It absolutely amazes me sometimes what some folks think a business is all about — especially a home based Internet business.

Beyond all the “do nothing and make bank while you sleep” headlines…

There are essentially only 3 ways to make money online:

1. Promote and sell your own product or service
2. Promote and sell the products or services of others for a commission or…
3. Do a combination of 1 & 2 above

Seems kind of stupidly simple, huh?

This is basically the same for an offline business.

Yet for some reason, some folks seem to think that once you have a home based Internet business, dollar bills suddenly begin to jump out of wallets and start knocking on the door.

NOTE: If that ever happens to you, it’s time for some adjustments on that medication…

It is these same folks that:

** Can just barely use email, much less think about promoting a product or service.

** Refuse to take the initiative to learn even the basic skills of getting a simple website up and running. They don’t care about knowing the basics — they just want the “tidal wave of dollars” to pour in.

** Are the very FIRST people to gripe and complain when IT didn’t work — even though they really did NOTHING with IT. They didn’t read IT, they didn’t apply IT and the dollars didn’t start knocking at the door minutes after they purchased IT.

I’ll tell you what’s really AMAZING…

Folks will spend $40-$80K and 4-6 years of their life to go to college in order to qualify for a $35,000 a year job.

But investing in an education to run an online business — making an income from home — one that could replace that dreaded day job…

For some — it’s like pulling teeth without anesthesia.

A home based Internet business, more than anything, is about constantly learning and getting better and better. And it does take work. Fortunately, it’s mostly brain work.

Start with the basics. Build a web page. Get a hosting account. Get a domain name. Get an autoresponder and learn how it works (for help in this area for a song — go to http://www.faster-webmaster.com).

The great part about an Internet business is this:

You can actually “fail” in a home based Internet business for less than $500 your first year in business, just learning the business. Most everthing you do is tax deductable as a business expense (just check with your tax person on this).

You can’t even get 400 square feet of office space in a strip mall for $500 a month and less than a 6 month lease for a service related business with no inventory.

Just some things to consider.

Basics are a BIG deal and largely under rated.

Cheers,
The Prof

Another day, another movie, yes, another Friday The 13th (part ???) is in the works for next year. How surprising…

What’s interesting is that Friday, the 13th, has always been one of my best days. Can’t explain it — just is. Maybe because for Scots, the number 13 is considered lucky.

Are you feeling lucky today?

Here are the top 13 things you need to know to start, build, and grow an internet home based business that I’ve learned:

1. Go with your passion, but be absolutely sure your passion is also your strength. You cannot build a business on weakness.
2. Target a niche, and get rich.
3. Do it quickly, before someone else does. To quote Joe Vitale, “Money likes speed.”
4. Welcome frustration and let it propel you to the next level.
5. Eliminate bad habits by not starting them in the first place! Listen from those who are ALREADY succeeding, and follow their lead. Their experiences will save you time, stress, and unnecessary pain. i.e. get a coach, a mentor, or be an apprentice.
6. Craft your offer. Copywrite to sell on your own website.
7. Automate. Automate. Automate. And test everything.
8. Be ready to accept and fulfill orders.
9. Drive TONS of traffic and collect the cash.
10. Build your list to have continual follow-up.
11. Track conversions, and see what areas could be improved upon. (Collect even more cash.)
12. Work your way OUT of a job or tasks, and begin delegating/outsourcing.
13. Collect even greater cash with less work.

That’s really it in a nutshell — the internet marketing strategies of how to make money from a home based business, from a one-person operation to a virtual corporation.

Have a great weekend, especially on Saturday the 14th!

Andy