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The Internet is one of the best opportunities for working from home.
It provides a fabulous opportunity for the everyday person to make a
more than decent living from home.
Why Start a Business on the Internet?
- Low start-up costs and very few overhead costs. In the "offline" world, you would
likely need thousands of dollars for office space, supplies, inventory, and so on. On the
Internet, you can operate with very little money. For example, my monthly expenses are
typically just for hosting my site and Internet access - well under $100 a month. Very
low risk!
- Your online business is portable. No matter where you are, you can do business so long as
you have an Internet connection. There are very few jobs that can claim this! Imagine
your daily "commute" simply requiring you to wander from your kitchen or bedroom to
your home office.
- Your online business can generate income 24 hours a day. The Internet is always
"open". Even while you're sleeping, playing with the kids, on vacation, or whatever,
your online business continues to work for you.
- Huge potential customer base. Every day, more and more people are getting
connected to the Internet. You will have a global audience - there are no borders!
- Flexibility with your time. Some home businesses, such as running a daycare
from your home, require you to be working all the time during the "business day".
On the Internet there is no real business hours; if you need to take a break to
do something else, it'll wait.
Typical Traits of an Online Entrepreneur:
While doing business online can be very tempting, it isn't for everyone.
Most successful online entrepreneurs share many of the same personality traits:
- Dearly love to work nose-to-nose with their computers. You do have to be
somewhat of a computer lover to be successful online; after all, you're going to
spend the bulk of your time using it!
- Able to adapt quickly to changes. The Internet is a constantly evolving
business place; you need to be able to react quickly and effectively to its changes.
- Willingness to experiment and learn. Doing business online requires a lot of
experimentation to see what works best. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't;
successful online entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes.
- Customer service oriented. Yes, this is the web and you don't actually meet
your customers face-to-face. But because this is the Internet customers have come to
expect fast responses to their inquiries. Good netrepreneurs strive to provide the
best customer service possible.
- Willingness to work long, hard hours. Doing business online is a job, and like
every other job you have to put in a great deal of hard work to be successful. Expect
long hours, especially in the beginning.
What Should You Expect?
- It will take time before you see any money. There is no such thing as a
get-rich-quick opportunity. Don't expect to see the profits rolling in right away;
it could be months or even years before you start making money.
- Expect to spend a lot of time learning. People often worry about learning HTML;
in reality, that's one of the least of your worries. Designing an effective website,
learning how to get traffic, learning how to market your own newsletter ... those are
some of the things you will need to spend time learning.
- Expect to spend some money. Yes, you can do business online with very little
investment. You will still need to spend a little money in the beginning to get
started. For example, investing in a good "how-to" manual will get you much farther
and much faster than bumbling around online for a few years trying to make a buck.
In fact, a good manual will actually save you money by preventing you from spending
money on ineffective advertising.
- You WILL make mistakes. Everybody does. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
- You'll have bad days and good days. Being self-employed on the Internet means
that some days (or weeks, or months) will bring in a lot of money; others won't. You
will have to try to budget your money so that your "bad" times will be offset from
savings during your "good" times.
How Do You Get Started?
- Start with the basics. Learn what you'll need to do business
online. A good place to start is at the Online Business Basics website.
- Invest in a good manual. A good manual is invaluable: it can tell you how to avoid
the pitfalls of doing business online (thus saving you countless hours as well as money); and
it teaches you the unique techniques and skills you need to be successful on the web.
Make Your Site Sell!
is excellent.
- Do your learning first ... then go "live". Once you've learned the basics and have
digested the key points of your manual, then you can start creating your business!
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In this section:
Getting Started
Money Matters
Doing Business Online
Your Home Office
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