Making money on the internet is like every other way of making money. It is hard work.

But, every day I get emails from shysters and hucksters trying to tell me differently. Today, a Sunday, is no exception - autoresponders take no breaks! A guy who I do not know is trying to sell me ‘five easy ways to quick blog profits’. But I know some things about him: He is so succesful that the site that he links to as his does not even exist any longer. He runs an article directory with less than 1000 articles and he cannot even spell when he writes.

Tell me, anyone, why should we believe what these people tell us?

 Usually the folks offering to make us rich need the money more than we do ourselves and, of course, if somebody really had a secret that made them rich, would they be likely to share it for $5 or $50? I doubt it.

Internet marketing IS hard work and most do not succeed, just as in any other business. It might be nice to imagine ‘working for ourselves’, but the reality is different. I prefer working from my home to my previous business and I certainly enjoy what I do. But at the moment I work harder and for less reward. But one thing is for sure - I do not ever try to tell people that I know an easy way to internet riches and, if I knew such a thing, it’d be my secret! Trust me on this!

Running websites to make income, whether the intent is to get rich, to replace one’s current job income or simply to pay for an extra holiday, is a business. If we do not treat what we are doing in a businesslike manner then we will almost certainly fail to meet our intentions.

We need to answer many different questions about our business and, possibly more importantly, ourselves. It might just be that after asking (and answering honestly) a few personal questions that one might decide that the idea is never going to be a business. But research that leads to a negative choice is not a failure! I found a useful document to assist with the initial feasibility assessment, both of the proposed business venture and the personal aspects of the choice. Whatever the outcome of the self questioning, the points raised are interesting and often overlooked by starting entrepreneurs and business planners. Feasibility Checklist for Starting a Small Business (this is a PDF file).

Good luck with the first stage of your business planning!