Began my morning by logging into A Year of Success and listening to Larry Winget talking about why most everything you have been told is a lie, (LOVE Larry Winget!) and Mark Sanborn who is defining leadership.

Next up is Sally Hogshead whose topic this week is how to create an intense emotional focus and then to the fabulous Bob Burg who talks to us about “push versus pull”.

How wonderful is this that I can be at my desk with these four incredible teachers, my favorite hot beverage and a cat draped over my keyboard? For less than $3 a week? I am not sure which of these guys/gal came up with this idea, but I thank them for it.

Let’s face it. People are not as successful as they want to be, as rich as they think they could and should be, or even as happy as they want to be. And that is the truth. And when you couple these very normal and natural thoughts with persistent economical / political low-level dread, there is some real room for mental and emotional improvement just to survive the evening news!

You already know that I do not bombard you with a ton of “buy now” stuff and I only recommend products that I actually use and benefit from myself. What I want to share with you today is A Year of Success.

If you connect with me on Facebook. LinkedIn or Twitter,  you already know that Larry Winget and Bob Burg are friends of mine, and people who I have a VERY high professional and personal opinion of.  Larry Winget is known as “The Pitbull of Personal Development” and is a 5 time New York Times / Wall Street Journal bestselling author and somebody you see on TV a lot. Larry is a regular contributor on Cavuto, Fox News, and other news networks. Bob Burg is one of my favorite authors and if you haven’t already done so, you really should read the Go Giver or Go-Giver’s Sell More and his latest book, It’s Not About You: A Little Story About What Matters Most In Business.

Larry and Bob have partnered with Chief Fascination Officer of Fascinate, Inc., Sally Hogshead and leadership development speaker & consultant Mark Sanborn. Mark is the president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea lab for leadership development. Leadershipgurus.net lists Mark as one of the top 30 leadership experts in the world. Mark is the author of You Don’t Need a Title to Be a Leader which speaks to leaders at every level, both those with and without titles. The book focuses on six things that all leaders do to make a positive difference. If you want to learn how to lead, or you are a leader looking for ways to lead better or teach others to lead, this book is for you.

Fascination is an intense emotional focus. When customers are fascinated by you and your message, they’re more likely to trust, believe, and respect you. As the only keynote speaker and author on this topic, Sally Hogshead has developed a scientifically-based system of influence, based on the brain’s hardwired patterns. For any goal that requires strong communication— from selling insurance to motivating top talent— the Fascinate system outlines the shortcut to persuasion. Sally has taught over 100,000 people how to use their natural strengths to become more persuasive.

I tell you all of this so you know who will be working with you and what they collectively bring to the table.  In fact, the four of them have reached over a million people with their messages, all over the globe. In A Year of Success, they will teach you, challenge you, provoke you, (Larry!) and push you outside your comfort zone to the point that you gain with bigger, faster, and smarter results, no matter what you are doing.

Source: Corporate Tax Network‘s Newsletter

We  know you’ve got the ideas, the drive and the plan to move your business  forward. There will come a time when you need more money to fund your  ideas and keep your business going, right? Working with the SBA and  private banks on getting small business loans can be very difficult and  time consuming if you are not well prepared. Before you know it, you  could be spending more time chasing bankers than running your own  business!

Let’s review the five guidelines of successful borrowing in  getting you prepared in small business lending:

1. Good Credit  – Without question one must have a credit history which is not only  good, but more to the outstanding side of the scale. Lenders have in  recent years subscribed to a credit measuring system in which a  generalized credit score is rendered from various factors for each  individual who has a recorded credit history. These scores range from  the low end at 300 to the high end at 850.

Your  credit score needs to be at or above 700 in order to predict potential  loan application success. This does vary from case to case, but a 700  credit score or above is the value one needs to achieve for  consideration of having Good Credit.

2. Equity -  Equity in borrowing can be thought of as similar to a down payment. The  lender wants the borrower to have a financial commitment to the venture  for which the loan is requested. It’s important for a lender to feel  secure knowing that you will pay on time according to the agreement.

3. Experience -  No rational lender wants to or will turn over monies to a borrower to  manage and expend in a business or venture in which the person has  limited experience. This criterion for successful borrowing should be  easy to see from both the lender and borrower’s point of view. Lenders  need to be more certain that the person or persons borrowing the funds  have the experience and expertise to manage the money and that day to  day the business is conducted in a prudent manner. This is needed to  insure positive results from the business and further insure that the  lender will be repaid with interest and in a timely manner.

