The answer is a definite YES.

Research shows, time and again, that consumers want to spend more online, and that internet is fast becoming an integral part of their lifestyle and it'll continue to be so. Internet consumers are cautious and they want sites that are credible and worth shopping before they part with their money.

The traditional brick-and-mortar rules of business still apply to internet business. It's prudent to remember that internet is not your business goal; it's a medium in helping you achieve your business goals.

Adhere to my following Rules and you'll be on your way to building a viable, sustainable and successful internet business.

---------------------------------------------- 1. Develop a viable business plan ----------------------------------------------

The biggest reason why so many dotcoms failed is an inadequate business plan of how and when they will achieve profitability. To have a successful and sustainable internet business, developing a viable business plan from outset is crucial.

Your plan must have a clear and sincere vision that has meaning to you and your business. Your main focus should be to 'plan to profit' within a set period of time and this would require you to allow time for thoughtful researching, planning, executing and testing. You'll need to test out your business model first and ensure that it's viable and sustainable.

Don't make same mistakes that many dotcoms made - trying to build a global brand before their business model even worked as it'll lead you into receivership faster.

Regardless of how fanciful and good your website is, if your aim is not to make profit, you'll go out of business. ------------------------------------------ 2. Model someone successful ------------------------------------------

It's always wise to learn from mistakes of other people rather than to learn from your own mistakes as this can sometimes be very costly and painful.

Track and learn from benchmarked success stories, be they your competitors or otherwise. Why would you want to spend time re-inventing wheel when you can learn from those who've already been there and done it successfully. Learn how they design their website, create products, write salescopy, their sales process, etc.

-------------------------------------- 3. Focus on a niche market --------------------------------------

Don't be everything to everybody by trying to dominate a huge and general market because you just simply can't do it effectively.

Focus your internet business on a targetable portion of market or a narrowly defined group of potential customers. Address need for a product or service that's not being addressed by mainstream providers. The advantage of this is that it's less competitive in such a market as large businesses won't want to be in it.

If you learn how other people make money online, I mean really study how it’s done and ask a lot of questions, there is no reason in world you cannot make money on internet as well. How do people make money with websites? There are literally tens of thousands of things people make money on from net. From hard goods of all kinds (anything that can be shipped, including cars and boats!) to information and memberships.

People make money selling insurance, car parts, reports on every imaginable topic people want to know more about, selling affiliate products, and even fundraising for charity!

That’s right! People make money helping their favorite charities raise money. By creating an in-demand product for a charity to sell to their members, and letting them keep at least 50%, you can make money as a professional fundraiser.

I know someone who makes money selling a dog biscuit and dog food cookbook! That’s right, a cookbook for dog lovers to make treats for their pets. I told you! Anything goes on net as long as there are buyers looking for what you sell.

It’s truly mind boggling how some people make money online. You just have to be creative and understand how net works and how people shop online. You have to know how to get into search engines so people can find you.