Is It Really All About the Money?
I just read this great report by Jason Fladlian about 8 mistakes that prevent people–maybe you–from making money on the Internet. Number one on the list is not realizing its all about the money. So, I ask you, is it really all about the money? In a word yes. I'm not even going to say, "in my opinion." Yes. The answer is just bloody "yes" if we are talking about business. If we are talking about making money online, then yes, our website or sites and offline acitivities are all about the money. Not understanding that is a crucial mistake.
If you admit this, does that mean you are a cold, heartless bastard? Mmm, maybe, but probably not. Consider, even if you are building sites as a fund raising effort to feed starving children in the Sudan, if you don't understand that your sites are all about the money, how successful do you think those sites will be? If you do understand the money issue, just think how many more children you'll feed because of it. My point, here, is that hard nosed business logistics are not necessarily in conflict with ethical/moral standards. The bigger point, though, is that if you and I are really in business, then we need to cut loose all the baggage that isn't about making the site as effective a money maker as it can be.
Understanding that your business, or website, is about making money can be liberating. People who come to online business, Internet marketing, or ecommerce with a business background already know this. Those of us who come to online business fresh, without any real business knowledge often take ages to have that epiphanal moment that what we are doing is business. And business is business whether or not you are doing Internet marketing, ecommerce, or running an online site to promote your brick and morter retail store.
Along with understanding that it's all about the money, it is crucial to know what your business is. I know this sound simplistic, but you'd be shocked to discover how many people supposedly in business don't really know what their business is. As a result, they focus time and energy of directions that don't keep them solvent. I'll say it again, you must know what your business is. If you understand that, then you'll be able to align and target the many activities necessary to remaining solvent and making a profit. In other words, you'll be able to focus and better ignore the many distractions that present themselves day in and day out.
Sticking to your business does not mean that you must do only one thing or that you must not diservisify your income streams. Far from it. You can have as many business models and streams of income as you have time to manage and money to develop. However, without a business plan to unify your diversified efforts, you'll remain a piker, an amateur. Now matter what your success, you'll need a business plan to sustain and grow your income.
Now, its possible that you might be one of those rare individuals who has a complete intuitive grasp of business logistics and planning. However, if you've never seen a business plan before, you might want to check out examples at the Fed Small Business Administration website. This has great information. And its free. My advice, before you spend big bucks on lots of Internet marketing products, learn something about business.
Many people coming to this site will be arriving after having been exposed to Internet marketing sales letters about how to make money online. No matter how good those courses or people behind them, the one thing you can be sure of is that the successful people behind the sales letters understand business. The one thing that most Internet and online home business products don't tell you about is business or the importance of understanding business basics. With an understanding of business basics, you will be in much better position to know how to use the wealth of information that is particular to Internet marketing and making money online.
