LESSON #2: What is an online business?

By | June 12, 2008

Contrary to what some of the so-called guru’s may say, having an online business is not for everyone. But in order to judge whether it’s a good fit for you, we first must define what an online business is and what it isn’t.

Please watch the following video:

Main points:

  • My personal definition is that it’s a business which is conducted primarily on the internet.

  • A website is NOT an online business.

  • It’s not a job.

  • There may be risk involved, but it’s all about how you perceive it.

  • If you’re afraid to start a business, then you need to either…

    a) get over your fear

    or

    b) decide to be happy with your job, and forget about starting a business

    Action steps:

    1) Answer the following question honestly:

    Do I want to run my own business?

    As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below.

    Have a great day!

  • 835 thoughts on “LESSON #2: What is an online business?

    1. Gary

      Hi Iftekhar,
      I agree that hope and encouragement are 2 very important ingredients for success! Hang in there and best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    2. Gary

      Also if you bookmark http://www.erictips.com you can check it every morning for new lessons…sometimes it can take over 24hrs to receive a notice by email. Just a tip for consideration.

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    3. Gary

      Wishing you nothing but the best and a VERY speedy recovery…I’ll say a prayer for you as well.Hang in there…it will get better!

      πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    4. Gary

      Hi Bill,
      Just bookmark Erics homepage and check it daily. You’ll see the lessons faster as email can take upwards of 24hrs. It works better if your in a hurry to view them. Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    5. Gary

      Yes…it’s funny how negativity and negative messages we tell ourselves can hold us back from accomplishing things. It sounds like you have a lot of good insight that I could benefit from. Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    6. Gary

      Joels new adsense book is excellent(just read it)…I highly recommend it! Be careful everyone,there is a lot of adsense junk out there so take Erics advice and recommendations.

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    7. Gary

      Are you planning an internet business involving animal care? What a great idea! I love animals…I have a huge black and white cat..his name is Stanley…lol Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    8. Gary

      Yes…Eric can provide all the information but I agree that success only comes with effort and determination!You must step up to the plate and put your knowledge into practice!

      πŸ˜‰

      Reply
    9. Gary

      Thanks Eric…I wondering this myself! I made a tag of it so I can come back to it later!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    10. Gary

      Hi Kat,
      I also saw it mentioned somewhere that Eric may release the training course on DVD or CD-Rom once the lessons are completed. Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    11. Gary

      Hi There,
      Yes….affiliate marketing can very much so be considered an online business and there are many people who make a lot from doing this. However I beleive you can make even more if your able to develop your own products and sell them yourself.This way your item is unique and one of a kind.Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    12. Gary

      Hi Lyn,
      Hang in there and remain positive. If you take some time and read other peoples posts you’ll see that your not alone. Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    13. Gary

      Hi There,
      Your post caught my attention as I’ve been in the medical field now for 14 years. My internet business has been a great hobby on the side for the past 5 years. Best of luck to you!

      πŸ™‚

      Reply
    14. Rommy wwuhe

      my question is this, for some of us that live here in Nigeria, how can we earn our pay?
      Rommy

      Reply
    15. Xenia Merkelbach

      yes, I am not so common with internet, but though I want to know how useful it is to make a folder using gmail as well.
      I have just followed lesson 1 and 2, so I am very curious about the rest of the lessons.
      Thank you

      Reply
    16. dean

      try this website and get 300 content pages debtcrackers.com
      great stuff Eric keep it up

      Reply
    17. Harry

      hi Eric i paid a large sum of money to a company to train me internet marketing but i find i am not getting it . is there recourse i can take to get my money back ..just a thought .thanks Eric

      Reply
    18. Kathleen Bren

      Hi Eric,

      First, let me say thanks for the great tips, advice and frank discussion about the in’s and out’s of having an internet business.

      Second, I could use some help. I am in the business of life coaching. I had a web designer create my website about 16 months ago and I’ve been painfully reminded that everytime I need to make a change to the website, I have to pay her to do it.

      I’d like to make my own changes so it won’t be so costly. I don’t even have my coaching prices up on my webstie which actually makes my website a high dollar business card.

      Of course, I didn’t know any of this until recently. Should I ditch my current website and buy XSitePro so I can start over and actually make changes myself? I will be adding eBooks and other products shortly.

      Also, I send out a newsletter every two weeks with Constant Contact. CC doesn’t have autoresponder capability. I’m thinking about switching to IContact because they send out newsletters and have autoresponder capability. Should I make the switch or wait it out for now?

