IF MONKS CAN FIND A MILLION DOLLAR OPPORTUNITY ON THE INTERNET, SO CAN YOU!

by Bonnie Boots

Father Bernard McCoy didn't start out to build a multimillion dollar dot com business. But that's where his hunt for cheaper office supplies took him.

Just a few years ago, the Wisconsin abbey to which Father McCoy belongs was struggling with growing debt and shrinking cash reserves. An analysis showed that a sizable chunk of the abbey's budget was being spent on office supplies. In an effort to cut costs, Father McCoy, a Cistercian monk,turned to the internet to find cheaper prices. His first find was a refilled toner cartridge for the monastery's laser printer. At less than half the cost of new, even a single refilled cartridge offered a significant savings to the cash-strapped monastery.

When Father McCoy learned he could get even greater savings by ordering in wholesale quantities, he arranged to provide refilled cartridges to local churches. That small client list soon expanded to local businesses and soon, what began as a cost-cutting effort grew into a small business that brought in a tiny but much needed profit to the monastery.

That small business grew, mostly by word of mouth. Today, LaserMonks.com posts multimillion-dollar sales. The monastery is no longer in debt. In fact, the coffers are so full that the monks have been able to make significant donations to charities like Camp Heartland, a summer camp program for children with AIDS, and Angel Ranch, a haven for abused and abandoned children. The monastery's mottos, "commerce with compassion," and "ink & toner that changes lives" speak to the mission that makes LaserMonks more than just an office supply warehouse.

The steps that lead Father McCoy to find a profitable enterprise for his monastery are the same steps that so many business books and coaches advise: identify a problem and offer a solution. Father McCoy didn't need to buy any thousand dollar marketing programs or attend any seminars to learn that lesson. Nor did he employ butterfly or black hat techniques. His own common sense and a discipline of thinking in terms of being of service to others were the only tools he needed to chart a course for success.

What did he do right? First, Father McCoy was quick to realize that his efforts to save money for the monastery were the basis for a service he could offer to others. Next, in a market crowded with  office supplier retailers, Father McCoy made LazerMonks stand out by offering lower prices and congenial customer service. And third, he grew his client list by offering that service first to people he already knew or had connections to, then expanded his contacts using direct mail and personal phone calls.

The bombastic messages sent out by many internet marketers --"Become An Internet Millionaire in 30 Days or Less!"--makes many cynical. But you only have to visit the good brothers at LazerMonks.com to realize that there's a bushel of truth hidden within all the hype. The internet really does offer unprecedented opportunities. Millionaires really are being made with little more than a computer, an internet connection,  a lot of motivation and a little commons sense. If sheltered monks living a secluded life in a remote abbey can find opportunity and success on the internet, then what's stopping you?

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