The one thing about the internet and specifically doing business online is all the hooplah.

If you’ve spent any amount of time online, you can’t miss it.

” Make £1oo,ooo A Month With This Simple System ”

” Easy Automated Income With No Effort ”

” Plug and Play System, Anyone Can Do It ”

” Quit Your Job This Tuesday ”

etc, etc, etc………………..

It doesn’t matter where you are online either,

you could be searching for best cooking tips for grandmothers but I bet they’ll have found a way to somehow slip a get rich quick ad into your brain space.

And we all want to believe in the dream, that’s why it’s so powerful.

Which of us wouldn’t honestly, exchange a 9 to 5, for a £100,000 a month automated, hands-free income that we can manage with our laptop from poolside, as some scantily clad young waitress ( or waiter, I’m not discriminating ) brings us a pina colada ??

We all want freedom.

It’s in our DNA.

We are freedom seeking beings.

Deep within every one of us, there is that nagging feeling as you look out of your office window on a monday morning and think ” there’s got to be more to life than this .”

It is a powerful and undeniable feeling.

And it is in nearly all of us.

because for every person that is satisfied, valued, happy and content in their job.

There are 999 that are not.

That are not stimulated by their work, that are not valued or respected, that would not go to work if they didn’t have to.

And marketers know this.

They know all about this primal force that forces us to wonder ” what if  ? ”

What if that ad was right  ?

What if I could make this work ?

What if I could make a living online ?

What if I could quit my job ?

What If ????????

Now , I personally happen to think that the internet provides us with opportunities the likes of which the world has never seen before.

Never before have the barriers to entry in a business been so low.

Never before have so many people had the chance to take their careers and lives in their own hands.

Never before has their been such opportunity.

But opportunity alone probably isn’t enough.

You still need a plan in place.

A system to work to.

Something to keep you on track when things are going wrong.

And let’s face it, there are hundreds of different ways you could go about building an online business.

Online business success can come in many forms and methods.

And who’s to say which is the right one ?

What works for one person may not be the best path for the next.

Now I am not here to confuse you and make the waters muddier for you, despite how it may seem

I just think it’s i mportant to put solid foundations in place…… no matter what your business may be.

So let’s have a look at 7 simple steps for online business success.

How you can put proper building blocks in place to give yourself a real chance at making it online.

And who knows, maybe even getting that poolside pina colada.

A Simple 7 Step Formula For Online Business Success

The steps may not seem glamorous , they may not blow smoke up your behind with the ” make £100,000 next month” promises.

But if you are serious about building a real, stable  internet business that can take you to where you want to be,

these 7 steps offer a simple , yet highly effective method of doing that

And …. when you think about it…..it’s easy to see why.

Lets say for arguments sake that the majority of people that are using the internet are using search engines to find what they want.

There are other methods of course , but I think it’s fair to say that most people searching for something online will go to a search engine such as Google, type in what they are looking for , and go from there.

Again , perhaps a bit of an over generalisation but I think it’s pretty accurate.

So think of yourself when you are online and searching for something.

You go to google, nice big clean white page with a search bar, you type in what you are looking for, and bingo…..Google does it’s thing and brings you the results.

But what where you actually searching for ??

I would guess that 99% of the time you are searching for information.

Whether it be information on car insurance, holidays, the football results or anything else.

Information, Information, Information.

Now, of course there are people looking to purchase something as well.

But even those people looking to buy something, will still start out with information.

If you are looking to buy a holiday, you will check out the kind of places you want to go, so may check Turkey vs Greece vs Portugal etc…

Then when you have decided that you want to go to Portugal , you may check out the kinds of resorts you could stay at and compare them.

Only when you have sifted through all this information, and have made a decision are you ready to actually make the next step and buy.

So even the buying starts out at information.

Without the information beforehand, there is no buying.

This goes for holidays, cars, actually it goes for pretty much any product in any market you care to mention.

The sale always starts at information.

Think about it.

You are searching for solutions to your problems when you are searching online.

That problem may be needing to book a holiday, buy a car, or know how your team got on in the big game.

Whatever the problem is, whether you end up paying money or not, you still want the information first.

So starting with information is a great way to set up your internet business.

So let’s have a look at 5 ways you can make money with information and info products.

the article below is an interesting one I found at Newsfactor.com

Hope they don’t mind me swiping it

Anyway, the article talks about how starting by looking for the information people are searching for and then building your business around solving those problems and answering those questions, is a smart way to go about doing things.

