The 10 Most Popular Myths
About Running A Home-Based Business Online
Several weeks ago I finally took the plunge into the world of network marketing. I had been running an online business for almost three years by then but knew that I would have to make the leap to network marketing at some point since it was such an obvious fit with Internet marketing. And I haven't been disappointed.
One thing did surprise me though -- the number of people who approached me about my network marketing business, interested in running their businesses exclusively online, but with the mistaken belief that it would be somehow easier and less expensive than establishing and running a home-
based business offline.
Well, let me tell you, there's nothing easy or inexpensive about running a home-based business - online or off. The Internet is just a different way of going about it. And that's all.
Here's my top 10 myths about running an online business (and in answer to the missing Myth#11, NO, you CANNOT run a serious online business with WebTV - get a REAL computer already).
MYTH#1 - It's Easy, Anyone Can Do It
FACT - It's not easy, by any stretch of the imagination, and no, you may not be able to do it.
Reality is, establishing an Internet business is a long, slow, frustrating process. Your first attempt at creating your own web site will be an abomination. You'll look back at it in 12 months and shudder. I know I did.
You'll feel utterly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information you need to absorb. And the fact that six different "experts" each tell you six different things doesn't help. (There are no "experts", by the way, just a lot of people with a lot of opinions. Bottom line? Do what works. For you.)
The only way to learn is by trial and error. Some days you'll feel like you're on a roll, the next you'll feel like you're backsliding and FAST. No sooner do you manage a respectable ranking on Altavista, than your Yahoo listing disappears altogether, and where the hell did that number 5 listing with Google go?
After spending an ENTIRE DAY trying to work out what's going on with your search engine listings, giving up, going searching for yet another "expert" to tell you what you're doing wrong, finally realizing there is no such expert and you're going to have to learn how to do it all yourself after all (dammit to hell!) you suddenly realize that you've done absolutely nothing all day to promote your business and you still have to write the article for this week's ezine which has to go out tomorrow but you can't work your business tomorrow because you have to go work at your J.O.B. ....
AAAARGHHHH!!!!!
Many, many people, give it up. Most, probably. It's hard work and it's frustrating. At the end of the day, most are just not prepared to do what it takes.
MYTH#2 - I Can Get Wealthy Overnight
FACT - The only way to get wealthy overnight in this world
is to win the Lotto. Period. It will NOT happen on the
Internet. Not these days, anyway.
MYTH#3 - Once I Build My Website I Can Relax And
Let It Do the Work For Me
FACT - Hah. See Myth #4.
MYTH#4 - Once I Build My Website The World Will Beat
A Path To My Door
FACT - No. It won't.
Merely creating a web site and uploading it to your host's
server means that your web site is available for viewing by
*those who know it exists*. Only problem is, you and your
web host are the only ones who know. And even your web
host doesn't care (at least as long as you pay your monthly
hosting fees).
You now need to submit your site to the search engines
(no, they will not just find it automatically and no, your
web site is not just automatically added to some great
universal Index once it's uploaded). Then you have to wait
several weeks or months to find out whether it's been
indexed. And if by some miracle it has, where and for what
keywords. And then fix it.
In the meantime, you have to drive traffic to your site via
other means. You'll need to submit it to directories,