Whether you are attracted to an internet business because you hate your current job, want to improve your circumstances, or would like a more flexible lifestyle, the internet offers all these opportunities.Why An Internet Business?1- FlexibilityMany people come to find themselves with an internet business through necessity rather than deliberate creation. For me, I needed a flexible job which I could work around contract work. It didn’t come in often but when the phone rang, I needed to take the work. This presented all kinds of problems. Normal work didn’t pay as well and employers didn’t want me taking large chunks of time off when the other work came in!I tried juggling several jobs over a number of years but nothing seemed to fit. At around the same time I was attempting to use e-bay to buy and sell for a bit of extra money. It wasn’t until later that I discovered affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing, for those who don’t know is a kind of referral selling. You point links from your website to other people’s goods and services. The link is tracked so that when you make a sale you are rewarded for it with a commission.Once you know how to do this you can set up links from your online content to other people’s products and services. You can also use paid advertising to find people all over the world to sell to. This was perfect for my work because I could take my laptop anywhere with me and as long as I had an internet connection I could work. It didn’t interfere with the work when it came up, I had no boss to answer to so it was the perfect solution.2 – AutomationThere’s also a number of other reasons why I chose an internet business – and why you should too! The flexibility of the business was my primary concern. I wanted to be able to choose my own hours so I could take work when it came without any complications. But the other reason I chose this particular model was the ability to use technology to ‘leverage’ my time and income.Once I had a website and content up and running, it kept going and I was able to make sales and deliver products without being physically present. This is the ‘magic’ of an online business. The automation involved with an online business means that you can do the work once and let that work keep running in the background. You can make sales and deliver products over and over through the same piece of content or advert, which can run an virtual autopilot 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.Each piece of content you create can send people to a landing page and sell a product. By creating many pieces of content and sharing them online you can build multiple sources of income which can all run continually, working as your own ‘automated sales team’.3 – Ability To ScaleAlong with this amazing automation is the ability to scale your business. Because there is no human intervention in the ‘sales loop’, multiple sales can happen instantaneously through the same platforms. Your content and advertising can be grown over time and scaled instantly (in the case of paid advertising). As your content gets more shares and more people flow through your website and content, your sales grow as a result. If you use paid advertising you can also scale a profitable campaign up easily by increasing your daily budget.The automation of an online business makes it very easy to scale. In the case of a physical business this often means more staff, sales tools, larger office space and a whole lot more expense and hassle. With an online business everything is already in place. You simply need to send more customers through the automated sales systems with content and/or paid advertising methods.4 – Low Startup CostsWhen I started an online business I did it from my own pocket. I didn’t need a massive loan and I worked at a level which suited my budget. An internet business is very cost effective and you can start from scratch from pretty much any budget. If you have more to invest you can grow it faster with paid advertising. But, if you are on a budget like I was when I got started, you can get started easily and cheaply.With a regular ‘bricks and mortar’ business there are many overheads to consider. Your costs include a business premises, staff, hardware and stock. Then there’s advertising and delivery costs. With an online business you just need a laptop and an internet connection – two things many people already have. Your main cost is getting the right education and learning the best strategy to build on.5 – SimplicityTechnology has made it much easier than was previously possible to set up your own website and learn how to use simple online platforms to connect people to products and services. Advertising and content creation is now available for anyone to use. Websites can be set up with a few clicks and anyone with an email can learn to use the tools and strategies of online marketers.Whereas previously website building was the domain of the tech savvy programmer, now anyone can use simple user friendly platforms and programs. An online business sounds like something for a technical person, but anyone can now learn the skills needed to build their own online business.6 – ControlAn internet business gives you control over your life. Of course it takes time to build up to a stage where it can replace your current income. But the flexibility of an internet business means you can work it around your existing employment until you can make this happen.
Once your income is beyond that of your employment, you are in a very good position to take charge of your life. You don’t have to do the daily commute, or put up with an uncomfortable working situation. If you don’t like your job you can quit. Don’t like your boss? Fire him/her!
One of the very best things about an internet based business is the control it gives you over your life. You can also build your work around your lifestyle, rather than the other way round. Most people are forced to put work first in everything they do. Family time, holidays and hobbies all tend to depend and evolve around work. An internet business allows you to prioritize the things in your life which mean the most. It can put you back in the driving seat of your life, both in terms of what you earn and how you spend your time. 7 – Work From AnywhereNot only does an internet business offer great flexibility in terms of working hours but it also offers you the choice to work from anywhere globally. This appeals to many people who would otherwise be more trapped by conventional work in a localized workplace.
For me, it was the flexibility of being able to choose my own hours and not have a boss. But for many the ability to travel anywhere globally is the most important factor to owning their own online business.
