© 2002 Elena Fawkner

"I'm not sure what exactly my point in writing this is going to be other than to voice my frustration to someone who has been there, and would understand.

"Like many, I've been considering starting up some form of a home business. Or at least some way to boost income. So over past few months, I've been looking at every hare-brained idea out there. All Associate Programs, eBooks with publishing rights, all scams (and most of them out there really start to look like scams after a while!).

"What I've discovered: "There are no short-cuts". I don't know why I thought there were."

This is an extract from an email I received a couple of weeks ago from one of my ezine subscribers, Ric. It typifies frustration and "overwhelmingness" we ALL face when grappling with what we think we need to know before we can begin to start an online business. It's like trying to pin jelly to a wall - there's just so much we know we're missing so at what point do we actually bite bullet and just start?

If this is how you're feeling as you sit here reading this late at night, chin propped on hand, after yet another evening of searching, downloading and reading everything you can lay your hands on about generating an income from Internet, only to end up feeling more confused, overwhelmed and discouraged than when you started, take heart. This is just how it is. You're not alone. We've ALL been there - it's just part of process, a rite of passage, if you will. Rest assured, you CAN get through this to where you need to be.

Let's shine a light on this beast and cut him down to size, shall we? Here's process and, although there may not be much you can do to avoid it, at least you can recognize it for what it is and be reassured in your darkest moments that, far from being lost at sea, you are walking a well-worn path. Just keep putting one foot in front of other and you'll get there if you don't give up.

=> Phase I - Have Computer, Will Get Rich

OK, so you have a computer, and an Internet connection. You've been online for a while actually, just dabbling about, sending email to family and friends and maybe doing a bit of surfing.

In your travels, you've stumbled across all these people who are making fortunes on Internet. After a while, it seems to you that pretty much everyone who has a computer and an Internet connection is using them to generate a huge income. You think to yourself, "I have a computer and an Internet connection. I should be making a fortune too." So, like pioneers before you, you decide to go after your rightful share.

So here you are, computer connected to Internet, fingers poised over keyboard. Now what? How am I supposed to use this thing to make money? Oh, I know, I'll do a search. I can find out anything on Google. So you go to Google (or, if you're really new, Yahoo!), and you type in "making money on internet".

And Wazzooo! Lists and lists and lists of sites that promise to show you how to make money. Oh, this is a goldmine! Already you're planning a month-long trip to Europe.

You merrily head off and visit dozens of sites your first afternoon. During course of that afternoon and in weeks that follow, you come across sites that promise to give you $30,000 in 30 days if you invest just $30 (you learn about matrix/pyramid schemes hard way), then you learn about affiliate programs and how you can make money by referring people to someone else's site (but only if they buy) which is great because you have no product and no idea about how to create one.

You hear a lot about MLM programs and network marketing. You think they sound an awful lot like pyramid schemes but you know they're different, you're just not sure how.

And then you find out about products with resell rights so you can keep 100% of profits (but you have to buy product first).

Every time you turn around there's another expert promising to show you way to promised land.

=> Phase II - This is More Complicated Than I Thought

You soon realize that this whole making money with your computer business is way more complicated than you thought. And now you discover you need to go off and learn something else besides. Internet marketing. After all, when you finally decide what you're going to sell, you have to know how, right? Fortunately for you, there are literally thousands of Internet marketing experts out there just waiting with bated breath to share their secrets with you. For a price.

Everything is so confusing and overwhelming that you just don't know where to begin. So you decide you'd better learn everything there is to know about Internet marketing before you start. That way, when you've learned everything you need to know, you won't make any mistakes.

With economic downturn, you may be a bit weary about your current job situation. Thoughts of starting your own online business are filling your daydreams. You’ve heard enticing call of self-employment as it screams, “More freedom, more money, more family time, live your dream!” But can you really make a go of your own Web-based company?

In all honesty… probably. I’ll be first to tell you that not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It takes dedication, passion and discipline to succeed. Not-to-mention, a lot of hard work, especially in beginning. Then there are “functional” things you’ll need. Before you make that decision to jump on Internet bandwagon, let me make a few points you’ll want to consider.

Getting Started

I know Web is just full of sites that taunt you by saying you can start your own online business within 24 hours and have millions of hits pouring into your site. The fact is, most of sites created using these “template businesses” don’t survive.

Here is a real world “short list” of what it takes to launch a successful and profitable Web site.

1. Professional Web Design – Your site is your only connection with potential customers. I simply cannot tell you how extremely vital professional Web site design is to success of your company. It helps to create trust, build confidence and instill a sense of safety… all important factors for someone who is about to give their credit card number to a company they’ve never heard of before!

2. Professionally Written Site Copy – You will be amazed to know what goes into writing emotion-stirring, sales triggering copy. You have to get inside minds of your customers. You have to have an extremely good idea of what their needs are, what makes them tick and what makes them BUY! In addition, if you have any desire at all to be indexed and ranked highly with search engines, you’ll need to have exact balance of keywords saturating your copy.