Although the Internet's golden glow of the late 1990s has tarnished and many once-promising companies are now historical footnotes, the survivors of the dot com bust are doing quite well these days, particularly in the business-to-business arena. For e-businesses that offer products and services to consumers, the jury is still out. Some are prospering, others not. While books, music, software, computer hardware and travel services sell well, the bottom line is that e-commerce is still a small part of the overall economy. This is the best way to make money online sitting at home. One prevailing Internet myth--now soundly debunked--has been that once people discover your website, the money rolls in. Hundreds of thousands of e-commerce websites are already online. Getting customer's attention requires plenty of advertising, even if your website is branded with a name like Disney or Barnes and Noble. There's a rough road ahead, so don't count on your site becoming the Times Square of the Internet unless you really work at it. But you can make money in cyberspace, particularly if you run a lean operation. Thousands of e-stores now thrive on the Web, providing people with a way to purchase goods and services electronically. For small businesses, the Internet can deliver a global market. Depending on which survey you believe, there may be more than 950 million people worldwide who use the Internet. An estimated 61 million Americans go online. If the demographics of the online community match your customer profile, that's a lot of potential new business. Remember, it takes time for people to adopt to new technology and modes of transactions. Many people remain reluctant to give out their credit card numbers over the Internet. But most analysts project healthy growth for online sales, especially as security issues are addressed. Yes, you can do this without spending money. This is the path most small business and probably the most profitable one. It is also the most difficult to make money without money. It's difficult and time-consuming. If you're forced to do it without a budget, it will be even more time-consuming. But you're determined to build a profitable, long-term Internet business, right? Hard work is not a problem. Making money online is not a quick fix. You should not expect to spend a week or two on it and make thousands of dollars. It does not work that way. Advertisers would pay you to display their banners on your site. This is probably one of the oldest and most hyped ways to make money without money. |
