As an Internet marketing consultant, and fairly high visibility online marketer, I get to see a lot of things that the average person doesn't.  By studying what other successful o­nline businesses are doing, I was finally able to "break the code myself."

If you're struggling to make your first $50,000 dollars o­nline, it's hard to IMAGINE the possibilities.

I personally know of an o­nline marketer who is earning nine hundred fifty thousand dollars a year selling SOCKS!

I personally know a man in the UK earning twenty-five thousand dollars a month selling Internet marketing videos.  I sold him the reprint license!

I personally know a high-schooler earning thousands just by introducing people.  He brokers joint ventures for others and earns a hefty commission.

I know of another man earning millions selling products that he doesn't even own - o­n Ebay.  He never takes possession of the items, or personally handles them in any way. He just lists the items for a percentage commission... and makes millions.

When you see how ordinary people are making their o­nline fortunes, you see just how possible it is for you too. You also see that there are o­nly a few real differences between those doing incredibly well  and those who will never even "break even."

One of the first differences you'll notice is that the people in the examples above think of their o­nline business as a REAL business. Even if they are operating from a spare corner of the kitchen table, they do the things they would do if they were running a large corporation....

- They have business plans
- They have budgets and cash flow projections
- They use methods of promotion that are proven to work best for them, AND don't use those that are
   non-productive
- They outsource things that are not suitable for them or their company to do
- Some of them put in long hours and are actually workaholics
- Most of them studied what others who were proven successes were doing and sought their consultation

Another difference you'll notice is that these people are risk takers. They don't take unreasonable risks, but  they are not afraid of risk either. They know, just as we all do, that reward is usually directly proportional to risk.  Any investor knows this!

Along the same lines, they also take action. A lot of business "wannabes" spend too much time thinking about it.  You do need to really analyze things, but then you must make a decision. The people mentioned above are able to make decisions... sometimes-tough decisions. o­nce they make a decision, they implement it.

The other glaring characteristic they all possess is that they don't operate in a vacuum. They network with people with similar interests. They realize that they have to work WITH their competitors, suppliers, employees, and even governments to make things happen.  They are not afraid to meet with or call others to bounce an idea off of them.   They realize that they don't know everything and so they seek those who call fill in the gaps in their knowledge.

These few simple traits are a big part of what I have observed to be the difference between the successful and
the unsuccessful o­nline businessperson. These  same traits are also a big roadmap to anyone who wants to turn their o­nline business around and make it more profitable.

Adopt the mindset explained above... you are in business... there are risks you must take...you have to decide that you are going to take actions... you need to plan it all out... and then you need to put your plans in action.

Do this and your o­nline business is no longer a hobby that you are tinkering with - it is a serious business that you are treating appropriately.  Ask yourself today, are you in business or are your o­nline activities just a hobby.

“An optimist is someone who goes after Moby Dick in a rowboat and takes the tartar sauce with him.”

-- Zig Ziglar