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| "Who
Else Wants To Know How To Become A Profitable
Internet Entrepreneur".
Internet
Entrepreneur Defined: |
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According
to the Pocket English Dictionary, an entrepreneur
is defined as:
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| “One
who organizes, manages and assumes the risks of
a business or enterprise.” |
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So, what is an Internet
Entrepreneur?
In a nutshell, an Internet Entrepreneur is someone
who spots an opportunity, creates a plan, and organizes
a team or leverage on software or tools to seize
it.
An Internet Entrepreneur is also one who has the
ability to create his own opportunity or cash in
on ideas, may it be his own or other people’s.
This is especially true if you have the desire to
start an Internet Business which sells digital products.
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Now,
the thought of you becoming an Internet Entrepreneur can
be intimidating especially since you are given such a
definition on Internet Entrepreneurship. But the truth
is that, anyone can be an Internet Entrepreneur, only
if they really want to. |
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| What
Makes an Internet Entrepreneur?
While most people enter
into the world of Internet Business fueled with dreams
of making money and creating wealth, only so few really
do make money.
So, what really parts the minority who is making most
of the money on the Internet from the rest who are struggling
just to make a few cents?
Here are some of the essentials you must have in order
to become an Internet Entrepreneur: |
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| Mission
In my opinion, this is
one of the first important aspects of anyone’s Internet
Business. And with so many Internet Business start-ups
that fail almost everyday, having your own Internet Business
mission is more important than ever.
Several people may start their own Internet Business but
more often than note, I notice that their missions have
one thing in common and that is to make money.
I would be lying if I said I started my own Internet Business
not for the money but the truth is that there is more
to my business undertakings than just the money.
To me, making money is not strong enough a reason to start
an Internet Business. The Internet Business mission should
fulfill the customers’ needs, regardless of the
niche as long as there is a demand for it, and when that
is accomplished well, only then you will begin to make
your money from your Internet Business.
As you can see, it is perfectly okay to go into business
to make money, but money goes to those who first have
the desire to serve, give before receiving, and prove
their worth. I also tend to notice that those who have
a genuine mission tend to stay in business longer than
those who are only looking forward to make the next quick
buck.
Be aware of your own Internet Business mission because
even though you may or may not state your business mission
in your web pages, anyone can tell if you are genuinely
helping someone with their needs or just trying to sell
something, consciously or subconsciously.
Most beginning Internet Business owners give up easily
especially when tough times come (it will come, that is
for sure) or in the first few months of their Internet
Business because very often, they hold on a weakly propelled
mission, as I have said earlier, making money is not enough
a strong reason for a mission let alone the existence
of your very Internet Business.
Focus
Also, a mission, and a
genuine one at that, helps maintain your focus especially
in the infancy stages of your Internet Business. A genuine
mission also keeps you going even when the going gets
tough.
With so many advertisements, business opportunities, money-making
programs, and their share of scams and hypes, being focused
is more important than ever. It might be easier said than
done in most instances but that is not the case with a
real Internet Entrepreneur.
Most beginning Internet Business owners, probably owing
to the lack of their Internet Business mission importance
and passion, jump from one opportunity to another and
in my opinion, which is not an ideal thing to do.
Now, I am not saying that I am against jumping opportunities.
I have accepted bad offers that are not workable on a
few occasions and bailed myself out before I jumped onto
another offer. But all too often, most people are really
impulsive and acting on “instant gratification”.
I strongly urge that you build your Internet Business
because no matter how complete your Internet Business
can come with, whether you have purchased Resell Rights
to a proven, selling product or a turn key business, you
still need to put in time and effort to build your Internet
Business.
Leverage
User
An Internet Entrepreneur,
in contrary to most small Online Business owners, is one
who leverages on the efforts of other business associates
and software. While small Online Business owners leverage
on software and tools, too, but the distinctions between
a big time Entrepreneur and a small Online Business owner
can be seen in the sophisticated network of business associates
and affiliates.
The good news is that today, the Internet allows even
one single person to achieve so much with the leverage
of software and tools available to make daily tasks easier
in the pursuit of growing his business.
