Know Where You Are Going Before You Start Your internet Business.

Internet Marketing can be exciting, but with all the information, terminology and different choices to be made, it can also be very overwhelming to a new person. Still, there are so many opportunities available, and that is why it is so important to set your goals before you just dive in and start working on your internet business.

Now, which opportunity do you choose? How do you know which is the right one? Every so-called “internet guru” recommends another program (obviously his own). The first thing you ought to do is to determine your own goals. Decide exactly where you want to go, and how you are going to get there. What do you want to achieve and why? Once you achieved it, what then? When people set goals without proper planning, it often results in nothing but frustration. You set out with one goal in mind, and once you’ve reached it, the challenge is gone. The process becomes boring, meaningless and frustrating. 

This is why it is so important to have your journey mapped out. Before you even start, you should know where you are now, what your ultimate goal is and why. Once you reach your destination, will you enjoy where you are and be happy? Will having to actively maintain what you have achieved give you any satisfaction? Or will it lead you to the next challenge?

Once you can answer these questions, you will also have a better understanding about what type of online opportunities you are looking for.  This should always be the first step. From there, keep taking one step at time until you are confident that you have chosen a specific end-goal and mapped out the route to get there.

Eat Your Elephant One Bite At A Time

Break your goals down into smaller goals for action steps until you achieve your ultimate goal. It's like drawing a map to get to your destination.  You will always arrive easier and sooner when you have planned your route and you know exactly where you are going.  

Don't be scared of the competition. Never rush into things if you didn’t plan properly. Nobody is going to beat you to YOUR destination. There is enough room for everybody on the internet.

On the other hand, don't wait until you think you know everything. Things are constantly changing. Get going and learn on the go. I made that mistake of thinking I don't know enough yet. Before I realized, I have wasted a lot of time, and made NO progress. Even the top guys are continuously learning. That is how they stay on top. Any business - whether online or offline - is a living thing.  It is constantly changing and you have to be able to stay with it, change with it. You must be able to adapt.

What Is Your Strategy?

What you need to develop and stick to, is your strategy. Find a strategy that works for you, and once you do, stick to it. There are a different ways to generate income online.  You can market your own product (which can be a physical product, information products or even a service), you can take part in affiliate programs (as I do myself) where you market someone else's product or service, or you can take part in joint ventures with other internet entrepreneurs.  Another option will be profit sharing programs (Google Adsense) where you don't have to sell anything, but you share in the profits generated from advertising programs.

Your strategy will determine which of these modules you are going to follow. What is important to keep in mind, is to aim for generating a passive income. Passive income means that you will put in the effort now, but eventually your business will be generating an income whether you are active or not. This is the proper way to build your own business, and not to just create another job for yourself.

Affiliate marketing is one of the easier ways to start generating an income online. Many people claim though that you can make more money marketing your own product, seeing that you can then utilize affiliates to also market YOUR product. While this is true, I think it is wise to first start off taking part in a good affiliate program. It will give you the opportunity to learn and gain some experience first. Focus on one item or program until it is up and running. You can then always later develop your own product, while you maintain the affiliate program. It is always good to create multiple streams of income.

There is a company that (to my opinion) basically combines two of the above mentioned channels in one business opportunity.  Affiliate marketing, and marketing your own product.  Strong Future International (SFI) provides you with an excellent affiliate program, and also an online store with a range of thousands of products you can sell, and treat it as your own online store. They provide you with ongoing training and great support. This is extremely important. In online marketing, you WILL need someone to help you. You need to be able to communicate with people and get advice from top guys. I can strongly recommend them. Trying to go at it alone is not a good idea.