Paths To Profit Online

The path of least resistance is by nature the course most traveled. In
economic terms this path is most difficult to measure at start up because no
personal experience is present and so we must rely on the experience of
others to guide us.
Other persons experience at this point is theory and sold using a variety of
techniques that every internet entrepreneur must choose from to get it.

My first impression of web marketing tactics was that there were many people
offering their experience for sale as a quick and easy way to earn
extraordinary income. Understandably there was no mention of what experience
was brought to the theory of success before start up. Claims like "If I can
do it anybody can, broke to riches in 30 days." were allegedly proved by
pictures of bank or pay statements. However, there was still a leap of faith
or trust that did nothing to clear the view of start-up reality even after
buying.

Competition for sales to new marketers is fierce because every one that has
gone before tries to copy the tactics they have purchased only to discover a
saturated niche. Competition in a saturated market is the first object
lesson delivered and once learned used to open the door to the next level of
opportunity.
Alternatively, the experience may also be considered as a rite of passage
that tends to be implied, not stated, and so acts to filter the short run
opportunist from the long term business builder.

To help business builders better understand the economic value of
experience, bitter and sweet, I'll construct a simple view of start-up to
better characterize the short and long term view to prosper.

Everyone who has chosen to earn money online enters the market at some
point, and at some time. They bring whatever knowledge and skills they may
have to bear upon the single goal of selling something for profit. Start-up
then begins at this point and continues until income meets or exceeds what
was being earned upon entry. In other words the first marker of progress is
income replacement.

Income replacement occurs when average monthly income from internet business
meets or exceeds present income. For example, $3,000 a month means the
replacement income target would be $36,000. The time it takes to get there
is the actual time it takes to start-up. Since there is no way to forecast
this variable, genuine offers will usually include a disclaimer to this
effect.

Time then is relative to variable factors like how much time you spend to
learn, to build your business, and recover from choices that lead you in
directions that may differ from your goal. While some may argue that the
lower your present income is the shorter the start-up will be, the other
side of that coin is setting a target income that enables a standard of
living you need or desire. Now standard of living implies another variable
of setting an appropriate income value as your start-up milestone.

Notwithstanding the well meaning and important value of being all that you
can with visions and plans for future achievement, present reality is a
stark contrast. For the purpose of this discussion it is the place from
which measurement begins. So we must start by making a distinction between
the present and the future standard of living.

To begin then, a standard of living is a measure of what you can afford to
purchase with your present income. Typically, as income increases so does
the standard of living. However, a common approach to improving living
standard is to leverage earning potential by taking out a loan to buy what
you feel improves your standard. This is a basic concept of leverage used
both personally and in business. This form of credit is based on an
optimistic forecast that the person or business can meet the payment
obligations according to the terms. What makes this optimistic is to assume
the basis for the ability to pay will stay the same or improve. Sometimes it
doesn't.

In economic theory, theory and practice are the same. In reality they
differ. After all, why would anyone want to start an internet business with
little money or time to invest except in the event the reality of their
financial situation compels them to seek a path of least resistance to
sustain or improve a standard of living. Now let's return to putting a value
on present standard of living and set an economic cornerstone.

First let's disconnect living expenses from debt. This places present
standard of living without debt as a number value or target value for
replacement income. Debt and current income are variables. Time and
experience then becomes your main assets on the path to prosperity where
debt is short term, standard of living is paid up, and income meets demand.
Once this point is reached start-up matures to business operation for the
purpose of sustainability and growth. So the day you start to do business on
the internet until you have paid your debts and have reliable recurring
income that pays for your ongoing standard of living and business operating
expenses is the day start up ends and business begins.

To put the time factor into some perspective here is an excerpt from an
interview Ewen Chia did with Graham Hammer.

"Ewen: When did your 'big break' come and what was the turning point that
changed everything?

Graham: My "big break" came when I set up Profit-Plan in 2002, but you've
got to understand that "big breaks" don't just "happen". They are worked-for
and hard-earned.

Let me explain. I started planning and constructing Profit-Plan in mid 2002
(it actually launched in late January 2003). But before I could construct
the site, I had to learn how to write HTML pages, and I began that process
in 2001. (I still write my pages "by hand" in raw text. I just feel it gives
me more "control" over how the page looks.)

So a journey that appears to have begun in January 2003 with the launch of
Profit-Plan actually began in 2001 when I picked up a book about HTML code.
Profit-Plan was an instant hit, not least because the headline read.."Make a
profit today, or your money back today" (which I guess shows the power of a
great headline)."

The path of least resistance still requires the learning and practice of
skills whether you pay large sums for trial and error or take a path of
lower cost. The question is how much are you prepared to spend in time,
money, trial and error to start-up your business. Fortunately for those with
limited budgets there are options to start-up faster in a collaborative
online workspace at low cost. The h4h.biz projects are well on their way to
becoming the workspace of choice for those determined to walk the path to
prosperity online.

About The Author: Brian Hack currently authors and publishes H4H :: Residual
Income Digest Express, http://www.h4h.biz a web site that analyzes internet
business opportunity for the purpose of long term personal and business
growth. Contact author@h4h.biz