How to start an online subscription shop?
Printed From: The Equity Desk
Category: Market Strategies
Forum Name: Trading Psychology
Forum Discription: Discuss the psychological aspects of trading such as fear, greed and discipline. Why stocks are bought like perfumes and not groceries.
URL: http://www.theequitydesk.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=553
Printed Date: 07/May/2025 at 4:18pm
Topic: How to start an online subscription shop?
Posted By: basant
Subject: How to start an online subscription shop?
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 12:27pm
|
There is a big market in selling online subscription based services. Let us assume you charge Rs 5000 per year. getting 1000 Mungerilals is not that big a deal. SO that means an annual revenue of Rs 50 lacs. Business is highly scalable. Additional subscribers add directly to the bottomline. Additionally you make more by front running i.e Buying first then recommending, ARPU will never fall as you take in a advance for one year. After a year you lose almost all your clients but so does your competitor so basically you exchange frustated suckers.
The newsletter could have one page of the previous day's history these mungerilals do not know that in stocks what is new today is used tomorrow as yesterday's newspaper. You may include how much FII's bought and sold what the fund managers did etc etc. the next page could have a big picture of the Nifty charts with 3 options:Up, Down or sideways - all carefully worded in one paragraph whose objective is to look inconclusive because then we could easily quote a line after a fortnight the moment a trend gets establised and then get more suckers in.One big page should have a disclaimer - That lends professional touch to the thing. We are left with only one page now and that could be a matter of guesswork to complete a 4 page newsletter. plus one could do a sms service which I would not discuss since it is a patented business idea.
 By the way Power your trade has 75,000 Mungerilals, Mussadilals and Chunnilals. ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Replies:
Posted By: BubbleVision
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 12:40pm
|
Great analysis of "Stock Analysis"... However i can add one thing, that most of the people who are in the that business are allrounders (VS and Kash type), because they mix all markets to produce a kichidi....
------------- You can't make money if you are unwilling to lose...It's like willing to breathe in but not willing to breathe out. -- ED SEYKOTA ....Read Disclaimer! |
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 12:47pm
I was thinking.... I need extra cash for my investments. Lemme open up a fundamental analysis website. At least someone will gain from it and I shall earn too. hehehehe
Come Mungerilals, come one...come all. Aaaaaaa jaaaaaaaa paaaaaiiiisaaaa de de!  ------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 12:54pm
|
Come Mungerilals, come one...come all. Aaaaaaa jaaaaaaaa paaaaaiiiisaaaa de de!
____________________________________________________ Hey Om SHivaya you need to maintain integrity. You need to say I am full, We are not taking any new subscribers that will create a sense of despair and then quickly you may add "but our premium platinum service is open for all suckers"
Also fundamental analysis is a bad business model. Imagine if I tell someone buy TV 18, Pantaloon and Educomp then we could talk in 2008 or 2010.
 ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: kulman
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 1:00pm
|
Great analysis about http://www.theequitydesk.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=359&PN=5 - TAUs (Technical Analyst Uncle)!
From the numbers you have quoted, it seems much bigger business than what one could have imagined!
It's no wonder then....I was shown a remix video album by one Mungerilal. Some of the chartbuster songs I recall from that album:
There are few more songs...I shall post the same as soon as I remember....happy listening !!!
------------- Life can only be understood backwards—but it must be lived forwards |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 1:09pm
|
Those are great numbers to play (soft tune) in dealing rooms. By the way any idea when the next Grammy awards are scheduled ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: investor
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 1:46pm
|
Excellent writeup on how these guys fool everyone and make money. And the best part is when there is a boom period with all stocks going up blindly, like we had in the runup to the May crash, they dont even have to do any hardwork, as they can just close their eyes and point to a stock, and that would most likely hit the upper circuit the next day!! Probably they have a dart board in their office with the names of all mid and smallcaps on it!!  Anyways, good to know that PYT HAS 75K subscribers...helps TV18 revenues!  But one question i have - do you know if these so-called experts and analysts get paid for giving out their recomendations on PYT? I mean, does CNBC TV18 have to pay them for that?
|
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 2:02pm
|
Not sure but as far as I can recall it is free - since these guys get publicity and we(shareholders) make money. ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 2:09pm
------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: investor
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 2:26pm
|
ha ha, and hopefully the people who follow the recomendations dont lose all their money!! The biggest irony is that on moneycontrol's message board page, they actually have a message board for discussing poweryourtrade, and that board is just full of comments from people who have lost money after subscribing to PYT after following their "expert" recomendations.... 
|
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 3:32pm
Some people cater to a demand in the market and some actually create a demand. Marketing and Packaging anything properly can do wonders. Just a casual thought ------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 4:39pm
You make a valid point really. Trying to learn from you!!! ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 5:34pm
|
No sir ji pullllease. You not learning come onnnnnnnn.....u r 2 modest. I just repeat what I learn from all you guys.
