Here are the cold hard facts about starting an Internet business that you can successfully run from your own personal computer — the numbers aren’t pretty. Ninety percent of the people who start Internet-based businesses today will NOT still be in business in 90 days. That’s true. Only about 10% of online businesses stay in business longer than 90 days.

The 90% failure rate is due to a whole host of reasons. Mostly, people begin an online business with little or no capital and they expect instant success. You’d have a better chance of winning the lottery or being struck by lightning twice than starting an Internet business that began to make money on day one. And like any business, an Internet business requires capital. Granted, starting an Internet business is far less expensive than starting a business  in the brick-and-mortar world, but it isn’t FREE.

A great many people start an Internet business on a whim. They don’t have a clear idea of exactly how their Internet business is going to generate income, and they certainly don’t have any kind of well-thought-out business plan.

I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”? A little knowledge IS a dangerous thing. A little knowledge leaves a lot of room for mistakes…possibly expensive mistakes…possibly business-ending mistakes.

Businesses, all businesses, both those that conduct business out in the “real” world and those that conduct business online, require a good basic business knowledge, a well-thought-out,workable business plan, and capital. If any of those three ingredients are missing, the odds against opening a successful business are great.

Can you work at home and make money? The answer is a qualified yes.

You can if you are willing to learn, work for it and wait for success. You will need to have a  decent knowledge of business basics or be willing to spend the time and/or money to get it. You will then need to build on that basic knowledge with a good understanding of internet marketing. Only then do you give yourself a reasonable chance of success.

Unfortunately, too often people quit after having devoted significant amounts of time and money and when unbeknownst to them, they are very, very close to having mastered the required skill set and turning a profit.

If you have at least some capital to invest, you can purchase work-at-home courses from experts in the field with proven earnings — people who have been there and done that.  Internet marketing gurus can help you level the learning curve and the playing field.

If you do not have capital to invest, the good news is that you can be still be successful. The bad news is that learning the skills required to run a profitable online business will require more time and additional trial and error.

It is important to remember that you already have the most important tool required to make money online. It can be found between your ears. Above all else use common sense, be persistent, be consistant, and know that although there is much for you to learn, if you are serious and devote yourself to the endeavour, it will be difficult for you to fail.

I don’t know if you have ever had the experience, but I can tell you that there is nothing quite like waking up, turning on the computer, and realizing that you made some serious cash while you were sleeping. Or, coming home from a day on the golf course to find that you made a hundred dollars or more while your were worried about sinking that birdie putt on nine in order to a win five dollar Nassau. And, just wait until you see how jealous some of your “friends” will be when they find out.  My advice: keep it yourself. Let them wonder where the cash came from — it’s so much more fun watching them rack their brains trying to figure it out.

I wish you all the greatest success online and off.

Timothy Scutchfield
Contributing Editor
www.Top5OnlineJobs.com