What Not to Do when Starting an Internet Business

Many people would like to start an internet business, but they have no idea the kind of work and mentality that is needed. I'd like to share with you my experience as online entrepreneur which will hopefully inspire those of you who are at a crossroad with your own internet business. My story is not a hunky-dory story like many of the gurus you'll come across, but I feel it's an important story to tell because it will teach you what not to do when you start to build your internet business...

I started my online business with the sole idea of making money. After all, that's what we all want to do, right? We want to make money!

It all started when I bought my first computer back in 2001. I was so excited to get it that I stayed up all night browsing the internet and even called in sick to work the next day so I could spend the day figuring out how I could start making money online. I had read tons of articles about people who were making thousands of dollars a day with their internet business and I was determined to do the same.

At that time my hobbies were art, fashion and home decorating, so my first website was focused on providing information in these areas. It was a site dedicated to home decorating, art and fashion - all three of my passions! I sold products through the website, created affiliate links, and made commissions selling other companies' products. I even started an account with Ebay to sell products.

To get my website up and running, all I started with was $11.95 for the web hosting account through Yahoo and I was on the road to creating a part-time income! At the time I was still working full time for a tour company and everything was going pretty good until 9/11 hit...

I was laid off and left figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Times were tough and money was tight. That was when I discovered that there was money to be made on Ebay selling knock-off purses. It started out innocently enough and I made pretty good money until Ebay shut down my account. Right after that Yahoo shut down my account with them because I started selling purses at my website as well.

I was left with nothing.

Let this be a warning and an example to you of how not to do business online. No matter how desperate you are for money, never do anything to jeopardize your integrity and hard work! It's just not worth it. I spent soooo many hours on my website and business only to see it go away at the click of a button.

Well, I didn't let that get me down! It was back to the "drawing board", but this time I was only going to sell my own products. That's when my second business was born - a website dedicated to my art, photography and handcrafted jewelry. I also started to have an interest in real estate, so a third website came soon after. When blogs started popping up all over the place, I discovered more ways to create websites for free and make money from them.

Fast forward to today...I now have two websites and 10+ blogs under my belt and I'm finally living my dream of working from home. No more boss to answer to and I can work whenever I want from wherever I want. I've created multiple streams of income through all these websites and YES, YOU CAN DO IT TOO!

Starting an internet business requires a certain level of commitment and focus that is different from just any regular "job". Essentially, you are the boss of yourself, so you'll have to be disciplined enough to do the work. That said, if you have a passion for your work, then it should be pretty easy to wake up and look forward to doing the work.

In order to stay committed to this goal of having a successful internet business, I would highly recommend writing down the goals of your business and post them up so you can see them everyday. Having these daily reminders will keep you inspired and focused to take action to realize those goals.

What I've learned on my journey is to stay true to myself and not to chase after everything that promises fast cash. Now I stay focused, honest, and don't let anything get in the way of my dreams!