The Small Business Library

February 26, 2001 Jitter Bugs Don't Make Money The pulling power of the Internet is so strong. Every day 70,000 new people sign on in search of what? Sex? Well they are well catered for; enough said. Information? About virtually any subject you want to discuss. A boom for students. Wealth? 1000s of people are drawn to the net by the possibility of becoming the next .com millionaire. But how many people actually make money? I don't have any statistics I don't suppose there are any, concerning what the average income earned from the Internet is. The sad fact is that the majority of people will never make a significant amount of money from the Internet. For those who do, it would be interesting to work out their actual rate per hour. If they added up all the hours spent at the keyboard, from the moment they set out to make their fortune divided by the money actually earned, it may have been more profitable and definitely more sociable to get another job. Of course we have all heard about those few who have made it BIG. For the newcomer to e-commerce it can be a severe case of information overload. Just which opportunity do you join? There are so many, and wow, they all look good. "I'm going to be a squillionaire by next week! People are just queuing up to give me money, for doing nothing. If I join this one they will guarantee to help me and turn $10 into $10,000 in six weeks. This one's going to be bigger than Microsoft and Wow I'm the first to get in!!!!!!" Think I'm joking? Join any opt in safe list and you will have fail-safe opportunities cramming your mailbox, and yes they do sound good. So if there are so many opportunities to make money, why do most people never make any? Answer:  because they are 'Jitterbugs'. What's a Jitterbug? A jitterbug is a toy insect that vibrates and moves around the floor in no particular direction. It continually alters course moving around with no control. They get involved in too many opportunities and can't do justice to any. Just as they think they have found their path to wealth a good friend contacts them drooling and slobbering over his mouse, telling that "you just have to get into this. It's going to be huge and it's backed by some Internet marketing guru, who knows what's what, or even that the CEO himself has been talking to him and this is absolutely genuine and it's Pre-launch (don't you just hate that word?). If you get in now before the price increases!!!" So why do people flit from one opportunity to another? Fear, of loss, greed, lack of confidence in their own ability, lack of direction. If they just had the will power to stick to one opportunity, one business, and get focused on it, had a clear plan and worked it. Were not distracted by others, they would learn the intricacies of developing a substantial income from the net. The first venture into the world of Internet Marketing may not be make their fortune. If they can develop a small income from a business, however, they can use that knowledge to expand their business portfolio. Every so often along comes 'a gem' but you have to be equipped to cut it. By Colin Morgan, Author of the highly aclaimed "A beginners guide to Developing Multiple Income Streams." Get your copy by visiting mumsum.net. You can contact Colin at: colin@mumsum.net.