I think that running a web-based business is one of the best available business models that a person can have. For those that have never had an online business, there may be visions of automated income, no overhead and no staff to manage. While an Internet business has many advantages, in most cases it is not quite like setting up an ATM machine that spits out free money. I say in “most” cases because there are always exceptions to rule.
Some Internet marketers have hit the jackpot finding unexploited niche markets and with little effort have stumbled into success like a prospector hitting the glory hole, after hardly doing any digging. It does happen, and I think for the most part it can’t happen to you if you don’t at least play the game. If it happens to me at some point along the way I’ll gladly accept my new found wealth and be sure to testify of it.
For most of us out here however, we reap what we sow and the measure of the results corresponds with the strength of the continued effort. It’s a basic law that applies to all forms of accomplished objectives, great and small. There are many things that can affect your results. However regardless of the obstacles, if the vision persists and the efforts continue, the results must come at some point. Of course it helps to have a clear vision and know exactly what it is you want. It also helps to be realistic about the cost in time and money.
I get a lot of emails from people who visit this site and want the $10,000.00 a month revenue generating daily deals website built for them but don’t want to spend any money to build it. It’s like someone standing in front of the wood stove saying: “give me heat and then I’ll put the wood in.” It doesn’t quite work that way. You need to put the wood in before you can get heat. There is a big difference between being frugal and being cheap. Frugal says, “This is what I have to work with and I need to make it stretch.” Cheap say’s “I don’t want to spend much and I was hoping I could get it free.” One is trying to work within its means; the other is trying to get the “end” without the means. The difference is in the mentality.
If you want a quality website built or a truck load of targeted traffic to your website then you need to either be prepared to do the work yourself or you need to pay someone else to do it for you. There is no way to get around it. If you sit there looking at your stats all day nothing is really going to happen for you. So find a method that works for you and do it or hire someone else to do it. If you are going to hire a professional to help you with your online business you better be prepared to pay if you want real results. Don’t expect high quality programming, graphics design or search engine optimization with a garage sale mentality. It’s ok to be frugal, but don’t be cheap.
You don’t necessarily need to hire the most expensive firm, but generally speaking, quality services are usually worth their weight in gold. Whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish, regardless if it is a cash producing website, more career opportunities or simply getting sexy for the summer, if it’s really worth anything it will cost you time or money and in many cases both. The question is: are you counting the cost? The Great Wall of China wasn’t built overnight. The cost in time, money and the lives of Chinese citizens to accomplish such a massive engineering feat was incredible. Yet, the designers, project managers, and builders were people just like you and me. They were following a plan that started in someone’s mind and were subject to the fundamental laws of accomplishment like the rest of us are. You don’t have to be building a Great Wall to benefit from the example, but you do have to be willing pay the price for whatever it is you want, and if it’s really worth anything don’t expect that price to be small.
