The creation and promotion of a web site is first step in becoming a serious online concern and is now considered a vital part of any companies continued viability. It doesn't matter what you sell; whether it's tooth brushes, recruitment services or Boeing 747's; business world of today requires you to have an interactive web representation - because if you don't, your competitors will.

Some business owners may think to themselves "I only have a small market", or "I don't want to go international" - It doesn't matter any more. Even if you only service a small, localised market, your online competitors are happy to seek your clients out and to take your business by offering better support - A business who markets on Internet is a 24 hour a day business, which suits our modern lives. A business with a strong Internet focus also has less staffing, fixtures and fittings overheads, therefore can be more competitive in pricing of their services.

For many organisations, Internet can also provide a more economical form of advertising. Before rejecting idea of going online in a big way, consider this: how much did you spend on other forms of advertising this year? Perhaps some of that budget on throw away promotions could be diverted into an ongoing advert - a web site. Does your mainstream advertising draw people back to your advertisement? People won't usually read an advertisement more than a couple of times. An interactive web site actually draws them back; building brand loyalty and awareness.

Another aspect that prevents business owners from taking leap and investing in an online presence is coverage. Do our clients use Internet? I can guarantee you that if they don't now, they will soon. Connectivity is increasing in every country in world. Print is dying. Get used to it.. In 1998-1999, credit card purchases in Australia via Internet tripled. As more and more people begin to discover and harness power of Internet, traditional methods of advertising WILL lose their importance. Even though electronic advertising is going through a bit of a tough time, it is a time of rationalisation, and will rebound shortly. Consumers are becoming more net-savvy and advertisers are finally waking up to this, altering their methods from banners that assault senses to ways that inform prospective customer. In years to come, "mainstream" advertising will increasingly direct people to your online version.

And I learned it from my dad almost 40 years ago in a very different line of work.

My father ran a plumbing shop in competitive western Chicago suburbs. Now and then, when a man didn't show up or called in sick, he'd ask me to fill in for one or another of his regular laborers. I wasn't union, but apparently it was okay. He had friends.

One day he set me to work breaking a concrete floor. We had to chip out cement around a drain, replace it, and trowel in new cement to seal it.

Now, you need to understand. My father was built like a tree stump, while I ran more along lines of beanpole. I was not his favorite worker because I "thought too much and wasn't very strong."

This floor breaking job was not kind of work I enjoyed. It involved holding a cold chisel and swinging a five-pound baby sledge hammer at it really hard. Often my aim was bad so hammer missed chisel and slammed into my wrist instead.

About ten minutes after he put me to work breaking floor, dad came back, expecting to find job completed. It wasn't.

"Son, just what heck have you been doing all this time?"