It Really is only early Days in the Internet Gold Rush....

One of the questions that I am getting more and more used to hearing lately is:

'Is it too late for me to start an online business? Have I missed the boat and have all of the best opportunities been and gone?'

My reply is always along the lines of, 'Absolutely not - there is still a wealth of opportunity online and even if you start your online business tomorrow, you are still well ahead of the majority of people'.

I genuinely believe that this is the case but I know that many people do feel that they may have missed the boat and that there is nothing more that can be done online that isn't already being done by someone else. If you are one of those people, read on....

I attended a corporate function last week - non Internet related - and had the chance to talk with a large number of UK business men and women. These people ranged from people running their own 'one man band' type business right up to the owners of large-scale operations employing hundreds of staff and turning over millions of pounds each year. Several of the attendees were entrepreneurs that had built up and sold companies worth, quite literally, tens of millions. Overall, a very wide spread of experience, success and ability but the one thing that tied everyone together was that they were all running a business of one kind or another.

Now, as you would expect, when meeting with new people for the first time (and particularly in a situation such as the one above), one of the main topics of conversation was what everyone did for a living. As I have indicated in previous newsletters, this is a question that I really dislike being asked as I find it so hard to explain.

Needless to say though, I found myself having to do exactly that to numerous people, all of whom looked at me with a blank expression as I tried to tell them, in simple terms, how I generate an income from nothing more than a PC and the Internet.

This is nothing new and I am well used to it by now (in fact I am beginning to think that it would be easier just to say I work in finance as I once did!) but what amazed me most was that not one of the people I spoke to had any clue about what I was talking about.

Despite being among a group of what I would consider to be a fair representation of the UK business community, not one of them had any real idea about how to use the Internet to increase their business.

Of course, many of the people I spoke to had websites but ALL of them told me that the only real purpose their website served was to provide a small amount of information about their business and their contact details!

None of them allowed customers to order from their website (although most of the businesses in question would suit this method of sales)....

None of them were collecting email addresses from visitors with the aim of carrying out follow-up marketing (although this would be appropriate for all of the businesses in question)....

None of the businesses were using email in any way as a form of marketing, despite the obvious cost advantages over the postal service...

I could go on but I think you get the point.

On the flipside, every single one of the people that I spoke to had used the Internet to purchase goods! I find this absolutely amazing.

Now of course, the people that I spoke to are in a slightly different situation to many online entrepreneurs in that they already run successful offline businesses. However, if this is a fair representation of how entrepreneurs view the Internet in terms of a business tool, it stands to reason that the 'ordinary man in the street' will be even less likely to see the Internet as something that he can use to earn a full or part time income.

The entrepreneurs I spoke to were genuinely surprised that it was possible to earn a full time income online, they were even more surprised when I gave them an indication of how much it is possible to earn. I am sure that a couple of them almost fell over when I then told them that the day to day maintenance of many online businesses takes just an hour or so per day since software can be used to handle so much of the workload!

I therefore reiterate the point that I made at the start of this newsletter - the Internet Gold rush is surely only just beginning and the very fact that you are reading this article puts you way ahead of the vast majority of the rest of the World. Don't sit there wondering whether it is too late - get started on your online business today.

And if you were one of the entrepreneurs that I spoke to last week (you know who you are and I know that several of you have already subscribed to this newsletter!), welcome and enjoy - you too are now one step ahead of your competition :-)

Copyright 2005 Richard Grady

Richard Grady has been helping ordinary people earn online since 1998. He writes a free newsletter which is published every two weeks. To subscribe (and claim your free gifts), visit: http://www.thetraderonline.com/newsletter.html

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Google News Updated : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:58:10 GMT It's officially over: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing - New York Daily News ABC News It's officially over: Madonna and Guy Ritchie are divorcing New York Daily News - 3 hours ago BY LEO STANDORA Madonna's marriage to Guy Ritchie really is kaput , her rep told the Daily News on Wednesday. "Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after 7 l/2 years of marrige," Liz Rosenberg said in a statement. Video: AP Exclusive: Madonna, Guy Ritchie to Divorce AssociatedPress It's Official: Madonna And Guy Ritchie To Divorce MTV.com BBC News - The Associated Press - The Gossip Girls - Just Jared all 1,632 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:56:56 GMT Polls: McCain forced to play defense in some red states - CNN Telegraph.co.uk Polls: McCain forced to play defense in some red states CNN - 1 hour ago HEMPSTEAD, New York -- New polls out Wednesday in some crucial states that could decide the race for the White House suggest Sen. John McCain is having to defend himself in areas that once were reliably Republican. Union sues over policy banning political material at polling places DetNews.com Pollsters say odds of McCain winning election 'incredibly remote' guardian.co.uk Boston Globe - New York Magazine - San Francisco Chronicle - AFP all 989 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:34:00 GMT AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Update Fleet, Bolster Boeing Program - Bloomberg KING5.com AMR Plan to Buy 787s Will Update Fleet, Bolster Boeing Program Bloomberg - 34 minutes ago By Susanna Ray and Mary Schlangenstein Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) -- AMR Corp.'s American Airlines said it may buy as many as 100 Boeing Co. AMR overcomes fuel costs to squeeze out small profit MarketWatch AMR 3Q Net Down 74%, To Buy Up To 100 Dreamliners CNNMoney.com Bizjournals.com - International Herald Tribune - Reuters - Flight International all 186 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:24:10 GMT Jerry Jones exposed as gutless by Goodell's ruling - FOXSports.com TSN.ca Jerry Jones exposed as gutless by Goodell's ruling FOXSports.com - 1 hour ago by Ian O'Connor Ian O'Connor is the author of the New York Times bestseller "Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry," which Kirkus Reviews calls an "exemplary sports history. Video: Dallas' Adam Jones Suspended Again AssociatedPress Give Cowboys credit for not counting on Adam 'Pacman' Jones too much Dallas Morning News Los Angeles Times - New York Times - Fort Worth Star Telegram - Detroit Free Press all 1,080 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:52:30 GMT Migraine-hit Janet Jackson to resume US tour - Reuters CTV.ca Migraine-hit Janet Jackson to resume US tour Reuters - 55 minutes ago By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A rare form of migraine forced Janet Jackson to cancel several dates on her Rock Witchu concert tour but she planned to return to the stage on Wednesday in Washington, DC, her manager said. Jackson was laid low by migraines BBC News Janet Jackson: She's Baaaaack* Washington Post Blogs The Associated Press - eFluxMedia - FOXNews - Access Hollywood all 846 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:02:47 GMT Hurricane Omar gains strength and nears Puerto Rico - Reuters BBC News Hurricane Omar gains strength and nears Puerto Rico Reuters - 1 hour ago By John Marino SAN JUAN (Reuters) - Hurricane Omar strengthened on Wednesday as it bore down on Puerto Rico and the small islands of the northeastern Caribbean, and could be a "major" storm by the time it reaches them, US forecasters said. Omar on the Move. Paloma Next? Washington Post Blogs Hurricane Omar heads for US Caribbean islands The Associated Press BBC News - United Press International - USA Today - NBC 29 News all 2,556 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:12:36 GMT Obama’s spending how much on ads? - Christian Science Monitor Times Online Obama’s spending how much on ads? Christian Science Monitor - 1 hour ago By Jimmy Orr | 10.15.08 It’s been a week of non-surprises thus far. Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has been suspended - again. McCain calls for 'voter fraud' inquiry Los Angeles Times A stolen election? Washington Times New York Times - Talk Radio News Service - Boston Globe - Seattle Times all 859 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:03:33 GMT RSS to HTML Website Traffic Promotion

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