Copyright 2005 Richard GradyI know, I know, it seems like every man and his dog are trying to start an Internet business. At every online turn, there is someone punting their new website. With so many people trying to crack Internet marketing game, are there any real opportunities left online?
This is a common question and one which I am asked on a regular basis but truth is that there is still an absolute world of opportunity out there. Although it might seem like 'everyone' is trying to make it with their own online business, fact is that only a very small fraction of population have any idea that it is possible to earn money online and an even smaller number have any idea just how much money can be earned in this way.
By way of illustration of this point, I found myself in situation this week of having to try and explain to someone what I did for a living. Even after having had several years of practice this task is not getting any easier! I was at a local car dealership and I got chatting to owner and he asked me what I did as a job (a perfectly reasonable question given that he was hoping to sell me a car and clearly wanted a rough idea about how much money he thought I had to spend!). I had to pause for a second before answering because I am now used to fact that whatever I said in reply to this question, response would almost certainly be a blank look. The conversation went something like this:
Salesman: So what do you do for a living?
Me: ***Pause*** Erm, well, I suppose you would call me an Internet publisher or Internet marketer.
Salesman: ***Silence***
Me: I run a business on Internet - I own a portfolio of websites.
Salesman: Ah, so you are a website designer?
Me: Well, yes, I do design websites but only for my own use, I don't design for other people.
Salesman: Oh...... but how can that earn you any money?
Me: Lots of different ways - people buy information that I have available and other businesses advertise on my sites. I also make money by selling products that other people have developed and taking a commission.
Salesman: Mmm, I thought only way to make money from Internet was with porn?
Me: ***Sigh*** That's one way but it isn't what I do :-)
The conversation continued for another twenty minutes or so as I tried to explain in more detail exactly what I did. Fortunately salesman had an Internet connection in his showroom so I was able to show him a few of my sites. Eventually I could see that he was starting to get picture but it was clear that concept of running a business entirely on Internet was something completely new to him (and this is actually case with vast majority of people).