Everyone wants to make money! I suppose this is a fair assumption, don't you agree?

But making money has never been an easy thing to do. If it was, we'd all be millionaires.

There are too many obstacles in the so-called 'real life'... obstacles which prevent most of us from actually making a good living. Age, for example... and a college education. Lack of experience, sparcity of decent jobs, and location are also important factors in this.

So when people heard about the concept of "online businesses," they went nuts over it. Everyone wanted a piece of the e-commerce pie. People of all ages, genders, nationalities, and levels of education came to the Net in droves, dreaming of the promise of easy, quick money. They signed up for free hosting offers, joined a couple of money-making programs (e.g. Google AdSense), put up a couple of banners on their Websites, then sat back and waited for the 'money-cow' to pour its milk for them.

Unfortunately, they're still waiting... because things on the Net don't work this way.


In this thread, my goal is to show new Net-comers how things actually work online. But before we do that, I suppose it makes sense to tell you what might qualify me to talk about such a topic...

I've been a part of the Internet business world since 1997. In these 8 years, I've come across almost everything that deals with Internet Marketing, Online Business building, cyber-scams, and the Internet in general. I've read basically all there is to read, asked every question there is to ask, and tried everything there is to try.

I've learnt many things by doing so... but I've also learnt a lot of things the hard way... i.e. through trial-and-error. And BOY, have I made a lot of mistakes!

But that wasn't a completely bad thing, really. Because, you see, every mistake I made taught one more thing to NOT do again. And as I gained more and more experience, my mistakes became fewer and farther apart. Now, even though I still make the occasional mistake, I can honestly say that I know what it takes to build a successful business online.

So I suppose the question now might be: "If what I'm saying is true, then why do I want to share it with others? If it really does work for me, why don't I just keep it to myself?" And the answer is really simple... I've a very nice guy .

Ok, seriously now.. the reason I'm not afraid to share what I've learnt is that it wouldn't hurt me or hurt my online business status in the least. You see, the Internet is really, REALLY big. There's place for everyojne to build a good business for him/herself, without worrying too much about competition. The secret is to "do it RIGHT!"

And that's precisely what I'm hoping to explain in this thread. I'm going to talk about the different types of online businesses, what the pros and cons of each type are, and how YOU can do it without the need for great sums of money, effort, or experience. Only two things are required from you to be successful online... one is the commitment to learn, the other is Motivation.

************

In the next post, we're going to talk about WHY you really should think about building your own online business... whether you're a 13-year old working from your bedroom in your pajamas, a college student who wants to make money to pay for tuition and still have plenty of time to study and have fun, a housewife or a stay-at-home mom who needs the extra cash but doesn't want to sacrifice her quality time with her children, or even a middle-aged person who already has a job but is looking for an easy, secondary income-stream.

This is going to be a very important post. Why? Because it will be your "MOTIVATION!"

It's gonig to show you the full benefits of having your own online business, AND it will elevate your level of confidence about actually doing it.

Trust me, it'll be an enjoyable read .



All the best,
Transcendum

It may be out of place to post a reply at this point of time, but I think your next posts, backed up with 8 years of experience in online business, will show a good direction. And you are very much correct, we have to learn by making mistakes and gather experience to refine ourselves. Nothing else seems to work and there is, probably, no short route. I have seen people crying out in frustration. But there are people like you, who are doing it. Online Business seems to be a good dream to start with and ends up as a nightmare for many. So, you are most welcome to share your experience with us. Hopefully, it will help the newcomers a lot.
Regards,
Sid

Hello everyone,


I think that no matter what kind of online business you have, or are planning to have, your goal is to make money!

In this thread, I’ll try to show you the best ways to make business online. We’ll talk about many things... sometimes, we’ll talk about traffic... other times, we’ll discuss affiliate programs... or Web design... or Google AdSense.

If you already have a Website, this thread will show you how to turn it into a profitable sales-machine .

If you don’t have a Website, but are planning to have one soon, great! There won’t be errors to correct. I’ll show you how to convert a blank HTML document into a powerful site that actually makes money.