A bit of research to start with can save you hundreds of frustrated and wasted hours in the long run.

Check out the article on 5 ways to make money with instant information and info products

P.S.  It is not as hard as you may think to create info products for your business.

It starts with brainstorming your areas of passion, interest and expertise and thinking what information and knowledge you have that you could share with others and that would help solve their problems.

Elad , created an information product site around kid’s birthday parties, of all things, and gets traffic from the search engines through the information and content he puts on his site, and then makes money from that traffic without actually selling a product or service.

Check out his story on how he is making money with info products

It’s not exactly a secret that it is possible to make money on the internet.

It’s even possible to make a lot of money on the internet.

No matter how much you know or don’t know about doing business online, you are probably aware that the internet has made it possible for anybody, regardless of training or education level, to make a good living working for themselves.

So this is not exactly a secret.

I’m not telling you something you don’t already know.

And internet businesses can come in many shapes and sizes and forms.

From start up dot.com’s selling travel insurance to a young artist selling her work through her website.

Any kind of business you can imagine. Chances are there is someone doing it or something like it on the internet.

So what about this e-business ??

What exactly does that mean and how can you use it to get on board and make yourself some money from the internet ?

Firstly lets start by defining exactly what I mean by an e- business.

I am am going to use the term e-business in this article as in something that is purely digital.

E-goods are electronic, digital products.

They can be downloaded or sent via e-mail.

They are not actual, tangible ” hard goods” that need postage , package, shipping, storing etc……

I’m sure you can come up with a million examples just off the top of your head.

e-books, e-zines, e-music, e-audios.

Literally anything digital.

And this makes things a lot quicker, simpler and hassle-free than for example an e-bay business where you are buying and selling real,tangible products, packing them , posting them , delivery issues, storage etc…

And with an e-business where you actually sell e-goods often you can do the work just once and sell it time and time again.

So let’s say you write an e-book, you could sell it through your website a hundred times at £10 a time, but you only had to write it once.

It is all set up on a download link so that when someone pays they automatically get taken to that page to download it.

You don’t need to supervise the process, it’s all automated.

And it’s not like you are selling a service or creating an individualised report.

You don’t need to write a new e-book for every customer.

You write it once, and once the work is done, it’s done.

Then your efforts are focused on marketing your product and getting people to visit your site.

You can also sell your product through digital marketplaces like clickbank, that will sell your product for you and take a percentage.

Selling e-goods can really be one of the most frictionless and automated ways to make the most out of the internet.

And everyone has an area of passion and expertise where they can create an e-product or even affiliate with one in that marketplace, you don’t have to create your own.

Take a look at how starting an e-business selling e-goods could be the internet business for you.

P.S. Make sure to take a look at the case studies, especially Shaun and Marney’s.

Shaun came on online with not a single idea for an e-book. He has now written and is selling 10 e-books in his niche of helping people with their writing.

In one years time Marney went from playing around with a hobby to having over 1,000 products and 10 employees in a business that she loves.

Her particular area is arts , but it is not the market where the money is. That is not what is important.

What is important is being able to build a business in your own personal, unique area of passion and expertise.

That is how to build a thriving business.

I’m sure you all know about the concept of viral video.

It’s a good bet that you’ve even been part of the viral video trend.

Someone sends you a funny or scary or happy link to a youtube video and you e-mail on to a friend or friends.

Very simple, yet very effective.

Internet phenomenons just take off and go global in a matter of days and weeks because of this viral video marketing effect.

So how can you utilise this social phenomenon to make yourself some money on the internet ?

Well the video below is going to show exactly how this guy ( Len Foley ) made a cheap, simple video, uploaded it to Youtube and then built a website that he linked to in the video, and charged people a membership fee to join the website.

The video had , at the time, over 1,000,000 views.

And about 1,000 people ended up joining his membership site behind it.

Paying about $30 a time.

1,000 x $30

PER MONTH !

All off the back of this video.

To be fair to him, the idea is great.

A man goes to mcdonalds, buys 2 burgers, eats one, puts the other in his pocket and leaves it for a year.

What does the burger look like ?

So simple , yet how many people would click on it to see what it looked like.

I would and did, ( and the results will suprise you by the way ) , I don’t know what it says about mcdonalds but nothing good I don’t think.

And people passed it around, put links to it in e-mails to their friends.

And the video really is so simple.

So really it’s just about coming up with a viral video idea.

Linking it to a website that sells something , doesn’t have to be a membership site like Len’s.

It could be a product that you sell or just affiliate with, you don’t even need your own product.