      Thanks for your help in advance.
      Kathleen

      Reply
    19. Melina Crisostomo

      Hey Eric,
      I agree being a business owner is not for everyone. I’ve been a business owner for 29 years. The internet is a different ballgame with a completely diffrent skill set. Fear was huge for me going into the internet world. Whenever I had to learn a new application I would have a full out anxiety/panic attic. You know, the kind where you want to throw your computer out the window. Things have gotten easier the more I do them. I give my all and try to be patient with myself. Thank you so much for giving so much. Your parents must be so proud!
      Thanks,
      Melina
      Get Your Introductory Product or Service Into The Hands Of Current,Active, Buyers In Your Market!
      http://www.SeminarSwagBag.com

      Reply
    20. Laurie Robillard

      Hi
      My name is Laurie. I have written articles on articlesbase.com and at the bottom of your aticle in the resource box where you write something about the author you include your website. If somebody likes your article they might want to know more about the author and click on your web site. Plus the more clicks on your article the higher rating it gets. The higher the rating the more it gets viewed. Type Cranberry, Blueberry, Acai Berry! Good, Better, Best! in the google search to see one of my articles

      Reply
    21. Laurie Robillard

      Hey!

      Can I enter a link on my profile on Digg.com so that people who are interested in MonaVie can benefit from your free info to start an on-line business?

      Reply
    22. -Crystal-

      Chris-
      Once you make your label folder in Gmail you will want to put Erics Tips in it & then you will want to Archive it.(that saves Erics Tips)

      Reply
    23. Schanie

      Whatever business, you must analyse your performance against plans, find business associates, joint venture when feasible, reduce risks. jvpromos.com is a place to watch & find information. And also find JV partners

      Schanie

      Reply
    24. slim

      Hope you are feeling better and everything is all right with you. Godspeed.

      Reply
    25. RickAnthony

      Ok Eric I’m on board
      once again, been struggling with overload issues but my incoming personal emails are getting lighter and I am slowly becoming able to stay focused on just your tips and lessons(I am putting a lot of faith in you).Sad to say my wife just lost her job so I am trying to talk her into taking over my lessons from The Success Network (I’m locked in with them and feel that I have hit the “brick wall” anyway)and I have purchased 3 programs from the “Sean Casey group” that I have yet to attempt to launch.It was too late when I received your stop buying stuff tip:(.
      But to answer your question,YES YES YES!
      Thanks Again Eric

      Reply
    26. abubakar

      hi eric i am just joining your class and i hope it will hep me start an online business which i am intrested in,thanks for your efort.

      Reply
    27. abubakar

      do i need to have my website before startng a business on line?

      Reply
    28. Jorge Corrochano

      Dear Eric,
      Late last night I payed for hyperVRE through
      PayPal and had no problems, my question is do I
      need to purchase any more products to make
      hyperVRE a Successess ?

      Reply
    29. Jorge Corrochano

      Dear Eric,
      I’m really looking forward to working wit you on The hyperVER not just for my future, but also for the future of my family and all my loved ones, I put GOD 1st. then my Family and my Church, Thank You Again….

      Reply
    30. ayodele

      i wish to run my own online business and need to be guided into it.writing is my passion and i wish to make a living with it

      Reply
    31. ayodele adegbulugbe

      i took 5 minutes today to clear my brain but did not get what i want.i wanted a business idea for the internet.pls explain how it works

      Reply
    32. Kola

      Ayodele, you need to learn it step by step and it’s not hard.

      I can see we are close to each other. Call me and let’s talk.

      We can work together and learn from each other.

      You Can Calculate Success

      http://www.IncomeChamber.com

      Kola Adebayo

      Reply
    33. Anonymous

      Hi Erick,
      I just want to know what is the best way to bring traffic to my website ?
      How can you help me make money with the internet? I’m a newbie and I want to learn how to make money selling an ebook in my field real estate (meltdown and hurting badly).
      Valentin

      Reply
    34. David

      Hi Eric
      Thanks again for taking the time to do these lessons. It is a direction that this business has needed for a long time. As I get my own business going providing real info on how to do it will be a staple in my own newsletter. I also checked out your online prayer community that you mentioned in the last lesson. I joined and posted my own prayer request. God bless you for your efforts and i look forward to completing all the lessons and gaining the freedom we all deserve.

      Reply
    35. mike

      Eric your god sent thank you for helping me to start my business Iam looking forward to all your lessons

      Reply
    36. Shittu

      Eric,
      I appreciated your efforts to make me know what’s an online business and the way of creation my own business online. Please, elaborate what’s an ebay? purchasing and reselling on ebay ? in the naxt lesson.
      Thanks.

      Reply

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