But that does not mean you can define yourself as an Internet
Entrepreneur just yet. The fact is that you can only achieve
so much and seize only so many opportunities by yourself.
If you are planning to seize bigger opportunities, you
will need to assemble a team of people with the required
expertise or resources.
The statement “time is money” may be true
to small Online Business owners, but that is not the case
with the huge Internet Entrepreneurs. The sayings for
the Internet Entrepreneurs may very well be “time
over money”, because an Internet Entrepreneur think
in terms of time rather than money, enabling him to make
more and more money with less and less effort done on
his part. |
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The
Essential Skills of an Internet Entrepreneur
Your journey towards Internet Entrepreneurship is made up
of knowledge and skills from the following areas of expertise:
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| Leadership
It is okay not to be a
leader when you are working for someone else, but it definitely
NOT okay when you start your own Internet Business.
In the world of business, leadership is not an option
but rather an obligation, and that applies even to the
Internet. Just because you work from home does not mean
you do not need to be a leader of some kind.
It does not matter whether you work alone or you have
a 10,000 people working for you. Being able to tell yourself
what to do is important and this is especially crucial
when you make a decision that will leave impacts on yourself,
your Internet Business, and maybe the business associates
you network with. |
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So
what constitutes an Internet Entrepreneur
with good leadership skills?
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| 1.
The ability to communicate with other Internet
Entrepreneurs, experts, and specialists
who are better than they are.
This is a skill very important and I believe
that this skill is more needed by any budding
Internet Entrepreneur rather than the established
ones. |
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The
early stage is probably the toughest of all
stages in the Internet Business and this is
where most Internet Businesses fail.
Most budding Internet Entrepreneurs fail because
they failed to communicate with others who
are better than them.
The over-used excuse “Those Internet
Entrepreneurs are successful because they
have been established for 4 years” makes
no sense to me because the truth is, the established
Internet Entrepreneurs, like everyone else,
also started with virtually nothing on day
one of their Internet Business.
But one of the reasons these successful individuals
grow rather contract is because they have
the ability to communicate with individuals
who are better than they are.
And very often, the Internet Entrepreneurs
instill a certainty or a promising success
to the people they network with, even though
they were not successful yet. |
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2.
The ability to fix things when they go wrong.
Owning your own Internet Business means you
are in full control. This certainly demands
more discipline and control on your part than
at a regular 9 to 5 job. When you work in
a company and make a mistake, the company
pays for it. When you make a mistake in your
own Internet Business, you have to be able
to bear the consequence.
If you do not have any plans of bearing the
full consequence, you had better fix what
went wrong fast. |
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3.
People care what you have to say.
Whether you have 100 or 100,000 people in
your mailing list, people do bother reading
your E-mails.
And when you send out endorsement letters
to products or services you are selling or
an affiliate for, people do bother purchasing
from you.
Call it your own “fan club” or
a “cult” if you want to, but remember
that people with poor leadership and communication
skills are those no one will ever listen to.
This can be a cruel and harsh reality but
the good news is that you do not have to be
a “guru” but a leader. |
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Tip:
You are now finally given a golden chance to be independent
and free by starting your own Internet Business. However,
if you have been spending most of your life taking orders
from someone else, running your own Internet Business is
going to be a challenge.
But the good news is that leaders are made, not born. I
believe that if schools can train people to become employees,
I am sure that there are also schools that can train people
to become employers or entrepreneurs.
Therefore, I urge
you invest in a few self-help books on leadership at the
nearest bookstore. |
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Selling
If you cannot sell, you cannot make money. You cannot even
call yourself a businessman of any kind in the first place.
Selling is the No. 1 skill you CANNOT go without even when
it comes to Online Business.
When you write your sales letter, you are selling. When
you negotiate with other business people and associates,
you are selling. When you talk to your subordinates and
professionals, you are selling.
If you hate the idea of selling and that you are attracted
to programs which so-called “requires no selling on
your part”, becoming an Internet Entrepreneur is probably
not for you.
This is because no matter what ideas or resources you have,
without the ability to sell, you cannot turn them into assets.
If you have not mastered this skill yet, now is the time
for you to learn to sell.