Ideally it would be something to do with what you’re doing in the video.

So you just need to think about that and what you want to sell through your site.

Check out the bionic burger vid and what viral video marketing can do for your internet business

P.S. Again the viral video should be related to the product you want to ultimately sell but it’s not vital I guess.

More important that the video is entertaining and that you give it the best chance to go viral.

And if you are a work at home mom ( or mum , depending if you are from the UK like ourselves or one of our american cousins ) , then you obviously have more motivation than most to make a home based business work.

The chance to see your child or children grow up day to day is a fantastic goal to focus on as you go about building your business.

Now , there are obviously many work at home opportunities that you could turn your hand to as a work at home mom.

From things like stuffing envelopes, to taking surveys, to outsourced call center work.

Depending on your background, skills and talents, any of these or none of these could be the best option for you.

But having an internet background ourselves , we are going to focus on using the internet as the means to providing you with your home business.

And within that ” internet business” field there are a lot of opportunities, a lot of different ways to make money, and a lot of different directions that you could take.

Despite how it may seem, we are not actually here to make you more confused and overwhelmed though

Rather we hope to cut through some of the clutter and show you a method and some tools that can help you to build a business , that puts you, your interests, your passion and creativity and your unique abilities right at the heart of your business.

Imagine that.

Below is a case study of  a lady called Michelle Schill, who substituted her knowledge of cutting hair into a website that allowed her to work from home, set her own schedule, and most importantly for her, spend more time with her family.

You can check out her site style-hair-magazine.com and read her full story below.

Work At Home Mom, Michelle’s Story

P.S. This is not a story about creating a hairdressing site. That was just Michelle’s area of passion, interest and knowledge.

This is a story about taking what you already know and love and creating an internet business around it.

No matter what that passion or area of interest may be.

Creating quality content, attracting visitors and helping to answer their questions and solve their problems.

Below is more information on the tools that michelle used to help her become a work at home mom and how you can apply them to your unique area of passion and knowledge to create your own internet business.

Work At Home Mom’s Internet Business

Just get your thinking cap on and start thinking about what your areas of passion, expertise and knowledge are.

We have all heard the success stories of online multi-millionaires.

Working two hours a day, from anywhere they please.

Jetting off to The Bahamas, Monaco etc…… armed with only the trusty laptop to keep the business running as smooth as silk.

Is that actually the reality though. Can you build a business that runs itself and lets you step away from it, while still providing you a full-time ( and very healthy ) income ?

Well I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of a guy called Rich Schefren.

Chances are that if you have been online for any length of time then you have.

He is apparently who the gurus go to when they need some internet business advice or help.

The guru’s guru if you like.

Hopefully he hasn’t got a mentor or he would be the guru’s guru’s guru, and it would all start getting a bit silly for marketing purposes.

Anyway , rich specialises in creating online businesses that create hands-free automated income, whether he is there or not.

And that really is the kind of business you want to be building online.

Well i know it is for me anyway.

Because if the business depends solely on you and your input and attendance then it can only grow to be so big.

After all, there are so many hours in the day and you can only do so many things at once.

And you are never really going to get the kind of lifestyle that it is possible for an internet business to provide, because you are always going to be chained to your desk.

And that’s probably not what you got into the game for.

That’s certainly not why I got into it.

So how do you go about building a business that can create the automated income that you want , while still being under your guidance and control.

Because let’s face it, you don’t want a business that runs like a corporation with a board of anonymous directors that can vote you of your own company like happened to Steve Jobs at Apple.

Because for a lot of us, our own internet business is our baby.

It’s our creation, we have put everything we can into it.

We have worried over it, sweated over it, it’s even kept us up many a night.

And we don’t just want to hand over control of it, unless we are damn sure that it is going to evolve and grow in the way we want it to and have envisioned.

So how do you get that balance right between the two ?

Building the foundations for a strong, successful business that still lets you step away from it and enjoy the freedom and lifestyle that you want as well ?

Well that is what the report below is about to show you.

Rich has termed it ” The Founder Formula” and shows the difference between an entrepreneur , who may have a profitable online business but can’t really step back from it or the profits will suffer…

and a Founder.

Someone that has designed their business in such a way that they can step back for as much time as they want and know in complete confidence that the business is not only remaining as profitable, but is actually growing and getting more profitable.

Sounds like a pretty good way of designing an internet business.

You can get the report on Rich’s blog for free below.

Automated Income and Designing Your Business With The Founder Formula

P.S. It is natural to feel protective about your internet business. It is also natural to want that self-importance of feeling that you are the only one that can do it and run it.

