What I am about to tell you may shock you, enrage you, or maybe just disgust you -- but I will not mislead you!
You deserve to hear the naked truth about starting a business on the Internet from someone who has spent his entire career in the small business development field and the past 10 years online.
I want you to understand what is going on all around you in this frenzied and "enlightened" time of global communication, instant access, and light-speed digital transmissions.
Most of us have contemplated starting our own business at one time or another - in fact, some have called this almost universal desire - the new "American Dream."
We've all tossed the idea around in our minds, had dreams about it, and maybe even discussed it with friends - mostly, I suppose, because most of us are not really satisfied with our current employment circumstances, our level of income, or our lack of personal and financial independence.
Maybe all three reasons apply in your case.
You know, as well as I do, that no one gets rich these days working as an employee for someone else. (OK, maybe a very, very small number of very "special" people do - like the CEOs that "retire" from mega-corporations with millions and millions in golden retirement packages . . . but "they aren't us!")
When you sign on with an employer, regardless of your tenure or status, you become a slave to the personnel policies, rules, the compensation, and the income limits placed on you by the company you work for.
Often, you become constrained and handcuffed to a commute, long working hours, a dress code, rigid output expectations, and sometimes a boss that could care less about you or your employment security.
When you work for someone else you become an employment slave.
You have a job, but it seems you can't ever afford to quit working in order to set up and try your hand at running your own business.
You survive by the grace of your employer.
But what happens if you should ever lose your job?
Who will pay the bills, take care of your family, and see that your needs are met until you find a way to recover?
Natural disasters (like earthquakes and hurricanes), changing political climates, wars, company downsizing, buyouts, mergers, bankruptcies, and even the uncertain economy can all have serious negative impacts on your ability to keep fulltime employment and draw a paycheck from your employer.
Your job could be gone tomorrow; and believe me, it happens to thousands of decent, hard-working, supposedly "irreplaceable" employees every day of the year!
Could you survive such a hit? Of course you would, but it could mean a total change in your lifestyle, having to move to a different part of the country, taking a drastic reduction in your salary, uprooting your family, depleting your savings, losing a retirement benefit, and any number of other unpleasant outcomes.
Job security in this day and age is non-existent. In my mind, the greatest job security may be having and owning an income-producing business that could be operated from anywhere, by anyone. You have total control and you make all the decisions.
Security, in this sense, equates to independence, to outright control, to being in charge of the amount of money that you bring in. Security is controlling your own future!
