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Why should I start a business on the web? Once you take away the lure of quick money, once you see the get-rich-quick schemes as nothing more than outright scams or simply unworkable, what is the lure of the net? There are many advantages to starting an online business as opposed to an offline business. The main advantages that come to mind are:
Extremely Low Startup Cost Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of business on the web is the extremely low barrier to entry. If you were to consider a normal offline business, we'd be talking about some sort of office space or shop space, one or two employees at the very least, some kind of inventory, maybe renovations, and lots of other smaller expenses. Even if you were to work on a shoe string budget, you may need at least $50,000 to run for a year. And a lot of businesses do not show a profit in the first year. Do you have $50,000 to spare? And that's just for the first year! The Internet, on the other hand, actually allows you to start a business at ZERO cost. There are lots of free stuff on the net. You can use those resources to start a business at no cost. Of course, it is highly advisable for you to pay for certain things, like a domain name, web hosting and one or two services that will help automate your business. Your business will run more smoothly and gain more credibility, and be more profitable in the long run. Remember what they say about free things, "You get what you pay for." For a start, we could be talking about $50 to $100 a month. You can afford that, right? Bet that's less than your kid's allowance.
You are Working for Yourself Ever really stopped to think where you are heading? You are earning a monthly salary with yearly increments and bonuses. Not bad actually. But how about that dream of owning a luxury yacht? Or that villa in France? You can work 16-hour days for the rest of your life, but those dreams will remain just that - dreams. :( The company can take off because of your hard work, and you can get nice fat bonuses, but the only person that will be getting that luxuary yacht will be your boss. You are never going to get that yacht. Things will be different when you are running your own online business. You can work very hard, or you can take it easy. The good thing about it is that you will reap the rewards of your work, or laziness. :) If you take it easy, your business probably will not go that well but if you work very hard, that luxury yacht will be well within reach.
You can work part time For most offline businesses, working part time is not an option - at least during the starting stages. You will have to quit your job, sink in a good sum of money into the business, work like a dog, and hope that in one or two year's time, the business will still be afloat. 80% - 90% of businesses never make it past the first year. For an online business, you do not need to quit your day job. You just need to invest an hour or two a day and some pocket change - $100 a month is plenty - and you are off. In time, when the income starts to get serious, you can then consider quitting your job and working full time. Talk about having your cake and eating it. :)
You can work in your underwear Or, you can work without it, but that's not what this site is about. ;) One of the attractions of working online is that you can work at home. Imagine not having to rush through your morning routine everyday, afraid that you'd be late for work. You can have a nice leisurely breakfast and then, maybe still in your jamies, pop into the office for work. Imagine the time and money you'd save not having to commute to work. And, your time is flexible as well. You don't have to be worried that the boss will be unhappy that you have to take half a day off for that afternoon dental appointment. You just give yourself half day off. :) But do remember that flexible time does not mean less work, it just means that work can be rescheduled to a more convenient time.
Introduction
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