Before You Quit Your Day Job: How to Prepare for a Life of Online Income

Right now, millions of people and companies are earning millions of dollars online through Internet Marketing and this is happening every second. However, most of the big names in Internet Marketing did not become a success, overnight. For some of the successful names in Internet Marketing, breaking into the million dollar revenue club involved hard work and perseverance. A lot of them actually started Internet Marketing on part-time basis, while working the 9-5 beat at a day job. As a newbie and a 9-5 worker trying to enter into the Internet Marketing industry, these are the essential things you need to do (or need not do):

1. No Downtime; Make Every Second Count

Use time gaps effectively. Get to work early enough. In fact get to work earlier than the required time. This will give you enough time, each morning, to learn stuff on the internet you need to know about Internet Marketing. For example, you could use the few available minutes before opening hours to check up links you had noted the previous day, or browse online to see what is new or helpful from already successful Internet Marketers. A few hours on weekends, available time when you are on the “queue” waiting for your colleague to pass job to you are opportunities to “learn what works’’ in Internet Marketing.

2. Build Your Social Media Network

Social Media refers to social networking sites such as facebook, LinkedIn, My Space, or Twitter (to get lots of traffic to your twitter account from people in the Internet Marketing Industry, go to twitteronlinesystem) and social bookmarking sites like Digg, Simpy and Delicious. They have become very popular, because they allow people to connect online and form business or personal relationships. Connect and make friends with people who already work at home, or are involved in Internet Marketing. By doing this, you are not only building a network of relationships which you may need later, but also learning from people who are already in the business. Internet Marketing forums are also a good place to ask questions from those who have already “been there”. Get registered at www.warriorforum.com for a start.

3. Deal With Procrastination

How many times have you told yourself “alright, I will get to write that mail today”, without ever writing it “today”, tomorrow, or days after? Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task which needs to be done; postponing until tomorrow, what can be done today. For most people who are new in Internet Marketing, opportunities are lost through procrastination. The internet is fast-paced and millions of other people across the world are sitting in front of their PCs at the same time as you. If you procrastinate, someone else may grab that business opportunity for which you had already made plans. How can you deal with Procrastination now, before it becomes a dangerous habit in the future, when your Internet Marketing business is fully launched? Manage your time well; set achievable goals and work towards realizing them; decide what is priority and what is not and, above all, be disciplined.

4. Start From The Basics
Yes, there is something like “Overnight Success”, but it happens only in 0.01% of the times. Do not think you can skip the stages of evolution: first you crawl and then you walk! Though you cannot expect to make the big bucks in Internet Marketing without a good website of your own, you can start earning some online income, without one. Online surveys is one way of making steady income without owning a website. Survey Scout is a good online survey site to start from. If you have skills such as writing, fine/graphic arts, you could put up your services for sale on such sites as elance or LimeExchange and earn some income. You can also sell things (those used stuff at home, African fabrics, paintings, etc) for cash, at ebay.

5. Set Up a Blog
A blog is like a personal diary of sorts, a kind of “logbook” where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff you write shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what is new. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. However, stick to a niche. If you are a single parent for instance, chances are you already know what single parents go through and can put together lots of information to help other single parents out there. Alternatively, you can always research your subject online and offline and put the results in your blog for others to read. You can also earn some nice income through blogging. www.wordpress.com and www.blogger.com offer free blog setup. For a more advanced, commercial blog, go to www.wordpress.org(you will also need to get a paid host for this kind of commercial blog: Hostgator, GoDaddy, MyHosting.com are ok.) If you want a software which will automate the blog setup process and other tasks, I suggest you get Jeremy Gislason's AutoBlogbuilder V2.0. Just click on that link and look for AutoBlogbuilder V2.0 on the site.

Finally, always remember that the Internet is one huge place filled with resources. Read up online which Income method has good potentials, but don’t get lost through distraction. The Internet is a maze and don’t forget, one link goes to another and another….Sometimes, you could forget what you have come to do on the Net in the first place.