If you believe the hype on internet marketing, making money on the internet is so easy a monkey could do it. Why, then, do so many potential internet millionaires fail to make enough money to even cover their hosting fees?

Those who fail will tell you the marketing hype is all lies, spun for the sole purpose of selling information packages and marketing products. Those that succeed, and they are far fewer in number, will tell you the truth. Building an internet business is no different than building any other kind of business. It takes planning, knowledge, time, effort and money, all in varying degrees depending on how ambitious your plans are.

I’ve met enough internet success stories to know that real money is being made on the internet every day by fairly average people. They range from eBay sellers to marketing gurus. Their internet incomes range from a good part-time job to six figures a year.

I’ve also met and interviewed people that failed on the internet. The amount of money and time they lost ranged from a few hundred to thousands of dollars. What I’ve learned from both groups of people illustrates one of the most important reasons some websites fail to make money.

The successful people I’ve met have all been willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. They committed themselves to constant learning. They sought or bought information from people who were already making money on the internet and were willing to share their techniques. They skipped weekend barbeques and fancy restaurants so they’d have more time and money to invest in their business. They did, in short, what owners of successful off-line businesses have always done.

The people that failed, at least those I’ve met, have run willy nilly from one marketing guru to another, never focusing on one technique or one goal long enough to achieve it. They’ve published websites that scream “Beginner!” and made no effort to learn how to do better. They’ve failed to commit to even a modest investment in their business, settling for free web hosting, free clipart, free everything. The combined effect is usually a site that sends visitors clicking away at lightening speed. Worst of all, they’ve refused to invest the time it takes to learn more and to do better.

The lesson here is plain: no one builds a successful business, off line or on, without an investment of time, money and effort. You snooze, you loose!

About the Author

Bonnie Boots is the publisher/editor of The Internet Wizards Magazine for people who want to create their own products and market on the internet. Register for your free 1-year subscription at http://www.theinternetwizards.com