BTW, Microsoft created a home-PC market from where there was none way back in 1960s and then they monopolized it. Look where they are now. And also, just on 2nd thoughts, if someone were to open a fundamental analysis package, it should ideally be for 1 year...from one diwali to another and it should be with a money-back guarantee. If the user doesnt earn any money on the stocks mentioned collectively, then all money back. That would be a good trigger to get subscribers. Now, the only thing this idea needs is a good solid advertising on the internet to all resident indians. I believe this model can work really well.
Some details are as follows:
1) Collection of 5 stocks with entry and price targets, no stop losses. A brief reasoning why the investment is worth it. 2) If user does not make money(all stocks combined), then 100% money-back, exclusing of course the admin. charges and basic charges that the credit card company or bank charges when the subsciber makes the payment. Shouldnt be too much. 3) Cost of Rs. 5000 per year. This will attract interest since its relatively on the higher side, so people will take notice. 4)Disclaimer as usual.
Rest, solid online advertising is needed. I believe this model can change how investors view analysts and their quality and in fact can force biggies like TV18 and NDTV Profit to begin such services, thus starting a new trend. This is a market tha is waiting to be tapped.------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: monu_duggad
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 7:00pm
|
Kulman ji
You r awesome...r u a writer by profession ? If not,then immidately write a book on anything...will make good money for u...
Loved all those songs...waiting for next edition ------------- If you think you can,You Can |
Posted By: kulman
Date Posted: 03/Nov/2006 at 11:08pm
|
Monu jee
Thanks for the kind words. I'm neither a qualified writer of books nor have I ever written call/put options.
I strongly believe that laughter is the best medicine & I also love to laugh at myself. That is perhaps my only "circle of competence". Somehow, I do not get along with humans who are of "serious" nature (unhumorous).
About the next edition of the remix album...I understand that it would be released soon....is it a sheer co-incidence that today there was a block-deal on SaReGaMa?....one FII bought 7% equity!
------------- Life can only be understood backwards—but it must be lived forwards |
Posted By: Mohan
Date Posted: 27/Feb/2007 at 9:40pm
Tusi Great ho Kulman  ------------- Be fearful when others are greedy and be greedy when others are fearful. |
Posted By: deveshkayal
Date Posted: 25/May/2007 at 11:58am
Some foreign brokerage has triggered him to shut down...try AIII group or join reetesh group if he has started...if i come across any other site,will let u know. ------------- "You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beat the guy with a 130 IQ. Rationality is essential"- Warren Buffett |
Posted By: BubbleVision
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 1:34pm
While I am sorry that some people would be affected by this, I am actually quite happy.
The Analysts work and when their work is "Pirated" this is like stealing one's child from the mother. I work as an FX analyst and I know that I would be absolutely upset if someone "Unauthorised" steals my work.
If one believes in any research, then one must be ready to pay. There is "No Free Lunch" in this world, unless its from Microsoft, where everyone uses a "Pirated Windows as their O/S".
I know that this may NOT go down well with everyone but, one knows this ONLY when he works as an Analyst.
------------- You can't make money if you are unwilling to lose...It's like willing to breathe in but not willing to breathe out. -- ED SEYKOTA ....Read Disclaimer! |
Posted By: Vivek Sukhani
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 1:49pm
| It depends upon one's revenue model.....if someone motive's is to trick then he should render his service free.... also if someone wants to earn through more hits on his website or eye-ball theme type of revenue model then also one should keep his work free.... and there are some very genuine people in this world you like sharing knowledgeand for them monthly subscription doesnt matter....it all depends the gratification what one is looking for..... if its monetary it should be paid....if its something loweror higher than that, services must be free....Basant Sir's analysis on some stocks are woth more than what you can get by paid services, yet he has done it for free..... i beleive his objective is higher than monetary gratification.....even you have provided many reports which you dont get even after doling out money for the same purpose.... |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 3:05pm
|
Vivek: the google ad thing isn't about enough to cover your cost of running a site. Sooner people become ad blind and then no one clicks so no one pays! But surely something is better then nothing so we have it to subsidize us for the costs plus I am devoting some time here and that has an opportunity cost but right now the idea is to develop an online community of serious investors.
