I'm not a geek but I want to start an online business

I have no web-building background but I genuinely believe in an online business. I wish to build an online directory and I have little budget as of now.

So should I:

1. Go get educated
2. Rope in an IT-savvy partner
3. Hire someone

You forgot 4: find something you CAN do.

THis sounds a little like "hey, I can not even boil water, but i want to open a restaurant, but have no budget. what should I do".

Think about what you would answer to this ;)

Especially "online community" sounds like the next pizzeria - already plenty around. Do you have the business side nicely nailed down, or is it something like "hey, I have the price list of that pizza service across the road, that is enough"?

I just took a look at your blog. It sounds like you are really committed to doing something entrepreneurial. If that is the case and you don't have much experience, then you should learn all you can while taking as little risk as possible.

Successful entrepreneurs have often had 2 - 3 businesses that were failures before they create a business that is a winner. One of the reasons for this is that there is a steep learning curve.

Successful entrepreneurs are also very good at managing risk. They know they need to keep their heads above water in order to survive and make the business successful.

There are lots of great ways to learn about entrepreneurship - from formal education to hanging around places like this one. So use them. But the best way to learn about entrepreneurship is to actually do something. Start with something small that is do-able for you. Have a think about what your skills are, what resources you have access to and what you are passionate about. Pick an opportunity that you feel confident about and that you feel you have the skills to implement and progress from there. What you learn from practical experience will be the biggest benefit to you of all.

BUT remember the trick is to learn all you can without taking risks that will wipe you out so you can keep your head above water long enough to be successful!

It sounds like you might be interested in social entrepreneurship. There is a lot of great stuff around that you can check out about this. Let me know if you want some recommendations of great resources to look at.

I have some stuff on my site that may help you learn more about how to find and implement a good business opportunity too, if you want to take a look.

Good luck,

I wish to build an online directory
and I have little budget as of now.

So should I: 1. Go get educated 2.
Rope in an IT-savvy partner or 3. Hire
someone?

1) Is the answer, since you are even considering an "online directory." When you have a more original idea, then 2) or 3) might be advised. "Go get educated," doesn't even cost any money, depending on your interests and amount of time to invest.

...I genuinely believe in an online
business.

Your enthusiasm is a huge asset, so you will do very well. :)

It doesn't sound like you have a decent idea yet.

A typical process for someone who wants to start a company is first to work as a co-founder in one, for a year or so. It gives you a chance to learn by looking.

Also, if you are in Singapore, you may want to consider applying to the Founder Institute, they have a branch there. That would be a huge accelerator if yout got accepted.

We all start at the same point, knowing nothing. And then, as time goes by, we learn more and more. There is nothing magical about entrepreneurs (actually, it's pretty unglamorous, I just wrote about this recently and people resonated with it: "No one told me what being an entrepreneur really means ")

Apologies for all the links, but I'm trying to say that there is help out there. Keep asking questions. Meet people. It's amazing how much energy you can get from just basic interaction.