Take your laptop anywhere with an internet connection and work while abroad and travelling. 8 – Learn Life SkillsThe skills I have learned from building my own internet business also make me much more employable. I also worked for an internet based company with the skills I learned from my laptop while sitting at home!Being able to reach people globally and target specific types of people is a great skill and very desirable in business too. I was also able to use the knowledge I learned online to build one of my other physical businesses much more quickly by using both my website building skills and paid advertising.The internet is a fantastic opportunity for anyone to be able to improve themselves, learn new skills and build another source of income. Skills learned are yours for life, whether or not you continue down the path of building an online business. 9 – IndependenceWe might believe ourselves to be independent but many of us are very dependent on our work for income. As such, our employers tell us how much we can earn, how much holiday we can take and what we will be doing while at work. Financial independence is the ultimate freedom.When we are financially independent we can take a holiday whenever we please and work in our own time and on our own agenda. An online business gives you the automation and independence to live life on your terms, without the agenda of an employer running your life.10 – SovereigntyBeing an owner gives you sovereignty. The ability to call the shots in your business is what many entrepreneurs aspire to. As a business owner your actions determine whether you make a success of your business or not.Having a successful online business gives you the kind of freedom which most people will never see in their lifetime. The ability to create your own life on your terms is the reward of having worked hard on your business and on yourself.Not having a boss, choosing your own working hours and choosing who you spend time with are all luxuries which are earned from working hard on your own business.

Here, I share my thoughts and suggestions for weak brands:1) Accept reality: A realistic assessment of the brand’s situation is critical for an appropriate marketing strategy to address the challenges and problems. Management should have the maturity and guts to accept reality and act on it. Ignoring or falsifying reality will not make the problems go away.While it sounds like the most obvious thing to do, it doesn’t happen easily as acceptance of reality is also an admission of failure. It is even more difficult when people involved with the brand carry an irrational belief that “my baby is the best” or suffer from the “I am OK; you are not OK” mentality.2) Re-align with reality: The next step is to re-align strategies, resources and expectations in line with the accepted reality. Marketing mix and market place behavior should be altered to be in consonance with the brand’s position in the market.Setting ambitious goals is good, but it is also important to be realistic about expectations. Turnaround will be slow and return on investments will be low. Unrealistic expectations, which are very often a reason for the brand to become weak, will result in more strain on the brand, resources and people.3) Avoid deterioration: Re-aligning with reality is not to suggest that compromises should be made. Measures initiated to shore up the bottom line should not adversely impact the product quality, after sales service, customer experience, advertising and price. Deterioration of these would only give the consumers and trade even more reasons to reject the brand.4) Don’t wait for the big idea: Weak brands should not waste time and resources in waiting around for that one big idea. It will never come. Instead, resources should be spent in ensuring that the right things are done better, time and again. This will eventually pay-off when the stronger brands commit unforced errors. Gains will come only in random small doses.5) Don’t give up too soon: Strategies and programs should not be discarded prematurely just because immediate improvements are not visible. Consumers take a much longer time to respond to stimuli from weak brands. They need time to notice, process, re-evaluate, seek reassurance and then act on the stimuli. This process, depending on the strength of the stimuli and the purchase frequency, could sometimes take years. The cycle is much shorter for the stronger brands as consumers do not re-evaluate and seek reassurance every time.In the perpetual search for the success formula weak brands should not jump too soon from one program to another. Frequent changes would confound the consumers in the evaluation process. Implementing short-term measures to hasten the recovery process will only be counter productive.6) Focus on consumers; not on competition: Weak brands should not allow themselves to be distracted by the activities and success of the stronger brands. Consumers should be the sole purpose of the brand. Marketing programs should be initiated in response to a consumer need and not in response to a competitive activity.7) Focus on strengths; not on weaknesses: This will help the brand to identify and prioritize the right products, unique propositions, strong markets and profitable customers. Limited resources are better invested in defending and growing strengths. By focusing on strengths the brand could avoid drawing attention to its weaknesses.8) Overcome trust and credibility barriers: The biggest challenge a weak brand could have is to build trust, credibility and emotional connect. Better products, unique propositions, claims, etc might not work if the consumers are not willing to believe the brand. Credibility will come when the brand claims are tangible, demonstrable and unique, supported by a good reason to believe.Trust and emotional barriers are far more difficult to gain. Positive WOM of existing customers will definitely bridge these barriers far more effectively and efficiently than advertising claims. Marketing programs should mandatorily include the existing customers.9) Leverage Advantages: Weaker brands do have a few advantages over the stronger brands. Programs should be in place to identify, assesses and exploit all these advantages.· Strong brands take consumers for granted; weaker brands can’t afford to.
· Strong brands could be pre-occupied with heavy operations; weaker brands might not be.
· They have a lot to loose; weaker brands have nothing to lose.
· They have heavy competition; weaker brands don’t have competition.
· By default strong brands become everything for everybody; weak brands are not everything to everybody.10) Don’t ignore the future: Non-stop fight for survival should not be an excuse to ignore future needs. Ignoring the future will only widen the gap further. For many weak brands, the solution could actually be in the future and not in the present. Relative to the bigger, stronger brands it would be easier for the weaker brands to adapt to changes faster.Weak brands definitely need better marketing. The suggestions above are purely based on my observations of and experiences with weak brands and the people involved with them. They are by no means exhaustive or exclusive.Please do share your experiences, thoughts and suggestions.