We all know that it's possible to make money online. From the Google founders to superaffiliates, blogs to itunes, ebay to domaining, article marketing to adsense... you know that some people make money online.

You've probably also seen the incredible (or incredibly dubious) "earnings figures reports" - that cheerfully suggest that you will be able to make similar huge fortunes if you just buy their products.

However, what they don't tell you is that while a few manage to make a "lucky strike" and score big and fast, the reality for the majority is way different.

If you talk to any of the really big internet marketers - the ones making millions - they tend to tell a similar story, something like this:

"It took me about 5 years busting my ass before I really cracked it. I bought every product in the market, studied like a madman, tried all kinds of different methods, lost friends, and completely fried my brain with lack of sleep... before it really took off."

These are the kinds of marketers who might now have an email list of over 100,000 subscribers - and now, when they release a new product, it is occasionally possible for them to have a "million dollar day". This has actually been done a few times.

The trouble is, you don't know what it takes to get to that point.

And there's an element of hype going on. Let's face it - they wouldn't sell quite as many products if they told you it was difficult, that not everyone succeeds, and that in all honesty, unless you are prepared to work day and night for at least a couple of years... all the while going without luxuries and relaxation time.... you might never get there at all!

The Journey And The Destination

While I was working on my eBooks, web sites and other projects, some of my friends started to wonder if I was going a bit mad. I was constantly unavailable. I never had time to go out and party. Some even got mad at me and started saying that I was selfish and didn't care about them any more. All I could say was "Trust me, I'm building foundations and it won't always be like this. But I have to go, I'm busy."

My girlfriend too was frustrated because all I seemed to want to do was sit in front of the computer, and often didn't seem to have time for her.

In order to have the time to do all the work I needed to do, I only worked part time on other jobs (such as building web sites for clients, producing audio and doing sound for events.) While doing my best to stay healthy, I lived as cheaply as I possibly could in order to save money, build resources and maximize the amount of time I had available for study and for creating products.

Truth is, it was nothing at all like the glamorous lifestyle that they promise you is "just around the corner". It was a crazy battle. I worked like a maniac - and still do. There were times when I had to borrow money for food. And the true reality, the one they don't want to tell you about, is that internet marketing eats some people for breakfast. Seduced by the pretty promises of easy riches, they try to take what they think is going to be a "short cut"... and which leaves them broke, frustrated and confused.

But there's an essential point here, one which I talk about at length in my Complete Guide To Making Money While You Sleep:

What it takes to get somewhere and what it looks like when you get there are not the same thing.

There are occasional exceptions to this rule - and these exceptions fog the lenses of many people. But my ultimate advice on this is: Act as if it is going to take everything you've got. Be prepared to walk every step of the way, carrying your own baggage, and giving it your all. Assume you are going to have to go beyond - and that if you get any lucky breaks, treat them as rewards. As far as possible, don't leave yourself in the position where you need to rely on fortune (or someone else's promises) to pull you through. Because as we know, fortune is unpredictable.

In any field of life - whether it is doing a job, or doing something entrepreneurial that requires a huge commitment to building foundations before there is any sign of money coming in - you need to work your butt off to get there. But - and here's the important part - some strategies lead you towards a destination, whereas others leave you going around in a circle endlessly. The real difference between the two can be summed up in two words: Asset building.

Either you are developing assets - whether these are inner assets (knowledge, skills and many more) or outer assets (anything form wealth through to tools, income generating ventures or other capital); or you are going from month to month, with the picture looking pretty much the same at the end of the month as it was at the beginning.

At some point in our lives, perhaps even for a number of years, most of us have to do "jobs" (remember, it stands for "Just Over Broke") to even get to the point where we can create enugh stability to commence our own ventures... but the entrepreneur's goal is to develop their own empire, rather than working their tail off to make someone else rich.....

Instant Peanuts and Powerful Empires

You can start making money online almost overnight, if you like. It's true! Sign up for Associated Content, write a decent original article with a good headline, and you'll make... a couple of bucks - plus a little residual from pageviews.

You can pretty much start making money online overnight!

But there's a problem. You've guessed it... it's peanuts!

Sure, you could crank out ten thousand articles - but let's face it, that won't make you rich... it will make you insane.

How do you go from this to real wealth?

Answer: Building an empire.

