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Article #1 Common Myths About Running an Internet Home Based Business Many people think that running an online home based business is less expensive, less time consuming and requires less effort. On the contrary, online home based business requires time, money, effort and persistence to succeed. A business is after all a business. The only difference is things are done differently on the Internet. Here are some common myths about running an Internet home based business... 1. It is easy that anyone can do it. The fact is establishing an Internet business can be a long, slow and frustrating process especially if you are a newbie starting from ground zero. 'Process' is the word. Building your own website is itself a challenge. And yes, even if you choose to sign up for an affiliate program, which offers a free 10-page beautiful website, you still need to own a high traffic site to drive traffic to your free website. The bottom line is no traffic equals no income! Making money online all boils down to the numbers game! To sell the product or service you are promoting, you must first sell your site. People are not neccessarily interested in the product you have to offer unless it is one of a kind product...a drug that is guaranteed to cure aids. They would be more interested if your site has solutions to their needs or problems. Content is what people are looking for, not sales pitch. To sell your site you need to fill it with content. This calls for research. You will be overhelmed by the sheer amount of information you have to absorb. The fact that five 'experts' each giving you different and sometimes contradicting information only adds to your frustration. Then comes the grueling task of getting your site listed by the Search Engines. Most browsers will reach your site through Search Engines. So you need to submit your website to the Search Engines. Then you have to wait several weeks or months to find out whether it's been listed. Of course, you could pay the experts or buy sofwares to cut the workload, but keep in mind, at this point you have not earned a single penny yet. Experts' fees and software can cost hundreds and even thousands of dollars with no iron-clad guarantee of profit returns. At the end of the day, many people simply give up. 2. I can make big money fast and easy. So the ads promised making big money fast and easy. Frankly, most of these ads overpromise and undeliver! The only way to get rich fast is to win the lottery. So, don't be quick to fire your boss until you have a reasonable, stable income from your Internet home based business to sustain you. In the meantime take it as a part-time job working from home to supplement your main income. 3. I can relax once my website is built. That's what you think! Read point 1 paragraph 3. You still need to fine-tune your site for Search Engine Optimization. And just as you manage to get a respectable ranking on Yahoo!, your Google listing disappears altogether! Monitor, fine tune, and improve. You need to add fresh, relevant content to your site to get visitors coming back. 4. I don't have to spend money to promote my business. The fact is, yes you do! No one else would know your website exists, except you and your web hosting company. Before your website gets listed you have to spend money to promote your business in other people's ezines and websites, through paid classified ads, pay per clicks. Even though you could post your ads for free on Free-For-All sites (FFAs, which don't work) and free advertising sites, you still need to put in time and effort to do the posting. Time and effort measured in terms of opportunity cost are money! 5. I will have more time for my family. Not unless you treat your Internet home based business like a hobby. Running a profitable Internet home based business requires time, money, effort and persistence. Make time for your family. Don't neglect your spouse and children. This article is not meant to dissuade anyone from starting and running an Internet home based business. It serves to alert you to the stark realities of running an online home based business amid all the hype you see in ad postings. (Read article by Elena Fawkner Look before you leap...Is a Home based business really for you?) The road to building a successful Internet home based business, one that makes money is a long one, especially for newbies. Don't expect quick profits. The so called overnight success story of people making millions we read so often only happens to a few. And we also don't amount of background work put in by these people before they become successful. A winning formula does not happen by chance. It takes time, money, effort and persistence. Plan and prepare for the long haul. You may get rich but not get rich quick! You need time and effort to learn and master the methods and tools of the trade, and understand market conditions. Like everything else, there is a learning curve to running a successful Internet home based business. The learning curve varies with individuals. It may be shortened if you follow the methods of proven online marketers. But then the Internet is evolving everyday. Methods that worked well six months ago may not work effectively today. To run a successful Internet home based business you need to persistently experiment with different or new methods. Persist until you find the winning formula. Ka-ching! © 2005 HomeBasedBusinessInfo