But by just applying a few of the techniques in the report above you can set the foundations that can grow and grow and provide you with automated income streams that give you the freedom to choose what level of involvement you want to have.

You may like having an active day to day role.

This will just give you the freedom to choose.

The idea of a network marketing business could conjure up some pretty unappetising images.

I know that when I think of network marketing, the idea of pitching your business to your friends and family is not an appealing one.

I’ve even heard of people that thought they were going round to a friends house for a drink and something to eat, only to turn up and find themselves subjected to a full-on presentation of how this was the best opportunity in the world and why they should get their wallets out right now and get it on it.

Excruciating and painful, are the words that spring immediately to mind.

But is all network marketing like that ?

Do you really have to employ these stone-age business building tactics if you want to get involved in network marketing?

Surely with the advent of the internet, things have evolved and moved on a bit.

Because these are big businesses and there is a lot of money to be made.

Top distributors have become millionaires in many network marketing companies.

The business model does work, maybe it’s just adapting it in a way that suits you.

Now, depending on what kind of your character you are, you might kind of like the old methods of home parties and pitching everyone you brush against on the street,

I’m not knocking it. It’s just not something I am comfortable with.

And chances are it’s something a lot of people are not comfortable with.

Because most people are not natural born salesmen.

I’m not.

And a lot of people that have tried to sell me things over the years are not.

And it shows.

So there must be an easier way of utilising the strengths of the network marketing business model and adapting it to make the most out of the internet.

Again it’s  not that the network marketing model of making money is wrong.

It’s just that it could do even better by adopting some of the marketing and small business benefits that the internet can offer.

So that’s where the internet network marketer is born.

A business model that takes all the best bits from the old ways of doing network marketing and applies some of the benefits that internet marketing can bring to a business.

Sounds like the best of both worlds.

So how do you go about being an internet marketer if you don’t like to sell ?

Put tools in place so you don’t have to.

Check out this case study about how Sara used the internet to get great results from her Network Marketing Business

As Sara focused on Pre-Selling instead of ” Selling,” all of the stuff she didn’t like doing was done for her.

She only needed to speak to people that had already been educated on her products and company.

She didn’t need to go and do all that legwork herself.

And that is a big thing when it comes to Network Marketing.

You only really want to speak to people that have an interest in what you have to offer.

It’s just that in the normal network marketing model and methods you have to pitch a load of people before you find that one person who is interested.

And that’s the hard part.

If you can automate that part of it, you could be looking at a fantastic business.

Again, i don’t think there is anything wrong with network marketing in and of itself.

If you find a good company, with good products , that pays generous commissions and helps and supports you…..

It can be a great business.

And all you need to do is a little research to find a good company.

I would just recommend making it as easy on yourself as possible and using the internet to automate and take all the unpleasant aspects of the business away from you.

Because it can be done.

For more information on the tools Sara used to grow her network marketing business online , see below.

A Network Marketing Business On the Internet.

P.S. It is important to do your research before deciding on a network marketing company and product to promote.

There are lots of companies out there , and as you would imagine this ranges from the traditional , established big-boys such as Amway and Kleeneze here in the UK , to some less than stable companies that may be promising you big things, where you may be giving more than you are getting back.

Do your research, check out network marketing forums and discussion groups.

And importantly, choose a product and company that work in a market that you are interested in and will enjoy working in.

Give yourself the best chance possible to succeed.

Well let’s have a look.

Now, the chances are that a lot of the internet gurus and wealthy online entrepreneurs that you may have come across have used information publishing in one way or another to generate their millions.

Whether it be producing and selling their own e-book, instructional videos or membership site, the selling of information features prominently in a lot of online success stories.

Some people think it is the perfect online business model.

Let’s face it, most people have some information within them or have access to, that other people would pay to have nicely and neatly packaged for them in a simple format that makes absorbing it easy.

Whatever you know, if you take the time to get it out and write it down and publish it in a format that people can easily understand and take in, then there are people that are willing to pay for that.

Because we live in a convenience oriented world.

Fast pre-packaged food, entertainment, and knowledge.

Most people just don’t want to take the time or the effort to do things from scratch.

Not when they could go and buy the information they want in a nicely laid out way that makes it easy for them to understand.

We all have an area of expertise. A passion. An interest.

And chances are that if you do, then there are people willing to pay money for what you know.

It’s just finding the best way to get that information across to them.

It’s a great business model because you get to work in a market and with a topic that you are passionate about.

