Time Lost: 15 minutes to 2 hours (depending on what else distracts me while I'm up.)

Hunger -- What? I can't just sit there and never want food!

Time Lost: 1 hour (hey, sometimes I can eat a lot.)

Phone Calls -- Every time I sit down at computer, apparently it's a signal for my wife and kids to want to call someone. I guess I should just spend money and put in another phone line, but they would probably just take that one over, too.

Time Lost: 1 hour

Fatigue -- This is an interesting phenomenon as well. I can run all day taking care of other things or playing around and feel just fine. Then, as soon as I spend 10 minutes sitting in front of computer, I'm tired.

Time Lost: 2 hours

"It's OK, I'm Boss" -- I've used this excuse with myself to take time off WAY too many times.

Time Lost: 2 hours

Movies -- I like movies. Even with TV going in a separate room, they still tempt me. Of course, if kids wouldn't have volume up to 90 decibels, it might not be such a problem.

Time Lost: 2 hours

Now, here's catch. If I was working at a regular job how many of these excuses would fly? You guessed it, NONE!

So, what am I going to do about it? Since I am boss, does this mean I have to fire myself?

Well, so far, my answer to problem has been 16 hour work day. I plan a 16 hour work day, thereby allowing enough time for all distractions. So how much time do those distractions take?

According to what I listed above, about 14 hours. That leaves only 2 hours for real work.

Well, next time you see an ad for a home business claiming you only have to work a few hours a week, now you'll know why.

Because that's all that's really possible anyway!

5. One of best advertising mediums out there is ezine advertising (which is why I receive so many of these bogus "joint venture" proposals). Understand though that person writing and publishing an ezine that accepts paid advertising from third parties is running a *business*. True, some publishers will accept free ads from subscribers but they are usually just starting out and offering free ads is a good way to generate new subscribers. As a result, their subscriber numbers are pretty low (only a few hundred or a couple of thousand at best) and so result will probably be disappointing unless it's an extremely targeted list. So, if you want to get your message to a large, targeted group of prospects, ezine advertising is your best bet. But be prepared to pay.

Contrary to what many people apparently believe, running an online business is hard work. It's not a simple matter of slapping up a website, posting a few free classified ads, submitting your URL to free search engines and then turning your computer on in morning to find an inbox overflowing with orders that came in overnight while you were sleeping. This is a MYTH perpetuated by authors (and VERY hard-working authors, I might add) of those so-called "secret sites" memberships and "insider secrets" marketing courses. They make their money by selling you FANTASY that it's possible to make money online without working (or that you don't have to spend money to make money).

Running an online business requires an enormous time commitment initially just to create a useful website and just as much (if not more) of a commitment to maintain it, create new content, develop products, publish a newsletter and basically do all marketing things that ANY business must do to grow, whether online or off.

So, next time you're looking for ways to market your product or opportunity without spending a dime, think about who you're approaching. If it's a free classified ad site, fine. But if it's someone just like you trying to make a living with a business of their own, ask yourself: What's in it for them to promote your product for free? Consider how you would feel if you had invested two years of blood, sweat and tears building a business in your town only to have people walk into your office expecting you to help them market your product for free. It just ain't gonna happen unless there's something in it for them. The same is true online. Don't make mistake of thinking that someone's online business is just a hobby and that they're there for sole purpose of helping you make a success of your business. They're not. They may be helpful, they may offer advice and encouragement but, when all is said and done, they're in business, just like you. Bottom line: you have to pay your way in this life and that includes online.