It would not be easy, but it is a skill worth learning and
time worth invested in. |
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Marketing
Marketing deals with bringing your product or service to
a world wide audience. If you take a look at most of the
successful Internet Entrepreneurs out there, most of them
come from direct response marketing background. Even the
school drop outs and job-quitters learn marketing, in one
form of education or another. |
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Investing
The ability to put in your money, time and effort and pull
in profits manifold. |
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Networking
Business is about people and no people means no business.
While most people like the idea of working on their Internet
Business from home is because they do not need to meet their
prospects in person or travel long distances, you still
have to communicate. |
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Invest
In Yourself
Investment Rule No. 1:
Invest in yourself. Notice that the first rule of investment
isn’t “invest in your business” or anything
else other than yourself.
While investing and re-investing into your Internet Business
is important, investing in yourself is your first priority
of investing. |
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What
to Invest In Yourself
When he said, “invest in yourself”, he really
meant that you should invest in your education, making yourself
a better you than yesterday. By reading this book, you are
already making an investment in your education.
Getting the essential education you need to get started
online and on the right track is considered an education.
The good news is that unlike investing in anything else
other than yourself, you have full control over yourself
because YOU are the investment.
The other good news is that it does not cost much, if any,
to acquire the essential information you need to start and
build a successful Internet Business. |
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The
Price of Investing
When starting
your Internet Entrepreneurship journey,
you must be prepared to invest the following
on your part: |
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| 1.
Money
Like any other business, you still need
money to start somewhere. However, compared
to Conventional Businesses, you do not need
to invest much money into starting an Internet
Business.
Your start-up fee can be less than a hundred
dollars and I am sure you can afford at
least a dinner for two every month, right?
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2.
Time
Investing money alone is never enough.
Like any other businesses, your Internet Business
needs time to grow.
Very often, the Internet is perceived as a
place where “get rich quick” dreams come true.
While there are success stories of Internet
Entrepreneurs who make hundreds of thousands,
even millions of dollars simply overnight
simply by sending an E-mail to their mailing
list, the truth is that they have invested
their time to harness such a responsive, quality
mailing list before the final touch. |
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3.
Effort
This is yet another entity required on your
part like any other forms of businesses.
You cannot grow your business in its infancy
stages without any effort on your part.
It is like planting the seeds but never watering
it yet you expect the seeds to grow into a
tree by itself. |
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| Without
any of the above investments made on your
part, you CANNOT build a successful Internet
Business. |
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| "When
it comes to investing in educational E-books, seminars
and courses that can teach anyone on how to start an Internet
Business, most people are terrified of spending their
hard-earned money."
And then there are also people who think that starting
an Internet Business is costly. |
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I think that
those are ironic excuses, because:
1. It takes
little money to start an Internet Business relative to
Conventional Businesses.
You can start your Internet Business from home without
having to leave the house for work or even rent an expensive
office lot.
And since there is no need to hire a team of staff on
salary, your overheads are significantly reduced.
Which one is more expensive?
Spend less than a hundred dollars to get a domain name,
web hosting and other tools necessary and pay less than
a dinner for two a month in maintenance?
Or spend tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars
in setting up your Conventional Business and pay 4 to
5 figures in monthly expenses, renting office space, hiring
staff and funding your business ventures?
2. Getting the essential
education you need for your Internet Business ventures
is cheap.
I often hear complaints about why E-books can be priced
as high as $97 and seminars as high as $2,000.
While I do agree that these commodities may be pricey
especially if you are from a country where the local currency
is less strong than that of the US Dollars, but again,
which one is more expensive?
Would you prefer to spend $97 on getting the essential
information you need from an E-book and use the information
as soon as next day and make all the money you want?
Or would you prefer to spend $20,000 in getting a college
education and graduate 4 years from now just to apply
for a job that pays you $50,000 a year?
On top of that, your pay and financial life is decided
by someone else whom you just would not like.
Is that the kind of life you really want?
I think that working at a job or staying broke is more
costly than investing the little money you have to get
your profits back manifold.
I also think that saying broke, struggling to save the
little money you have, robs you of your financial independence,
and to me, my financial independence is something money
cannot buy.