Building your own empire in any marketplace - online or offline - is challenging and takes much time and commitment. Your empire needs a brand, it needs to fit a niche in the market place, it needs to be competitive all round - and a winner in at least one essential area.

Look at the approach another way. If you put all your energy into developing someone else's "real estate", you might make a few dollars - but in reality you are making them rich.

You're not an entrepreneur, your just doing a job. Sure, you can work from home, you might not even have to meet your boss (awesome!)... but you're still getting paid to build someone else's empire... one that they then are going to continue to profit with. They own the bank.

Can you see what I'm driving at here?

Being an entrepreneur is all about developing your own assets, the ones that can continue to make you money. These assets may be intellectual property, inventions, web sites, stocks and commodities, real estate - all kinds of things - but the fundamental difference is that the controller of the asset is the one who has the opportunity to make money while they sleep.

This, right here is the cornerstone of what my work on this website is about - and the core of the Complete Guide, Secrets, Link Building Black Book, and all the other materials on money-while-you-sleep.biz.

It's about building an empire. And this is what takes time, effort, a phase of real hard work, constantly "going in the right direction", commitment to quality, and "not selling out your assets".

This is the path of the entrepreneur.

The most important things I learned from all this...

Internet marketing, like other business, is a learning curve - and a battle. Why do you think that one of the biggest internet marketing forums is called the "Warrior Forum"?

There's simply too much to learn to get it all overnight. The ones who make a lot of money overnight, are the ones who were already quietly going in the right direction for a few years before they got to that point. Being a real entrepreneur is a big commitment.

And the most important thing of all, if you want success, is to remember that just as in any other field of life...

You've got to have something.

In other words, your ability to achieve success depends on your ability to be able to create and market something that people really want. Something that is of really high quality. Something that actually improves their lives in some way.

Something that is about your customers and not just about you.

And the reality is that developing and creating these kinds of items, takes time, study, investment, knowledge - and skills! Skills in several areas such as writing, product creation, sales, web design, hiring professionals, networking, presentation, business law..... and it takes a grasp of the market place.

This the real reason why much of the hype-driven "get rich fast" type material you see online, is, ultimately.... made for suckers.

It's because such material suggests that a person can somehow bypass becoming a person of brilliance and yet still achieve brilliant success.

Think about it.

The other important point is that the only way you can learn this stuff is by taking the plunge. It will test you to the limit. And it might not work, for some. You'll also need friends to help you along and I can honestly say that without friends, I would most probably not be sitting in this nice warm room with the luxury of time to write to you.

My final tip - always create the highest quality, most honest, best products and materials you possibly can - and never rely on empty hype and shallow products to make you rich. That world is a house of cards - and the truly fascinating thing is that the knowledge and skills you develop by committing to creating top class products and services, are worth way more in the long run than quick cash. They are the real foundations of business - and this is what Robert Kiyosaki meant when he said it was good to work for free.

It's because the greatest asset of all that you can invest in, at the end of the day, is you.

So, how long is it going to take me to get rich and buy that Ferrari with the leather interior and the push button start?

Be real. Getting rich is possible, but it's a mission. There are traps for the unwary, laws to learn, crazy obstacles to overcome... and the fundamentals of business - such as commitment to quality - are the same online as they are out there in the "real world".

Being your own boss is something you have to earn - mostly through sheer hard work and commitment to brilliance. On a personal level I recommend it, for several reasons:

Because I love working for myself, being the captain of my own ship and feeling as though I own my life.
Because I love the thrill of creativity and the commitment to being the best.
Because I'm completely fascinated by the worlds of automated income.
Because I LOVE getting checks in the mail for work that was completed and still makes me money.

Having said the above, I make no guarantees that you will ever "make it". Some do, and some don't. In my own case, I was a "goner" before I ever really thought about what it would actually take to achieve success as an entrepreneur. The possibility of true freedom is something that I have never been able to resist - and working for myself, although in some ways truly sweet, came with a high price tag.

True success is not a walk in the park and anyone who says so is either kidding you or kidding themselves. The path is tough - but the rewards can be immensely fulfilling for those that make it.

* * * * * * *

If you're interested to read more about these subjects, I've written much more about them, and about many of the methods entrepreneurs use to make money in my books Complete Guide To Making Money While You Sleep and Secrets of The Rich.

-- Alex Newman

* * * * * * *

Protected by Copyscape plagiarism checker - duplicate content and unique article detection software.