And that is our number one recommendation for starting your own internet business.

Because you’ve probably already done most of the work without realising it.

You probably already know the major issues and problems that your market faces.

You probably follow the news, and the updates.

You know what’s going on, what the terminology is.

This is all stuff you just follow because you enjoy it.

It’s already a part of your life.

It’s stuff that you do for free just because you want to.

So why not find a way to make money from it, and start a career that you love ?????

Information publishing could be one of the very best ways for you to start making money online.

It is also an excellent lifestyle business.

Just take a look at this article on why information publishing could be the perfect online business model for you.

Information Publishing, The Perfect Online Business Model

The article above is by a guy called Micheal Masterson who is quite fond of this business model.

And with good reason, he has launched or help to launch over two dozen online information publishing businesses in the the last 10 years.

The least successful will make $250,000 this year.

The most successful over $60 Million.

And he no longer has to be actively involved in any of them.

He has set them up to be hands free, so he can spend his time as he wishes, yet they all provide him with large income streams.

And if he wants, he could just sell them for quite a tidy bundle.

So the rewards of information publishing are pretty clear to see.

The link below shows you how you can go about becoming an ” infopreneur ”

Online Information Publishing

P.S. The biggest barrier to your success online is trying to force yourself to do things you do not want to do.

The beauty of information publishing is that you can work in a market and industry that you want to work in.

You just need to get your thinking cap on.

Licensing…… sounds complex doesn’t it.

What is it , and how can you use it to make yourself some money and even start your own business in record quick time ?

Good questions.

Licensing is actually something that is incredibly simple and that we come across every day of our lives.

Licensing is simply paying to use something as opposed to own it.

Lets say you have SKY TV or a cable subscription, you pay them monthly, they license their product to you to use.

You don’t own the product though.

You don’t own the TV shows that they beam to you.

You can’t tape them and then go and try and sell them on to your friends, as part of your own Entertainment Business, ” Jonno’s Top Entertainments “, or some such.

Well you can , but it’s called piracy ( non swashbuckling) and you can be arrested for it.

You don’t own the shows, you pay to watch them.

They are licensed to you.

And that’s it in a nutshell.

Paying to use something as opposed to own it.

So how do you go about making money from it?

Well the video below is going to show you how to do that.

It will explain licensing in a bit more detail and even show you how to get your business up and running overnight and making your first licensing deal.

It’s from Frank Kern and if you’ve read any of my other posts you may have read about how a lot of internet marketers take their content and wrap it up in an entertaining fashion….

Well this video pretty much epitomises that.

Complete with girls on beaches and hosing themselves down with waterpipes ( what that has to do with licensing I’m not too sure but personally I find it difficult to complain about.)

Anyway not only is a good example of how to create a video that’s funny, entertaining and delivers the content , It’s also a great introduction to licensing and how to make some money from it.

Check out the $8,000 haircut and How To Make Money From A Licensing Deal

P.S…. I used licensing tactics when I was younger by charging my friend Jimmy 50p to have a lend of my bike, so he could go and meet a girl.

He wheeled it back to me with a puncture, so there are perils.

Hopefully the video above will show you the proper way to do it though.

Sometimes it is good to go straight to the source.

And listening to the guy who wrote the book on PPC research brief his affiliates on the best ways to promote his product is probably worth a lot more than me trying to paraphrase it in a blog post.

Not that I am not a witty and entertaining writer of course

It’s just that I get bored of the sound of my own voice ( or typed words in this case ), and we will all probably have a better time just listening to this straight up.

You may have heard of Dr. Glenn Livingston, I have mentioned him a few times in my posts,

Simply because he knows his stuff when it comes to market research and PPC in particular.

So if he’s doing a call showing his affiliates the best ways to market for him, it’s a pretty good bet that it’s going to be the best info he’s got.

All the behind the curtain stuff that we don’t always get.

Because the better his affiliates do, the more money he makes.

So i’m betting it’s his best stuff, techniques, tips and strategies.

Although he’s talking about promoting his product, the techniques can be applied to any affiliate product.

He’s posted the interview online so i don’t think he’ll  mind me swiping it and passing it on to you.

If you are looking for some top notch affiliate marketing training check out Dr.Glenn’s Affiliate Marketing Training

And if you like his ideas and the way he goes about things, you can get 17 free adwords cheatsheets, videos and MP3’s for free here Dr.Glenns Free Google Adwords Training

All free , all good stuff,  especially if you are using Adwords  for your affiliate business.