, what you have is a provisional patent **application**. For now, the provisional patent application is not publicly available. This can be a big advantage to you. You can use this time to improve your invention and file additional provisional applications. If you don't plan on making/practicing the invention yourself, you should make sure to try to think of everything possible regarding how that invention can be improved. This would (hopefully) come naturally to a practicing inventor. When you file your non-provisional application, your disclosure will be made public ("published") 18 months from the filing of the non-provisional. While your applications are not publicly available, I suggest waiting until you file your non-provisional application(s) to talk to others. Quite often, provisional applications do not have the detail or the scope that the non-provisional will have -- due to the time spent on getting drawings accurate and making sure everything is included in your non-provisional applications. It is best to have a complete application before talking to practicing companies. Sophisticated companies will take advantage of information not disclosed in your provisional application to file their own patent applications. If your applications are not publicly available (or even they are published), you should sign confidentiality agreements (non-disclosure agreements) with anyone you talk to about licensing or buying your invention. Keeping track of who you talked to with confidentiality agreements can be the basis for "notice" of the invention by an infringer -- when they eventually steal your invention. You can sell your idea anytime, but a provisional application is worth a lot less than a non-provisional application which is worth less than an allowed application or issued patent. Provisional applications are generally not as complete as they could be -- and require additional time and finesse to complete the non-provisional application. In terms of appearances, if you are not willing to put in the money to file the non-provisional application, the invention is likely not worth that much money. Companies as well as non-practicing entities may look at provisional applications, but not for long, and will not give you the kind of money that you may get from selling a fully examined patent. Of course, it depends on how good your invention is.

We've used MeetingBurner with success for our webinars. The price point for a large audience is not too high. It also has recording and automated webinar capabilities.

Yes, it is possible to sell t-shirts through Instagram direct messages (DMs). I'd recommend using an online payment processor such as Stripe (https://stripe.com/), so you can accept orders and track your revenue. As your business grows, consider using an e-commerce platform like Shopify (https://shopify.com), so you can reach more people.

There are many free or low costs things you can do: Marketing on Facebook or Linkedin (depends on what you offer) Contests Influencers Killing testimonials Pick up the freaking and make phone calls (you have to learn sales. Any business is 90% sales). Sales is scary but there are lots of easy ways to do it, that gives you confidence. Give me a buzz to set up a killing strategy that pays.