Copyright (c) 2009 Steve Cowley It is a very exciting time to be involved in Internet Marketing! The current world economics means that people are flocking to the internet by the millions looking for ways to make money online. Some are hoping to earn a little extra pocket money to help pay the bills, provide for their children’s education, or supplement their pension provision. With the current high levels of redundancies, many others are looking to earn enough money to either quit or replace their current work. Perhaps you fear you will soon be in this position too? If so, then right now is the time to do something about it. Set your plan in motion now and prepare for your future. While it is certainly possible to make money online – ordinary people just like you and I are doing it every day – there are some very important things you need to know. Without this information you will be victim to the many myths and lies that are so widespread in this industry. If you are just starting out in internet marketing you will come full of hope and excitement and a strong belief that your financial problems are about to become a thing of the past! Whatever the hype may try and tell you, IT IS NOT THAT EASY to make your fortune online! Something like 95% of all internet marketers fail to make any significant income at all! Why is this? Can it really be that hard to make money online? It is important that you understand why so many fail and then you can do the opposite – that will place you right into the 5% of people who succeed – wouldn’t you rather be there? One of the major problems with Inter Marketing hype is that it tends to attract the wrong type of people! If you look at all the “Get Rich Quick” schemes (or “scams”!) you will see that they generally promise two things: 1) Quick wealth. 2) No effort required These ads are set up to attract people who are either fundamentally lazy or who expect to get something for nothing. If you think I’m being all high and mighty here, then I’m not! The reason I know this is that, in the past, I’ve fallen for the same hype too. I’ve spent good money on schemes that don’t stand a chance of making any real money – not for me anyway! I expect the “Guru” who developed the particular plan is doing very nicely thank you! Time for a quick reality check – life just isn’t like that is it! We might occasionally hear of someone winning the lottery, but most people who are wealthy have two main characteristics. They have worked exceptionally hard and they have taken risks that other people are unwilling to take. This is how you can place yourself in the 5% of success stories too. Be prepared to work very hard indeed, and be prepared to take a calculated risk. Most of your initial work should be focused on getting yourself an education! No, you don’t have to rush back to school or college but you do need to understand the world you are about to move into. One of the best books available to give you a firm base to work from is “Stop Being a Victim” by David Gray. It costs $5 but will probably save you a small fortune in wasted energy and cash! This one book has probably been responsible for putting more people on the path to Internet success than almost any other – myself included! There is a massive learning curve to go through if you are going to succeed with your online business. You are about to become a professional business owner so you need to behave like one! All profession have a knowledge base that members are expected to learn – can you imagine what would happen if hospitals recruited doctors off the street without experience? We certainly wouldn’t want to be rushed to hospital would we! So why is it that people think they can set up an Internet business without any professional education? Madness! If you choose your business model wisely you will find that you will be able to get started and receive your education as you go along. A well structured business model should give you all the education you will need fast track the learning curve. If yours doesn’t might be time to look elsewhere! If education is one part of the work you must do then taking massive action is the other. You must be self-motivated and have the desire to really succeed. This desire must be enough to get you up early and keep you up late! Without a solid work ethic you will not succeed – no one is going to do it for you! Far too many people dream of financial freedom but few are ready to make the commitment necessary to realise their dream. All businesses take work, whether they are online or offline. After all this is it possible to earn money online? Absolutely! But you must be prepared to work hard at your chosen business. Find yourself a solid program that educates you and gives you a system to follow. Put the hours in and set realistic targets. Success will come to those who persevere and don’t quit – that is your real secret of joining the 5% of Internet success stories.