I agree with Bubblevision that DP was illegal and though I did read reports from that site I always thought as to why anyone wasn't putting this out. In one my discussions with an big brokerage guy he admitted that this blog existed and they were all upset about it.Just like warfornews.com was put down by the police for putting up stupid information this site would also have had its problem.Mind you they were also going it the google ad way just that their ads were placed right inside the content so it made for higher targetting.So actually they were making money on content that was stolen also since it was a google group site management wasn't a problem.
But really that site was helpful. I have to admit that. ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: Siddhartha
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 3:07am
|
Our Basantsir is really long term Investor in any sense. He has great vision to create financial community website. In TED content is king. Our software is still not well developed, but we hope with time Basantsir will upgrade it and members can interact very easily with eachother and can also stimulate their relationship.
One can earn easy money as Basantji explained in first post but it is short term and most probably create no value for society.
Valuation for community website are very huge in western world. For example OpenBC from Germany has marketcapitalization of 160 Mio., which is Business comunity website.
I wish one day our Basantji will get such a huge valuation for our TED.
|
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 8:01am
|
Yahoo!! Om Namah Shivaya!!
100 TED members' networth in every sense(not only monetary), is equal to 10,000 members on any community website.
These figures are not just for the sake of it...It really is true! ------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: drpatils
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 8:37am
|
I had been a member of PYT ..All that site reports and information is mostly speculative without actual benefit to the investor..TED is 1000 times better plus bonus of making friends and being a community that stays together in crisis.Long live Basant ji and his team. ------------- The journey of thousand mile begins with single step-Chinese Proverb |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 26/May/2007 at 8:44am
|
Valuation for community website are very huge in western world. For example OpenBC from Germany has marketcapitalization of 160 Mio., which is Business comunity website.
I wish one day our Basantji will get such a huge valuation for our TED
_____________________________________________________
That is news for me. i did read yesterday about wallstrip.com getting valued at US $ 4 million by CSB (Viacom spinoff company) and when I visited that site I was not sure of what these guys were actualy doing!!!
------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: smartcat
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 12:41pm
|
TED can go the way of Motley Fool ( http://www.fool.com - www.fool.com ). You can read more about Motley Fool http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motley_Fool - here
Fool.com started off as a newsletter site but it became famous because of the messageboards. It slowly started adding services like newsletter subscriptions etc and is now an authority on stock markets in the USA.
5 years from now, I see Anil Ambani acquiring TED for Rs. 100 crores cash.
|
Posted By: kulman
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 12:51pm
|
There would be a bidding war like for Corus Steel. The other suitors: Future Capital & a combine of NW18+Ambit Capital !! Reliance Money might win the auction !! ------------- Life can only be understood backwards—but it must be lived forwards |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 12:57pm
|
Sunday ke din khoob maja a raha hai na!!!! ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: smartcat
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:12pm
|
Kulman/Basant - I'm not joking at all. Here is my (unsolicited) business plan for TED - REORGANIZATION OF TED WEBSITE:
- The goal of reorganization of the website is to attract more visitors (members)
- The current structure of threads and posts on TED is - a member makes a post on a stock and all the posts are put in the same thread. This looks extremely clutter free but suffers from usability problems and is not search engine friendly.
- Let me explain the 'usability' bit first. The Pantaloon thread is 100 pages long. However, only about 20% of the posts are useful. The links to news, interviews etc are only useful for 2 months but not after 6 months or more. Ditto for quarterly results analysis. The current structure is not very 'new member friendly'.
- Search engines like Google, Yahoo & MSN will see TED as an authority site if there is a sub-forum for each stock under coverage (like Moneycontrol message board). While the main 'analysis' thread should be marked on top (like we have for RJ portfolio, March 2007 results etc), other Pantaloon topics should have new threads under the Pantaloon sub-forum.
However, the current message board software seems to be very search engine friendly (unlike moneycontrol.com's software).
MANAGING THE GROWTH:
The reorganization of the website should start increasing the number of members drastically. Growth in members brings along lots of administration problems with it. You will see lots of spammers coming in and posting their website URLs etc.
This will take up too much of Basant's time. To manage growth, Basant should appoint a few senior members as administrators (voluntary, not paid) to take care of routine admin stuff.
REVENUE GENERATION:
As membership increases, the costs go up too (hosting, software etc). Adsense generally doesn't work well on messageboards because of low CTR. However, it works great on article pages like 'Investment School'.
- Slowly, the TED website should start looking like Fool.com homepage. Lots of interesting articles on the homepage, news analysis etc. Adsense on these pages should take care of hosting/other admin expenses.
- Article format will further increase search engine exposure and increase traffic. The traffic will be converted into 'repeat traffic' thanks to 'stickiness' of the forum.
- Start offering custom advertising services (for banners, text links, forum sponsors, newsletter advertising etc etc).