Why allow the excuse of not having money steal your financial
freedom from you?
I have also seen and met budding Internet Entrepreneurs
who have the “instant gratification”
and “get rich quick” mentality
when the Internet is no more than a means of leverage.
And then I have also encountered other beginning Internet
Business owners who are not putting in the effort they
should be putting in the initial stages of their business.
All in all, it takes all of money, time and effort on
your part to build a successful Online Business.
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You
Can Still Succeed Online Even If You Don’t Have
Much Money
With what the leverage and free to low-cost alternatives
the Internet has to offer, you can still succeed and make
your wealth online even if you do not have much money
to begin with.
All it takes is a willingness to invest in yourself.
If you cannot invest much money, you will have to make
up your investment more in effort and time.
It is also interesting to note that most beginning Internet
Entrepreneurs did not come from rich or professional backgrounds
before they start their Internet Business.
Some came from as humble a background as a pizza delivery
boy, working for a few dollars an hour.
Some were even school drop-outs!
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Why
Invest In Yourself?
Only you can answer that. But here’s food for thought:
if you are not willing to invest in yourself, why would
anyone else want to invest in you, too? |
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Be
Willing To Work For Free
If you are new to Internet Entrepreneurship, this can be
hard to absorb.
You might reason with yourself that you are in business
and not charity. That thought came across my mind once |
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The
Wonders of Giving Something Away For Free
Let’s face it – shoppers on the web love getting
something for nothing. So do not disappoint them. Give them
what they want. Still do not see the point? Alright.
The benefit of giving something away for free is that you
can use the E-mail addresses you receive with entries for
future mailings such as newsletters and follow-ups related
to your products and services.
Case Study: The Supermarket Nearest To You
I am sure that you have seen people giving out free samples
of their products such as chocolates, drinks, etc. at the
supermarket. You have probably sampled them, too.
You see, the companies selling those products are first
proving their worth to potential customers shopping at the
supermarket. If they like the product, they will surely
want more of it thus they will buy it!
How This Same Concept Applies Into Your Internet Business
That brings to point no. 2 – giving something away
for free allows you to prove your worth. The advantage of
an Internet Business is that unlike conventional businesses,
you do not have to spend a lot of money on giving out sample
products online. In fact, it can be done at zero cost!
Sharing your expertise freely in your newsletters and offering
people to try out your services for free would keep your
prospects away from sitting on the fence or feeling indecisive
about contracting with you.
If done correctly, the freebie you gave away can be viral.
That means the person who downloaded your freebie will give
away to a friend who will in turn give to another. This
is called “viral marketing”. This is will indirectly
increase your credibility and a higher chance to make your
sales.
For example, if you a write a free report on a subject in
the form of an E-book, you can include your product sales
letters at the back of the report. With many visitors downloading
your free report, this will raise your chances of making
sales. |
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Working
For Free
Regardless of any type of business you are into, you have
to work for free in the initial stages of your business.
If you are starting a conventional business, you will need
to invest time, money and effort into starting one in your
spare time.
You also know that you will not make money until the business
is ready.
The Internet Business is not much different.
You will need to invest the same entities into making your
Internet Business a success.
However, the Internet Business offers advantages over a
Conventional Business whereby you do not require THOUSANDS
of dollars to invest in and you can give something away
free in unlimited numbers with little effort and no money
on your part (e.g. free reports, trial software, etc.).
If you want to create success on the Internet then consider
working for free.
With a little generosity, rather than to receive and you
shall give, you should give and you shall receive. |
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| Make
Selling Your Forte
In order to become an Internet Entrepreneur,
you must have the ability to sell. No other exceptions.
If you would notice, selling is a skill that all the greatest
people in history share in common.
When you write your sales letter for your prospects to
read, you are selling. When you negotiate a deal, you
are selling. When you propose a Joint Venture to a potential
partner, you are selling. When you endorse a product or
service to your mailing list, you are selling. When you
send E-mails, you are still selling.
All in all, you always sell therefore selling is a skill
worth investing in. If you have not learned how to sell
just yet, you will do well to start learning now.
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Why
Learn How to Sell?
