I'm Broke! How do I Start Making Money Fast?
The first steps in going from 0 to a steady income, on the internet.

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I'm getting more and more emails from people who are asking just how they can start making money online even though they are broke. Here is a strategy and a checklist to help you on your way.

First of all, how broke are you? What kinds of resources do you have? If you are emailing me, are you doing it from your own computer or from the library, or a friend's equipment?

Many people say they are broke, but actually they mean they are scared. They are not sure just how long they will have jobs. ( 600,000 people lost their jobs last year ) They are not sure how they will make the payments on loans. These people still have assets and cash flow. But they are now watching every expenditure carefully. They know they need extra money, but they also know that there are sharks out there, ready to bleed them dry with promises of easy wealth.

Then there are the ones who have lost it all. They are emailing from the library computer. Their credit cards are cut off. The money they have is sitting in their jeans. This is not paycheck to paycheck, it is day to day survival.

Where do you fit in? Are you frightened, poor, or destitute?

Second, understand that there is no free cash in this world. In order to make money, you have to offer someone something they consider valuable enough to exchange for cash. I know this sounds simplistic, but it is good to have this as a big flashing sign in your consciousness.

What do you have that someone else desires?

OK, the guy at the library computer and living in a homeless shelter is laughing at me right now!  He thinks I have no idea how he feels.  Wrong.  Been there done that. But how to get out is what is important.

Take a look around you my friend. You are in a temple of knowledge. What twigs your fancy? What are you reading while you stay inside from the cold? Take that info, and then use your free 15 minutes on the computer and hammer out a blog about it. Yeah, people actually make money doing that. I'll get into that later, and in my other articles.

Third, have a clear understanding of your passions, talents and abilities. This will keep you from chasing every get rich scheme out of fear and desperation. I wrote a detailed article on how to do this in my Ethical Income Opportunities blog. You can find the article here : http://ethical-income.blogspot.com/2009/01/learn-how-to-make-money-in-this-new.html Even in this hysterically depressing time, you must love what you do. The Internet has some very clear classes when it comes to making money. It isn't obvious at first because of some aggressive promotions. You search out “how to make money on the Internet” and you get back over 66 million items.

But in all of my searches I've never seen the advice I'm giving you.

The first group of people you will probably hear about are the “Internet marketers” who make claims of hauling in millions of dollars. And to be honest, many actually do this. I use Internet Marketer in quotes, because really, everyone who does any sort of business online is an Internet marketer. The difference with these people is that they are Marketers first. They have a marketer mentality. They love numbers, formulas and statistics. Like it or not, you are just a number to them. Their job is to analyze markets and then assemble the right resources ( people), create a product and promotion, and then bring in the cash. For these people, the cash is both the goal and the measure of their success. Most huge Internet get rich quick schemes are spearheaded by “Internet Marketers”.

If you have the same personality and talents as these big Internet marketers then the best way to be successful fast, is to apprentice under one whose style most appeals to you. If you have subscribed to my free Web Builder Tips newsletter , then you will have the password to view the member toolbox with a complete list and description of the most successful “Internet Marketers” and how to access their apprentice programs.

The next group of people making good steady income on the Internet are the traditional product sales people. Yes there are many people quietly selling from home. They buy and sell product just like the store down the street, but without all the hassles. And with a potential customer base of millions instead of hundreds. Yes there are fast track secrets on how to succeed in selling physical products online.

First of all I find that these people love the retail aspect of their business. My brother is a genius at picking product. He visits trade shows all over the world and selects goods and suppliers. Do you love buying? Do you have “ the knack”? Then this will be a fun adventure for you. The best coaching specifically designed for this kind of online business is Stompernet. But for the broke beginner, there are things like eBay,  or the new Half Program ,Kijiji, & Craigslist.

