Something`s You Should Know

By Dirk Wagner
Posted Saturday, August 21, 2004

Everyday more and more people are starting their own online internet marketing business from the comfort of their own homes. The excitement of owning your own home-based business online can be very overwhelming for some people. there are other’s that get into internet marketing looking for a fast buck, only to quit the business entirely after a few months when they realize that you actually have to work at it in order to be successful.

In doing some reading and research for this article I used a number of internet marketing forums to gauge what types of people where serious and what types of people where looking for the quick buck. What I found was very interesting, most of the quick buck people did not make a business plan, set any goals other than to make money, or have any plan of action. These same people seemed to want to complain about various issues instead of learning how to actually be successful in internet marketing. Conversely, the people from the forums that seemed to me that wanted to become successful with their home-based business had in fact made a business plan, wrote down their goals, and asked very many questions pertaining to their new business venture.

This article is written for those people that may be deciding to start a home-based business and some of the things you should know ahead of time before you get it going.

We have all heard the saying ‘it takes money, to make money’ well internet marketing is no exception to this statement. There is so much hype in this business that should be ignored. You have all seen the headlines like this example: Make $100,000 a month in as little as 3 hours a day without spending a cent! The internet is full of hype like this. The fact of the matter is you will need to spend money on your business if you hope to succeed.

To be honest with you I believe $100-$200 minimum a month should be budgeted for your online business. You will need to spend the money on website hosting, a reliable autoresponder, and advertising and/or list building. Some amount of research should be done to get the best possible prices for these monthly needs mentioned above.

There are plenty of ways to get free advertising and that should also be looked at. Writing articles in my opinion is one of the best forms of receiving free advertising because of the resource box at the end of every article you write. You don’t have to write the next great American novel, just find something that pertains to your business and write an article about it. A good mix of free advertising and paid advertising should be used for the best chance at being successful.

Something else you should know, you will be spending a lot of time reading and learning if you hope to be successful. Internet marketing forums are great source for learning from both successful people and people that have not been so successful. So you must budget your time as well as your money when starting a online business. The best thing about using forums is they are free and anonymous. You do not have to use your own name if you are embarrassed about some of the questions you will undoubtedly have when first starting out. Although proper etiquette would be to introduce yourself at the beginning or end of your post.

Something else you should know is that if you do not write down your goals for your business, the odds on you succeeding are substantially less then if you do in fact have a list of goals. Goals give you a purpose and motivation to accomplish something and should not taken lightly.

Something else you should know, before getting involved in any online business, whether it be affiliate programs or selling software do your research! Check out as much about the company that is offering you a chance to start a business as you can, don’t believe the hype or you may very well be in for a disappointment. Good luck!

About the Author
Dirk Wagner is CEO and owner of (http://www.team4success.biz) and the free, easy to install #1 home business toolbar with automated updates.A website dedicated to helping the home-based business entrepreneur start and succeed with their very own home-based business by publishing his free online course for successful Home Business.