* But Why Should You Even Want To Read This Thread?


No Website yet? Or just starting one? Here’s some good news...

Not all Websites are trying to make money. But their numbers are growing, and quickly too! Many surveys show that most businesses who have yet to establish a Web presence intend to do so soon. And not only big companies, but people like you and I too. Those who don’t stand to lose out on a big piece of the Online Pie!

Other studies show that consumers have already started a serious shift towards buying via the Web. Just think about how many people you know buy their books, computers, DVDs, etc. through the Web.

But better still...

The Web is just starting to hit its stride! Its expansion from an almost exclusively North American-based invention to a world-wide phenomenon is beginning in earnest. People from all over the world are taking to the Web in droves. Almost every man, woman, and teenager is gladly embracing the Web... Everywhere.

For them: the Web resembles information, access to a world-wide market, and product they cannot get locally.

And for you?

An eager and quickly expanding marketplace. It’s a total Win-Win situation. Here, see for yourself the survey headlines by respected research companies...



What’s the bottom line?

This mass movement will radically alter the way the world buys and sells almost everything. Which boils down to a simple, but crucial, conclusion...

If you’re not selling like crazy on the Net soon, you’re toast! And it’s basically everyone else that will be doing the toasting.

And if you’re not part of a large company, then this is the opportunity of the millennium, especially if you’re like me... just an “average Joe/Josephine.”

Because as long as Internet access fees remain low and for as long as the Search Engine remain free or at least affordable, you’re on an equal footing with IBM and Microsoft. Seriously.

Yes, Microsoft has thousands of pages on its Website. And yes, your Website is infinitely smaller, and you’re unknown...

But when a visitors hits your Home Page, you own the screen. You have the same primary opportunity to grab that visitor and send him/her down a pathway that will make money for you.

But the time to act is NOW!

You simply cannot delay any longer... seriously! Already Search Engines are making a noticeable shift towards “pay-per-listing” and “pay-per-inclusion” rankings. The barriers to making money online for the average guy/gal are slowly, but surely, rising.

But you’ve still got time if you get started right now. Grab this opportunity and start building your online business now.

Seriously, just do it! -- Apologies to Nike



* Are You Already On The Web?


Right now, at this very moment, someone is probably browsing your Website. It’s make-or-break time...

But do you know why most Websites fail to make any money? Because they’re built with either the wrong attitude... or no attitude at all.

Online business is about dealing with one customer at a time, one-to-one. It also has two very important aspects to keep in mind...

1. the customer sought you out... this is a big positive.

2. there are a million other Websites who want a few moments from your customer as well. And the customer can click you away in a second. This is a HUGE negative.

And who is your customer? Anyone who comes to your Website, and who has the potential to click your ads, buy your products (if you have any), subscribe to your offers, or whatever it is that makes the money for you.

So please... empty whatever concept you may have in your mind about online businesses and replace it with the above. You must visualize yourself and your customer together, with that big positive and that big negative, before you go any further with this thread.

So you’re ready? Perfect! Let’s continue then...

During those one-to-one meetings between you and your customer, you will meet all kinds of customers. Some will immediately click on your ads or buy your products. Others will have millions of questions and head down all kinds of side paths. But you should never lose track of your ultimate goal -- getting the customer to do whatever it is that will make you money. This is exactly what your Website must do, and WILL do, as you read and put the information in this thread to use .



* Are You Just Thinking About Building An Online Business?


Making money on the Web is an outstanding and exciting business opportunity for EVERYONE...

- very affordable to start up

- low advertising costs

- no need to hire someone to do it for you

- easy to automate

- you work at your own pace

- a worldwide marketplace that is easy to reach

- easy and cheap to test and experiment

- quick to generate income

- easy to measure response and effectiveness of advertising


So stop thinking... there’s nothing to think about. Do it!

Other Online Business-people are already passing you by. If you can’t see an obvious way to make money online, others will.

