The Truth about Building a Business on the 'Net

We've all read claims of fast money; the alluring siren-call
of the Internet 'get-rich-quick' scheme can be hard to
resist.

Most of us have also heard the saying, "If it seems too
good to be true, it probably is..." We know in our hearts
that 'get-rich-quick' can't possibly work, yet we can't
help but be intrigued by it.

Instead of pursuing the fruitless search for a quick and
easy way to make money on the 'net, drill the following
into your brain right now: There is NO SUCH THING as
'get-rich-quick'. You CAN earn a solid income from the
Internet, if you're willing to put in the time, effort,
and money.

Here's a quick summary for those of you who are thinking
about starting a business online. Let's start with the
disadvantages first, to get them out of the way...

- Hard work and long hours. Just like any business,
building one online requires a great deal of effort.
Most people do it while still working a full-time job
elsewhere; you may find it hard to keep doing what you
have to do when you're always 'exhausted'.

- Always changing. What works online today might not work
tomorrow. When you do business on the 'net you have to
constantly 'keep up' or you may find profits beginning
to lag. Educating yourself is a continuing process. If
you hate change then the Internet is probably not for you.

- Need to be able to cut through the 'hype'. You'll find
plenty of misleading promises on the Internet, many of
which will tell you that there's some sort of 'magic
bullet' to getting sales. There isn't. Sorting through
marketing techniques that work and those that don't can
be very time-consuming.

- Definitely *not* a quick-rich-quick scheme! Regardless
of what you may read, the Internet is *not* the path to
quick, easy money and not everyone will be successful
online. An online business contains an element of risk,
just like any other business.

- "Build it and they will come" does NOT apply to the 'net.
Your web page is only one of billions. Learning how to
get the *right* people to see your site is a tough job.

- Persistence is vital to your success. Just like with
any business, there's a lot to learn. It's very easy
to give up and try something else online... but playing
'biz op tag' isn't going to help you make money any
faster.

That being said, there are lots of advantages for doing
business on the Internet! It truly offers one of the best
opportunities for the 'average' person to test their
entrepreneurial spirit. Some of the advantages of being
an online business owner are:

+ Affordable startup costs. You can get started with
just a few hundred bucks.

+ Flexible. Because your work is done on your computer
and from home, you get to choose when you work.

+ Possibility of more free time -- eventually. Some
online businesses can be automated to a certain extent.
Automation will help to reduce your workload and
eventually give you more free time.

+ Testing and research are relatively cheap. Need to
find out what your potential audience thinks of a
product idea? Chances are, there's a message board
(or a hundred) where your potential audience gathers.
Need to research your competition? Use the search
engines. There's so much you can do online for little
or no money.

+ Exciting! If you thrive on change, the Internet is
one of the best places to get it! You can experiment
and test to your heart's content for minimal cost.

+ Ever-growing. Every day more people get 'connected'
to the 'net. That means that your potential audience
is always growing.

+ Multiple streams of income. You have the ability to
sell lots of different products online -- including
other company's products, in return for a commission
-- which means that you can potentially earn several
'pay cheques'! A bunch of 'smaller' cheques may not
seem like much on their own, but add them all up and
they can become a solid stream of income.

+ Opportunity is everywhere! The Internet reaches a
worldwide audience with a wide variety of interests.
There are countless niches on which you can focus your
energies!

Some people turn a profit within just a few months; others
take years. There are lots of 'little guys' -- small, home
based businesses -- who are happily and successfully earning
a living from the Internet. Will you be the next?