Will it bring us a sound business model?

Yes!

During 2001, two simultaneous and drastic changes took place on the Internet. Thousands of unprofitable websites closed down and the business philosophy of “FREE” changed to “PAID”.

Economic reality has forced webmasters to realize that spending lots of time and money attracting thousands of freebie hunters to their websites is a ruinous business.

Although one can still pick up some useful free software here and there, most freebies are either outdated e-books or disguises for entry into paid programs.

The realization has dawned that it is better to have 10 buying customers than 10 000 bandwidth wasting freebie hunters. Bandwidth costs money.

Another notable change on the Internet is the rapidly diminishing number of programs making “overnight millionaires”. Not only has the hype become ineffective, but it is also counterproductive. What sounds too good to be true, normally is.

A sound business model is gaining the recognition it deserves. The calculators are out. Quality is replacing quantity. Prices are rising.

Hosting, time, bandwidth and other fixed costs are becoming powerful catalysts that are forcing a rethink of business strategy and philosophy.

An escalation of profitable business models. Flexibility will be a decisive factor in the long-term success of any business enterprise. In an environment of rapid technological advances, a business model has to be able to adopt new technologies as they appear to avoid becoming obsolete.

Businesses in 2002 will have to become one stop shops to save time and increase efficiency. They will have to offer a combination of products, traffic generation, marketing strategy and all other aspects necessary to run a viable enterprise. Navigation and technical terms have to be simple to accommodate the thousands of newbies that are joining the Internet daily.

Entrepreneurs with business experience and not technological wizards will dominate the Internet in 2002.

Scams will become less effective. Underhand practices are being exposed by emerging Internet watchdogs. They have justifiably turned scam investigation into a profitable business. The names of individuals and companies that perpetuate scams are being uncovered and spread over the Internet. The same goes for affiliate programs that exploit unaware associates.

A network of entrepreneurs is the business model that will dominate the 21st century. They will operate across international boundaries to form global enterprises.

The businesses that will prosper will be those that maximize the gains for all members of the network, instead of just a few at the top.

Rising unemployment seems to be entrenched in the global economy. It will force more and more people to turn to the Internet to achieve a secure income. It is the only way they can own a business without spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With careful management of funds and by choosing a sound business model, they are able to start a successful business with a thousand dollars or less. Another advantage is that they can build this business in their spare time, while still earning a salary.

To provide for these needs, Internet companies will be forced to create comprehensive business structures that will mark the turning point for Internet business.

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