Without the ability to sell, you cannot make money, regardless
of what great ideas or fantastic products you may have.
There are several people who sell their products at the
price of peanuts yet still fail to make the amount of money
they desire simply because they do not know how to sell
or even instill the “perceived value”.
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Instill
Perceived Value
Before you put a price on your product, digital or tangible,
it is important that you believe you have done a good job
creating such a good product because if you do not think
so, why should your prospects think highly of your product,
too? |
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Sell
a Solution or Opportunity, Not a Product
When you put a product or service offer up for sale, you
do not sell their features to your prospects. You are not
interested in how a car looks like and neither are your
prospects, either.
What YOU – or anyone – are interested in are:
1. What is in it for me?
2. What can I get out of this?
3. How does this product or service
benefit me?
4. How does this product or service
solve my problems?
5. How do I make money from this?
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Look
For Deals, Not More Work
All of us have been employees or followers at some to many
stages in our lives before we even thought of starting our
own Internet Business.
As employees, we learn to work for other people.
We are paid more for more work done.
However, the exact opposite applies when we take the place
of Internet Entrepreneurs. |
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You
Are Paid More for Less Work Done
This statement sound absurd and contradictory but please
give me a moment to explain.
In fact, this very reason can be the main factor why most
Internet Businesses fail in the first 120 days.
Consider the following:
You work for some one else. Your employer pays you more
for more and more work done.
If you work in an office, your day-to-day job may range
from picking up phone calls, offering customer service and
support, to paper work and more. Your employer pays you
to do all these.
If you are not working for your employer, who else will
pay you for answering phone calls and doing paper work?
No one!
And this applies even if you are an Internet Entrepreneur.
You are not paid to read E-mails, creating your first business
site (in fact you might be paying some one else to do this
if you are not HTML literate), and writing articles.
As an Internet Entrepreneur, you are paid only when someone
is happy to give you money.
And that is none other than your customers. This is why
you have to offer top-notch customer service alongside with
being willing to work for free until you start to profit
from your Online Business.
For some peculiar reasons, most people just do not get the
concept.
I do not know why but I can only guess they do not read
the same books on Entrepreneurship.
If you are thinking of engaging in a business of some kind,
I strongly suggest you read at least a book on Entrepreneurship,
Self-Help or Money. |
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Deals
vs. Work
Work such as creating and building a better business site,
fixing technical problems, setting things up, and updating
the blog are important tasks you cannot avoid doing when
starting an Internet Business of any niche. But the bottom-line
was that you are not getting paid to do those.
If you are really despaired about being in business for
some time but with little or no results in your sales, this
can be the ultimate mental block you are having, consciously
or unconsciously:
You are not looking for enough deals. You are in fact, looking
for more work to do. Work that people do not pay you for.
So, I emphasize you look for deals. Look for opportunities.
A job will not make you rich. A lot of people who started
their Internet Business realize that but they still run
their business with the same mind-set: look for more work
to do.
I often find that ironic as I believe the common goal every
person who start an Internet Business share is to have more
time and money. Why jump from a job into another, which
you call a business?
Look for deals and not more work. Deals and opportunities
make you rich. You already know how much a job can give
you. |
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A
Word on Jobs
Remember that I am not banging on a job.
But if you are serious about becoming a successful Internet
Entrepreneur, this is an education worth taking to change
your ounce of perception on looking for more deals rather
than looking for more work that will eat most of your valuable
time and not make you money.
Day-to-day work on your Internet Business operation is important
but it is successful deals you have pulled that make you
money. |
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Final
Words
As this report draws to an end, I trust you now have a better
picture of what Internet Entrepreneurship really is in a
nutshell.
Regardless of what products or service you market online,
having the essential traits of an Internet Entrepreneur
(or “ontrepreneur” or “netpreneur”,
if you would like) is as important to your business success
as oxygen is life to you.
And if you have not just yet, you can subscribe to our JV Partner Program to receive Internet Entrepreneur Marketing FREE Internet Ware gifts,tips, articles, and insights from us.
Having said that, all the best in your Online Entrepreneurship
undertakings!
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To Your Success!
Internet Enterpreneur Marketing Joint Venture Partners
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