You will never again see such a low-risk, high-reward opportunity. If you have any kind of expertise, talent, or hobby that you think people on the Web will be interested in learning about, then stop thinking and DO!

In a couple of years, when the surfing speed is a thousand times the speed of today, and when the Search Engines are no longer free or affordable, your dream of making money online will be much harder and more expensive to reach.

So Get Going!



* Is E-commerce Dying?


Absolutely not. E-ccomerce is alive and well!

Yes, a couple of years ago, after the DotCom craze faded out, the media kept telling us that e-commerce was dead forever. Million dollar enterprises folded by the truckload. Hugely-funded online ventures like Boo.com fell flat.

But e-commerce itself wasn’t affected. In fact, if anything, the failure of those companies has been very beneficial to the average people, like you and me, who want to make money online.

You see, these companies kept pouring their money into the Web, with the sole purpose of dominating the online market share. They didn’t have time to plan “how” they were going to get that market share to generate money. That’s why it was called the DotCom craze in the first place. Plus, people weren’t used to the Web in the first place. They were afraid of it. They would’ve never trusted it enough for them to fish out their wallets and hand their credit card information to those “invisible” guys on the other side of the screen.

So is it really surprising that greed, little or no business plan, gross mismanagement, and a brand-new marketing medium add up to disaster? I don’t think so.

But guess what? To those who paid attention, the DotCom crash was inevitable. Companies were so over-valued, they had only one place to go... down.

As the Web goes through more growing pains, we’re likely to see adjustments here and there. But don’t worry about it. All you really need to know is...

Having a successful online business is about revenue -- making money.

Yes, the Web is still a great place to build a business, provided you do your homework, and have a solid business plan.

Absolutely... e-commerce is alive and well.

Now, go get ‘em. .



* It Doesn’t Take Lots of Money!


If you listen to what people say about Google, eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo, you’d think a decent online business can’t be started for less than $50,000.

Not true!

A profitable e-biz can be up and running for significantly less than $100. It could even be made with no money at all, but you will certainly have to work much harder to do it. In this thread, we’ll try to focus on free and very-inexpensive methods.

Getting started on the Web is becoming easier and easier. Other than the SE’s gradual shift towards paid listings, it’s also becoming cheaper. Things are improving on an almost daily basis. There are so many more options available now than they were when I fist started learning about online businesses.

What are the absolute necessities to get started?...

- An HTML editor (preferably a WYSIWYG one, e.g. FrontPage or DreamWeaver)

- This thread (congratulations, I see you have that one already) :wink2:

- A simple graphics editor

- Your own domain name and hosting account

- Being a member in a Web business and computer-related forum for help on technical issues

- A business plan


Yes, your own successful online business is as practical now as it was years ago. In fact, it’s even more so.




* Online Businesses Are For Everyone


I make only one assumption about you, dear reader...

You want your Website to make money.

If you don’t know “how” your Website will do that, don’t worry; we’ll talk about many great ideas later on.

But first, let’s get the technical issues out of the way. And that’s what we will do in the next post .




... to be continued.

Wow that's a long read, but you are right I do feel a little more motivated then I did before just by reading that. If you are going to explain some more techincal information about *actually* building a site, may I recommend a link to www.w3schools.com for those who want do it the best way or those that may need to manually change/fix something.

Using frontpage and dreamweaver is fine but they bloat your documents pretty bad in some cases, but if this *article* sort of thing would be way too large if it went into detail on that one heh.

Hello Chesso ,


Well then, I'm glad it helped . Hopefully, the following posts will keep building upon this.


A great suggestion, Chesso. Thanks, I sure will use it.



You're right, of course. WYSIWYS software generally bloat thier output, but I just mentioned those simply because they're the most famous. But as we actually discuss the technicalities, I'll mention other less-invasive software and tools.

And don't worry, I'm not going to go into detail on that . My goal is to just explain how and why things work online, and then point people to the best places where they can learn more about it.

Thanks for the kind comments and great input, Chesso .


Cheers.