- Start offering paid newsletter services.
|
Posted By: deveshkayal
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:14pm
|
I dont think shareholders will be ready to give up this co. ------------- "You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beat the guy with a 130 IQ. Rationality is essential"- Warren Buffett |
Posted By: kulman
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:14pm
|
Sunday ho yaa Monday.....everyday is a Funday !
On a serious note, SmartCat has made some very valid points in his business plan. ------------- Life can only be understood backwards—but it must be lived forwards |
Posted By: deveshkayal
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:19pm
|
This will take up too much of Basant's time. To manage growth, Basant should appoint a few senior members as administrators (voluntary, not paid) to take care of routine admin stuff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Main Hoon na! ------------- "You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beat the guy with a 130 IQ. Rationality is essential"- Warren Buffett |
Posted By: deveshkayal
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:25pm
|
TED should be a pay service as Kulmanji said it before. ------------- "You don't need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beat the guy with a 130 IQ. Rationality is essential"- Warren Buffett |
Posted By: smartcat
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:46pm
Oh I'm not sure what exactly Kulman said - but I disagree. Motley Fool tried to convert their forum into a paid one and it resulted in mass exodus of members. Obviously, they made the forum 'free' again.
However, I do agree that Basant is not running a charity here. Costs will go up with number of members, but there are ways of monetizing a forum without resorting to asking for money for membership.
One popular method used by forum owners across the world to recover the costs is to open a 'supporters sub-forum'. Pay Rs. XXXX per year and get access to the elite 'TED Supporters Forum' where little known stock market 'secrets' are discused by senior members
|
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 1:57pm
|
Smartcat has indeed done an excellent analysis of the site future growth requirements. Does this http://www.masteringadwords.com/ - http://www.masteringadwords.com/ belong to you smartcat jee. Saw it yesterday on your profile.
For site general administration etc. like handling spammers, making sure people adhere to rules etc. etc., there are many who would voluntarily come forward that is not an issue at all. For tech. admin., Basant sir already has that staff.
The ball rests in Basant jee's court finally. I am sure he is doing the needful. Of course, all TEDdies would be all the way with you, hands-down. The biggest USP of the website in my humble opinion, is the analysis that Basant sir does and this can converted into a paid newsletter after the crowd grows. Each penny the member spends would be well worth it!!!
Also, if Bubble ji is reading this...GVI also has a free forum but there is a GVI Pro forum that senior(pro.) members go to where strategies and discussions are more intense and this part is paid. This is also a good idea. ------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: BubbleVision
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 2:12pm
|
Yes...Om. About http://www.global-view.com - www.global-view.com .
They have 5 different forums which are in "Chat" format. They dont have a "Thread" system.
GVI Pro (Paid)
Forex Forum...Free
Futures Forum...Free
Help Forum. ....Free
Political Forum...Free
GVI is really really Good and contains extremly helpful information.
------------- You can't make money if you are unwilling to lose...It's like willing to breathe in but not willing to breathe out. -- ED SEYKOTA ....Read Disclaimer! |
Posted By: basant
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 3:48pm
|
SMartcat: That is exactly what the guy who handles all the backend search engine indexing etc told me.But I thought going that way would take a lot of time and therefore have kept that in abeyance!
Still thanks for that suggestion it does merit some serious consideration. ------------- 'The Thoughtful Investor: A Journey to Financial Freedom Through Stock Market Investing' - A Book on Equity Investing especially for Indian Investors. Book your copy now: www.thethoughtfulinvestor.in |
Posted By: omshivaya
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 4:05pm
|
I know how you feel sir, but a little pain today will go a long way. Same kind of feeling: Holding a high-growth stock whose stock price has gone up a lot and earnings will catch up in around 6 months for the stock to seem attractive again. Only this time, after 6 months, the stock price would seem far more attractive. Though you are guru jee, it's my very very very humble opinion...TIME is of essence!!! Hope I am NOT speaking more than my mouth should!! ------------- The most important quality for an investor is temperament,not intellect.A temperament that neither derives great pleasure from being with the crowd nor against it |
Posted By: smartcat
Date Posted: 27/May/2007 at 4:27pm
You need to involve the community in this too.
Once you have a plan ready, start a new thread on this matter and ask for volunteers. List out the tasks to be done, time commitment required (Eg: 2 hours per week) and the technical requirements (Eg: knowledge of PHPBB, knowledge of html etc).
However, only offer the 'job' to people whom you know for a long time. Trust is important here.
Let me add that I'm not suggesting anything revolutionary. This is how communities grow on the internet - by involving the members. Work will be done by email, internet and a few frantic "why on earth did you do that" phone calls
 - all part of 'growth' of a website. |