Now's the time to be exploring this alternative business opportunity.

Many iconic household name brands were started on a shoestring. Will your online business be the next Apple? Maybe.  But there is a lot of space for success between being a trillion dollar megabrand and not being in business at all.  These days, businesses can be entirely online and all you really need is a laptop or a smartphone.  In this week's episode, host Eric Martsolf dives into “Starting an Online Business For Dummies” by Shannon Belew and Joel Elad. ABOUT HOST, ERIC MARTSOLF With over 3500 episodes of television under his belt, Mr. Martsolf has been providing "love in the afternoon" for NBC Daytime for the last 17 years. His portrayals of Ethan Winthrop on "Passions" and currently Brady Black on "Days of our Lives" have resulted in numerous industry accolades. He made daytime history in 2014 by being the first actor ever to win an Emmy in the Best Supporting Actor category for "Days of our Lives." His television credits expand into primetime (Extant, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles), and his musical theatre repertoire consists of over 40 productions, including his critically acclaimed role as the Pharaoh in the Osmond Broadway Tour of "Joseph." Fans of the DC Universe will most notably recognize him as Justice League member and futuristic hero Booster Goldfrom the series Smallville.   @ericmartsolf - Twitter (Blue check mark)   ericmartsolf - Instagram (Blue check mark)   ABOUT JOEL ELAD Joel Elad is a social networking, Internet, and eBay guru with a software development background and a yearning for entrepreneurship. He has authored or co-authored several books, including Facebook Advertising For Dummies and Starting an Online Business All-in-One For Dummies.