| Your car needs brakes, Jimmy wants $89 to buy a new pair of
sneakers, and the dentist just told you Julie needs braces. If
only money grew on trees! But wait! What about the Internet?
Heck, you've got a computer. And there are all these ads about
making money online. Why not you? You could make money starting
an Internet business, too. All you'll need is a web site and
your email address. Right? Well, not quite... let me explain.
Despite the opportunity ads that claim you can get rich in your
own "Internet business," the Internet is not a "business" unless
you are an Internet Service Provider (ISP), a web developer, or
run a huge web portal like Yahoo. Neither is it the yellow brick
road to wealth.
The Internet, you see, is a tool. True, it is a multifaceted
tool. It can be used for some marketing tasks, it can be used
for research, and it can be used to increase productivity, or to
communicate with your customers. And, like carpenters' tools or
mechanics' tools, just having access to the tools, doesn't mean
you can use them successfully.
But what about all these people you hear about who are making
money on the web? Not the dead dot coms, but the "little" guys
and gals, the ones who say they make anywhere from $50,000 to
$200,000 or more on the Internet? If they're not running
Internet businesses, what are they doing? And how can you do it,
too? The answer is that those who have succeeded in making
money through the Internet have created a business with products
and services that offer real or perceived value to their
customers. The products may be books (or e-books), humor, how-to
advice, soap, clothing, foods, design services, writing
services, or any other product or service. But the secret to
their success isn't the Internet. It's what they know about the
products and services and the market for those products and
services. And it's their passion and willingness to persevere,
experiment and learn the best ways to reach their market -
online and offline. |
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