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The online revolution is spreading like wildfire. Experts predict
that by the year 2002, more than 300 million people across the globe will have Internet access.
In such a short span of time, the Web as a business tool has become an
established part of the business environment, profoundly altering the way
business is conducted. It has definitely come at a right time.
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As more people are riding the Internet bandwagon, everyone is talking about Internet millionaires
and young computer wizards who became very rich overnight sitting in front of their computer monitors.
Traditional businesses have
begun getting their presence felt in the Internet—even mortuaries and memorial
parks, hoping to ride on the Internet hysteria. Even income opportunity brokers keep telling everyone how they became
millionaires through the Internet.
But are they really making it on the Net? I
don’t believe so.
Before anything else, we have to consider these basic facts.
As in any other business, some will make a lot of money. Some will make some money;
some will not make any. Some will go out of business. And some will be gone
before they even start.
Let’s face it, the Web is unproven as a marketing medium.
Web experts love to pontificate about how to be successful, but the truth is
that “what works” and “what doesn’t work” depends on your individual
business situation and marketing plan and how you go about incorporating Web
marketing into them.
Nonetheless, the super-confident notion that “If they made
it, why can’t I?” drives a growing number of individuals to join the ranks
of net-entrepreneurs who have reportedly found financial nirvana on the
Internet.
But what is the real deal? Here are some insights to help you
understand the online business:
Forget the idea that you can get rich quick in the Internet.
Your success will greatly depend on your patience, perseverance and ability to
take advantage of fast opportunities in this hyper-fast environment. Believe me,
it is a lot of hard work.
As a home-based worker venturing in the Internet business, you have a lot of advantages, though.
Your start-up capital can be very
minimal. Since you
will be in the Internet, you can operate in the “comfort of you own
home", which means you don’t worry about an office space to rent.
Your location is where you are but you can reach the whole world from there.
You only need to purchase a good
computer (if you don’t have one yet), an Internet connection, a telephone
line or two, and some notebooks and bond paper. Other equipment can come
later, depending on the availability of funds. As usual, we
assume that since you are venturing as a home-based business, you are
considerably low on the budget. In the Internet, this is not a
problem. You don’t even worry about that. If you have credit, you can use
your credit card for getting your Internet Service and telephone connection
and the little things you need. For office furniture, use your dining or
kitchen table and dining chairs. Wooden
boxes in your garage will make do as side tables and cabinets.
Vast international
exposure. The
Internet opens the whole world to you. It’s up to you take advantage of
it. Consumers, investors, foreign contacts are all available at the click of the
“mouse”.
Huge
growth potential. If you play your cards right, your future outlook
is assured by the fact that your
potential customers or clients can double or triple in a very short period
of time. As your presence gets noticed 24 hours a day, around the world,
your market could grow faster than you would have thought.
You
work you own hours. Although, we
assure you that you will be working more hours than you would have imagined,
it becomes fun rather than work. However, you can still maintain your own working schedule if you are
really conscious about time. Remember, it’s your own.
Inexpensive advertising and
promotions. In the Internet, most of the initial work you must do is to
get your presence felt in as many places as you can. Make use of all the
FREE advertising and FREE links that are readily available for everyone.
Electronic transmission of
information. Make use of your e-mail or fax machine. Promote, send
catalogues, send newsletters to prospects without buying a single postage
stamp. Except for your fees to
your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your web hosting company, and your
local telephone service, all your communication in the Internet can be relatively
FREE.
Flexibility.
In the Internet,
you can change your line of business anytime you feel like it. You can add
or change into another at the click of the mouse and some pounding on the
keyboard.
No
hassles. No neon signs to tear
down. No shelves to move around.
Starting-up your Internet business
can be done without leaving your home.
Except for a trip to the circuit
court to register your business name and one to your local bank to open your
bank account, almost your operations can be done on top of your desk.
The Internet is a content market.
You only have to know how to write. If you are good in written
communication, you have the edge. Everything depends on your ability to
relate to your prospects or clients by the way you present your product or
service in writing.
Opening your Internet business now
is akin to securing your prime area in a vacant lot where a city will soon be built.
Just keep on going.
Some
Recommended Readings:
Start
and Run a Profitable Desktop Publishing Business (Self-Counsel Business) by
Barbara A. Fanson
How
to Start a Home-Based Desktop Publishing Business (Home-Based Business Series)
by Louise Kursmark
How
to Make Money Publishing from Home, Revised 2nd Edition by Lisa Angowski
Rogak Shaw, Lisa Rogak
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