I could write a book in answer to your question; but I don't have the time nor inclination since everything I write on these hubs doesn't seem to be very mcu appreciated and I mainly only write to try and help peoploe.

So...short anser to your Q and why I have the Answer.

I have been making a very good full-time living ONLINE ONLY for the pasy 8-10 years; before that it was both but doing the same thing, just online and off.

How was your main question.

After having read what amounts to 1000's of forums, pages, articles, books, etc....the most valuable piece of info I ever learned eas this:

You have to *Brand* yourself. You simply have to - you have to be the first website/person/*Thing* that enters a persons mind when they are looking for suchandsuch. What/who was the greatest *brand* of all time (aside from coke-tm)? Jesus Christ. Think about it. Who or what else had a branding that has lastest ever since his death...? THE ANSER IS - NOONE.

SO - you figure out what you do BEST - then you study your competition. This can and often is disheartening; but if you give up there - then you know you are not cut out for this. You have to study your comp and then you figure out how to ratchet it up a knotch or three.

YOU HAVE to figure out how you are going to do it BETTER, WISER, with more finess...etc.....There is a GREAT book written by a guy name *Finkel* I believe that explains it all and makes more sense than anything I've ever read about marketing.

My clients/customers get treated like little gods. They get TOP-Knotch client support - they KNOW ME and they know they can trust me.

In a nutshell that is the KEY to success. My clients love me and I *love* them back and I never take them for granted.

When you start - if you are too *lazy* as you put it - to invest 14 - 16 hour days into building your empire. Forget it. There is no easy road as so MANY want you to believe - because if you believe then you will buy their lil 10 page book for 5.95 or whatever......

Coke will always havew Pepsi to contend with but so what!? They are both billion dollar companies!

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Lissie wrote:

Help - some gratuitous advice is needed!

Background: I'm 44, I have worked, at least part-time since I was 15, I went to uni, graduated and then either worked or travelled full-time for the next 20+ years. Last year we travelled from Mar-Sept Sept we got as far as Perth and decided to stay a while. Since Sept I have been trying to make a living full-time on the internet. My partner, is10 years older than me and has basically worked since he graduated -mainly as a developer (IT) and has now got a contract until the end of this year in our new town. We have no children, we have investments to cover our retirement and my partners current salary comfortably covers our expenses here.

To date my earnings are hardly spectacular (under $100/month) and basically my partner is pretty convinced that this is a nice hobbie but I should go and get a real job! I am beginning to agree with him too.

The issues I have are

* I don't want to go back to IT: I doubt that I could anyway - the place I worked for last imploded after I left (unrelated I think!) and I haven't bothered to keep in contact to get a reference

* I actually can't think of anything else I want to do except maybe writing - but I can't see that my income is going to get up to any sort of serious level doing that on or off line (I'd count $1000/ month as a good start and $2000/month sustainable)

* I think we have enough $ to retire now - my partner agrees intellectually but basically he doesn't know what to do with himself if he's not working or travelling pretty hard (and you can't do that for more than 6 months at a go both of us find).

* Given he's working he thinks I should be bringing in income too, and so do I - I've always felt sorry for guys stuck in horrible jobs just to support their wives/kids, I imagine raising kids is difficult and challenging but at least there is a point to it - there are precious few jobs in IT that have much of a point to them!

* I think I am too lazy to commit to 40 hours a week work - I find I am really happy getting enough sleep, pottering around home, and actually being able to organise stuff like re-registering the truck without rushing form work and back in-between times.

Ways forward - well this is where I am a bit stuck:

* initially I expected to have a reasonable income on the internet or given up by Xmas - that didn't happen -my income increases every month but I can see my timeframe as more a year now!

* I have a some of money in investments (mine not ours) which I could deposit in our current account and which would buy me about 6-12 months of time on the internet to develop this business - if that's what it is

* I get a low skilled part-time job like cleaning which at least looks like a job, bring in some income, hay, at least it also keeps me fit!

Ideas, suggestions - I'm open to them - even if I was home with friends none of them would understand most of this!

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*Once you get going with whatever it is - you GET to be lazy (well somehwat) no more 40 hours a week that's for sure.

*You can set your own hours, if you are a night hawk (like me) you can di it!

*You WILL have a reasonable (or more) income; you simply need to put in the same effort you did into *keeping fit*!

*See my other hub on this subject - Invest!

http://hubpages.com/hub/-How-to-Start-a-Successful-small-businessl-on-a-Shoe-string-Budget

*Want to work from home? Do it all online.

*Waht to work only a day or two a week? See above hub!

*You mention writing. THAT is without a doubt (if you CAN write) the easiest way to make money online that there is! Write - make it into a PDF format and sell it via Clickbank - you even get free affiliates selling it for you!

*I think? I have at leat touched on most of your issues.

GO GET UM!!

It CAN be done - I do it everyday.