I’ve known about the power of marketing through the Internet for more than ten years now.

It looks like some companies in the offline world are finally catching up.

In early March 2010 the Washington Post’s TechCrunch blog carried the news that Catalina Marketing, a firm that specializes in consumer-driven marketing of health and beauty and other consumer products, will be expanding into digital marketing – and they’ve hired a former Google executive, Chris Henger, to do the job.

Henger’s got an impressive track record. Before driving the integration of DoubleClick with Google’s affiliate programs after Google bought DoubleClick, Henger worked as Senior Vice President/General Manager for Emusic.com.

The man also knows how to rock – before Emusic, Henger was responsible for all of the sales and technology-related aspects of Rolling Stone.com.

If you want to start up an online business, the best source of online business tips is the pros. They have already tested the waters and know the potential pitfalls. This article is a collection of business tips courtesy of several top professionals. These tips will help you make the most of your online business.

Business tip 1: Keep a time log. Whether you’re paid by the project, word, session or click, you need to know if the time you’re putting in is paying off. The importance of this business tip cannot be overstressed. If you’re barely making the minimum wage, you may want to rethink your plans. Luckily the Internet is loaded with free tools you can use to track your hours. Examples are myHours, Slim Timer, and Toggl.

Business tip 2: Make sure your rates are on target. This is another critical business factor. Most online entrepreneurs undercharge during their first year. The bottom line is this: If everyone can afford you, your rates are too low. If no one can, they’re too high. You know you’ve hit the pricing sweet spot when 1 in 5 says they can’t afford you.

There are online businesses and then there are cool online businesses. Running an online business is more fun than running a dreary one. For many people, starting an online business represents an escape from the rat race of going to an outside office or workplace. What sense does it make to leave a secure job that you dislike if you are just going to do the same thing from a home office that offers less job security?

Where can you find online business ideas? This article will give you some specific examples of businesses as well as ideas for jump-starting your own business online.

Examples of Two Potential Businesses

In the last ten years, there has been an explosion of simple online businesses on the Internet. You may think that creating an online business is only for “qualified” tech savvy business people. However, an online business can be very easy and rewarding. Anyone who has a product or service to offer can find the Internet as the easiest means to support a business online. So where do you begin? At first, it may seem daunting to start your own online business, but after doing some research and utilizing some key resources, a business can start up within days!

Advantages of an Online Business

1. Location, Location: You can reach an entire global marketplace with any online business. Whether you want to sell widgets in Wichita or Washington, you can pretty much reach anyone in the world with the right marketing and website for your business. No need to worry about store hours either—the Internet never closes!
2. Opportunities: There are a plethora of options for a web based business. You don’t necessarily have to sell something online to have an online business. The best strategy when thinking of a business is to keep your skills in mind. Are you a good writer? If so, perhaps freelance writing online would be the perfect business for you to consider.
3. Cost: Storefronts, rent, and employees are costly. A home based online business requires minimal upkeep and little cost aside from marketing and possible inventory. By the way, marketing can be what catapults the income from you business into the stratosphere.
4. Be your own Boss: Many people find this advantage the most appealing. Creating your business can be a welcome reprieve from working for someone else. You control your time, commitment, and potential income generated from the transactions your business conducts online. Time is money and we all know that most people would love to have more of both! Many people also choose online business to supplement their current income and use it as a “part time job”. This may be the best way to start up an online business, this way you can still keep your day job if it doesn’t work out.

The Internet is rapidly growing with each passing minute because of the multitude of online business opportunities available for everyone. It might be difficult to find the best business opportunity out there right off the bat because there are so many to sift through. Don’t be discouraged. If you search long enough and use the correct keywords, you will find the perfect business that meets your interests, skills, and needs. The four steps that need to be taken to find the right business opportunity include searching for a job that interests you, checking possible scam reports about the job, talking to others you trust about the job, and contacting the creator of the business opportunity to ask questions.

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