Why do business on the internet?

The world of online business, or internet marketing as it is commonly known, is really no different from your traditional brick and mortar business. It all starts with a light bulb moment-an idea in a would-be entrepreneur's head. But unlike traditional brick and mortar business, anyone, and I emphasise, ANYONE, can start an internet marketing business. Why? Here are just a few key reasons:

1. It's easy to get educated about the internet - there are massive amounts of information on the internet just waiting for you to tap in. Free sites like forums and blogs such as this one provide information to help you get educated on the do's and don'ts on how to start an internet business. And for a small investment, you can buy information from experts on the subject to help catapult you to a higher level. Often, these experts write weekly or monthly newsletters with tips and new information to keep their subscribers up to date. Even if you're unsure about this whole internet thing, it doesn't hurt to get educated so that when you are ready to start an internet marketing business, you've laid a solid foundation to get it going.

For those of you who are thinking, 'I don't know how to set up a website'. There are two ways you can do this:

a. learn how to do it (like I said, use the internet to learn about these things); or

b. pay someone else to do it!

2. Low overhead - All you need is access to a computer with internet connection. It costs as little as a few dollars to register a domain name for a year, and a little bit more for web hosting (we're talking double digits here, tiny investment, relatively speaking). With a traditional business, you need to find an office space, furbish and fit it out, get the stock in, get the phones hooked up etc etc etc before you even make a dime!

3. Run and maintain your business for a few hours a day - this is great for those who wants to earn some extra cash on the side. Keep your day job while you start building an extra stream of income. It doesn't hurt to have extra money coming in, and you don't have to be worried about starving your family while you do this.

4. Access to the global market - yes, some of you may say a traditional brick and mortar business can also tap into the global market. If you think about an example of a small retail shop selling clothes to your locality, what does it take for them to sell to the world wide market (let's ignore the internet for a second)? The truth is, there are many mini sites on the internet that are making money. So you don't need to be a multi-million dollar business to have access to the consumer markets worldwide.

So, these are just a few key reasons why anyone can start an internet marketing business. Whether you are a 16 year old still in high school or a retiree, you can start a profitable business by following some simple steps:

1. Get educated; and
2. Take action!

Keep a look out for my next post, I'll talk about one word that is fundamental to the success of any internet marketing businesses.

To your success!