Starting your own Internet business: The hype and the truth

The hype tells you that you can start your own Internet business in less than 10 hours a week.

The truth is most people in Internet business work at 50 hours in a week.

The hype says that you can follow a "proven system" to wealth and riches by starting your own internet business.

The truth is that if there were a proven system, the person who discovered it would use it, not sell it to you for $199.95. They would keep the system to themselves, out of fear that word would spread and that they would have too much competition.

The hype promises to make your wildest dreams come true by calling a phone number.

The truth is that only you can make your own dreams come true, and that calling that phone number will only delay that from happening.

All too often, hucksters and charlatans are waiting in the wings for an unsuspecting person to come along. They prey on the person's fears and weaknesses, or even on the person's dreams and pride. They make vague promises of success and wealth that requires no effort.

They are lying. It is all hype.

Make no mistake about it: success in an Internet business requires blood, sweat and tears. Like any other small business, the Internet business needs time, energy, inspiration and innovation if it is going to succeed. In fact, most people who are first starting an Internet business find that they could easily work 80 or more hours a week in those early days of their Internet business' life.

The truth is not always easy. It is, however, always the truth.

Having said those things, there are some upsides to starting your own Internet business, but they are not the same upsides that the hucksters and charlatans want you to think they are. For one, while you will not succeed at any small business in just 15 minutes a day, starting your own Internet business can provide you with a greater degree of flexibility in your schedule. Starting your own Internet business can also provide you with a great deal of accomplishment, and a feeling that you have made a difference in the world. Starting your own Internet business can allow you to pursue your own dreams and ambitions in life. In the end, these things are much more valuable than money anyways.

The hype has it wrong: you cannot earn millions sitting on the beach working 15 minutes a day by starting your own Internet business. The truth is that you can, however, attend your son's school play, sleep well at night knowing you have done well, and even make an honest living in the process.