The broke beginner with a good nose for product can get a lot of things free and turn them around for profit. Think I'm joking? Just this morning I was talking to a guy who put new flooring in his basement. He looked at everything he had down there and got overwhelmed, so he hauled it all to the dump! He actually paid fees to get rid of a lot of perfectly good items. What if you were there to collect them? You would have inventory and he would have saved $100 in dumping fees. If you have this talent, there is a way to get started. Soon you will be the one traveling to the buying shows ( and writing off your expenses while touring the world).

Technicians are another group who you don't hear a lot about, but who actually make massive amounts of money online. They quietly sit back and analyze stats and then do online arbitrage. Buy low, sell high and make money in the spread. There are a number of ways to do this. But you really have to love numbers. Carlos and Lupe from Traffic Secrets are very generous in teaching how to do this and you can tune into some of their free lectures. One thing that amuses me is their frustration over why more people don't take advantage of this business model. It shows how people, who are so immersed in their passion, can sometimes forget that not everyone has the same abilities.

Content Suppliers are people who....add content to websites. They can be copywriters, who sit for days over a page, like poets, until they get an ad or sales letter just right. Or they can be article writers ( waving my hand here) who research and write articles specifically engineered for the Internet

Techies are the warriors of the Internet You have no idea what a seething cauldron the Internet is. But if you do, and love the myriad of technicalities involved, then there is great demand for you. Write some fun scripts. Join groups in Google. Check out Elance and Rent-a-coder, or oDesk and see what is in demand. Hey you! The one online in the library who can recite Pi to the 268^th decimal point! Head over to the computer section and get busy. Build a reputation and get some contracts.

The good news is that the Internet has solutions for all of you.

The first thing that everyone needs to do is to build a home on the web. That way, even if you are couch surfing, you have a place of stability. A place where you can work out of and people can find out about you and contact you...and yes..pay you.

My website here is dedicated to helping people, who are starting out online, build websites and successful lives. I've shown how you can have a home on the Internet for $8 a month. And I'll show you how to set up a banking system. But if you don't even have eight extra dollars, there are still free ways to get started.

Here is a list of options:

Go to www.blogger.com and set up an account. It is free.

Now you have a place to build blogs. Many advanced users scoff at Blogger, but it is a very useful tool in every Internet business plan. Many of the sites in my bookmark folder are from Blogger. I check them for news about twitter resources, and JavaScript workarounds etc etc

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You can make different blogs for different topics. Then, when it comes time to make money from adsense advertising, you have multiple streams for that advertising.

A few years ago I knew a teenager who used only free blogs, like blogger to build hundreds of very specific revenue streams. He easily brought in $400-$700 a month. If you are having to use the library computer to get online, then use the library to research various topics and then blog about them. Once your blogs are up and running, you can apply to Adsense for an account ( they have to read your material and make sure it is legal and fits in with their standards...no porn).

Set up a website with the new “Google Sites” free website creation section of Google. Start adding content and build a reputation.

Note: the only problem with free websites are that they restrict you in many ways that you will not be aware of at first. With free websites like Google Sites, or Blogger, this only limits you in formatting of content and in the URL address; but in other free website building and hosting solutions, you will find yourself locked in. A word to the wise, spread your services out.

Look at Paypal and see about setting up an account. For many people, Paypal is their virtual bank. It is a great way to get started. Open up a merchant account there and you will be able to have a business going, without having to deal with the banks and begging them for a merchant account. Advanced users like to use other shopping cart systems, but for the beginner, Paypal is the best thing on the market right now.

Eventually you may want to look at Google Checkout. But that is beyond this article's scope.

Summary:

1. You've read this article.

2. You have read and done the personality test in my blog post.

3. You have looked over the different sub professions in making money online and chosen one that matches your personality and abilities.

4. You have taken a realistic look at your financial situation and figured out exactly how much you can actually afford to invest in yourself ( don't skip this step!).

5. You are now ready to take action and get yourself online, and promote yourself in your chosen field.

Check out the other articles and resources I have for you at www.websitebuildingforbeginners.com 

And keep in touch!

by Colin Noden - Feb 3, 2009

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Source: http://www.websitebuildingforbeginners.com