Once in a while I get an e-mail that reads along these lines:

"Send me your product first. If satisfied, will pay. Too many scams out there. Prove that you're not."

or

"Help me make it happen for me, then I will send you my payment."

or better yet

"I am a poor man from South Africa. Praying to God that you will send me ALL of your products for free. I want you to be my guide, my coach, my mentor... and have it in your heart not to charge me until I start making money."

At first, I thought, what heck - his $40 will not make me any richer, and would send person my products free of charge. Especially since these e-books didn't cost anything to deliver.

Of course it sounds fantastic. How many people do you know that have succeeded at any get-rich-quick scheme? Ever purchased one? How did that work for you?

Can you get rich with an online business? You bet. The operative work is "quick" and implication is "minimal effort or work". Ask any successful online business owner (with multiple years of experience) and I'm sure "quick" is not necessarily a response you'll hear.

An online business is just that, a business. That "internet work week" of 15-20 hours per week is real, once you have your business up and running. But getting there is a different story. It's a great goal and many people aspire to achieve it, I know I do.

The top selling products on Internet didn't happen overnight, but some products do take off quickly. The owner has probably spent many months building a customer base, increasing subscriber opt-in list, finely tuning sales copy, market testing sales approach, and working to have a visible website.

It doesn't happen overnight.

Physically and emotionally, are you prepared for demands?

A business owner will wear multiple several hats. This can be stressful to your overall emotional and physical health. Do you have stamina? Are you prepared to put in long hours to succeed?

Do you have support of your family? Otherwise it will be more difficult to succeed. Your family will take on more responsibility as you expend effort towards business.

Do you have a passion for your new business venture? This will help overcome emotional roller coaster that comes with building your own business.

How are your customer service skills? How much time and effort are you planning to spend cultivating customer relationships, answering questions, and addressing issues?

Think of merchants you frequent. Why do you keep coming back? Is it products, customer service, price, responsiveness, or accessibility? It's probably all of above. The merchant didn't have your respect or trust initially, it was earned, over time.

So you have a product and you start to promote it. You get some initial sales, but then what? The key to real success is sustaining business month after month. Keeping your product fresh and up-to-date. It's no different for any business.

The leaders in any field constantly promote their products. Soft drink companies, car manufacturers, and fast food restaurant chains spend millions of dollars each year on advertising.