How to Make a Living Online - and How Not To!

Please read this before you decide to go into business for yourself online. It could be the best decision you make this year.

You’ve thought about it for a while now, and if there’s one thing that today’s economy has taught us is that we all have to think outside of the box and find creative ways to generate income. And if you’ve been thinking about it, chances are you already know what kind of business idea is going to work for you and has the potential of generating an income from home or utilizing your free time. You’ve also probably been doing some research online, reading blogs and going through different forums and discussion boards in order to get an idea on how to go about it. But let me warn you… the most frequently asked question this year is what business model works, is it affiliate marketing, product creation or information marketing?   And just as frequently there are answers posted that are misleading and wrong given by people who have never tried a successful model before or have no clue what they are talking about.

You shouldn’t take anyone's word as gospel if they claim to be an expert in whatever subject matter you happen to be seeking advice from. I would much rather follow my intuition than what the latest advice is on the internet.

Business Ideas That Work

What you should do first, before you even start looking for answers, is to ask yourself what kind of business have you always wanted to have? What really makes you smile when you hear about it? Are you more of a creative person or a business person? And if marketing and selling is not your forte, remember that opportunities abound in other areas such as:

- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – If your niche is already highly searched on Google, which can include anything from martial arts to weight loss, chances are that SEO can be utilized to generate leads on an ongoing basis. Even if you’re not selling a specific product, it’s likely there are affiliate programs out there that can help you make money off of your traffic.

- Web Design – As long as the demand for websites continues to increase, this is a service which will be in great demand. And you can choose to sell your services or simply use the sites as a lead generation platform. Either way it’s definitely worth exploring and putting yourself in business for yourself and taking control of your financial destiny.

- Web Design & Development - Similar to web design, but different in that it would include both design and programming skills. The more complicated the site, the more time it will take to develop, which means that you’ll have to spend an initial investment and then wait for it to pay off in dividends.

- Virtual Assistant – If you’re a people person who can easily communicate with others over the phone or via email or chat, why not consider this kind of business? There are many online entrepreneurs who will be willing to hire you as a part time virtual assistant for specific tasks.

- Blogging – With over 100 million blogs being created every month, there is an abundance of opportunity out there for entrepreneurs. Blogs can be classified by category or niche and range from personal to business oriented.

Conclusion

As you can see, the possibilities are endless. There’s no better time to take control of your own financial destiny than right now. The worst case scenario is that you spend a little time and money finding out if your business idea is viable and you get to experience what it’s like for being your own boss and achieving financial freedom. Best case scenario is that your business goes viral and takes off overnight!

The most important thing to remember when starting any kind of online business is to always find ways to promote it and drive traffic. To learn how to do that, I highly recommend the 1-on-1 coaching program by my friend Frank Kern .