It’s  expected that the borrower should have at least three years of  experience in the management of the type of business in whose name he or  she is borrowing the funds. This experience can be as an owner and/or  management experience. It could also be experience as an employee in a  similar type business.

4. Business Plan -  The bank or lender most importantly expects you to have a well thought  out, researched and constructed business plan. This is a document that:

a) Will introduce the business in a clear and complete manner;
b) Describes the business ,the potential market for the goods and service  to be offered , the existing competition ,states who will be employed  ,who will lead and manage and how the borrowed funds will be expended;
c) The good business plan will have pro-forma (estimated) financial  documents. These are the Cash Flow Statement, Income Statement, and  Balance Sheet.

Finally,  a good business plan will have a section of Supporting Documents. These  will add validity to all that has been included in the previous  sections. This section should include such documents as the Resume(s)  Credit Report, Net-Worth Statement of the borrower(s), and any other  reasonable support to verify the facts and estimates on which the plan  is based.

The  well constructed, thought out and documented Business Plan is essential  to successful business borrowing. It is also used as a guide of the  business progress or lack of it to the owner(s). It can also be used as  an aid in soliciting partners and or other investors in the business.

5. Collateral -  One would think after we have shown good credit, put in equity cash or  goods, shown we have experience in the business and produced a positive  cash flow business plan that the lender would now be willing to open the  vaults and ask us to come in and select all the cash we desire.  However, there is one last hurdle that the borrower must clear to reach  loan success. This final criteria is collateral.

Collateral  is any asset of value that can be pledged by the borrower(s) as  security that the loan will be re-paid in full and with interest.  Collateral requirements in the process of borrowing for a business can  range up to and above 100 percent of the loan principal. This percentage  depends again on the amount of risk that the lender calculates that his  institution is exposed to from this particular loan and the  accumulation of all loans currently in process.

Collateral  assets can be in the form of real property owned, inventory of the  business, cash savings or deposits, stocks /bonds equity in home  equipment and other like assets both tangible and non-tangible. IRA,  401k, 503b accounts are not usable under normal circumstances for  collateral asset pledges. They cannot be assigned but they can be cashed  in with the associated restrictions and penalties.

To  many new, small business people this may seem difficult. It has been  observed that new start ups have less than a 10 percent loan success  record. Most have to use their own funds or those of relatives and/or  partners. Existing small businesses with a few good years of operations  are more successful in borrowing funds to stabilize, expand or add new  lines of offerings than those that are not legally established.

I am always interested in finding fast fitness moves that can be done anywhere, and especially in my office. Sitting at a computer for many hours a day can wreak havoc with your lower back so taking time to do some quick and easy moves can be very beneficial and taking a break from your monitor will also help you focus when you get back to work.

Seated Leg Lift

1. Grab a stationary chair in your office, dining room, or living room. (I tried these in my office chair and while it was entertaining, it was not stable!) You can also use an exercise ball. I do both, but don’t advise you try the ball until you have done the chair exercises and worked your way through the inevitable muscle soreness.
2. Sit tall in your chair with your feet planted firmly on the floor.
3. Place your hands underneath your thighs.
4. Slowly pull your knees up toward your chest. Contract or squeeze your abdominals as your hold this position for a count of 4. Slowly return to the starting position. Do 5 – 10 repetitions. As you progress and your abdominals get stronger, work up to 10 – 20 repetitions.

Be sure to be aware of the position of your spine when doing these seated leg lifts. Just because you are sitting, you shouldn’t be slouching. Elongate your spine as if somebody were holding you up straight by the ponytail on the top of your head, but don’t arch your back. You want to be straight.

Exhale when you lift your knees up toward your chest and inhale when you return to the starting position.

Add this quick and easy exercise to your personal “to-do” list every day and I promise your back will begin to feel better very quickly.

Seated Straight Leg Raise

The video below will show you how to do this super easy leg raise which will work the muscles in the front part of your upper leg and some of the lower abdominal muscles in the trunk area.

In December 2009, the FTC released “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”. The guidelines require that any affiliate who uses reviews, rankings or testimonials to promote products must clearly disclose the fact that they receive compensation for doing so. If you have affiliate links on your website or blogs, you need to be on the right side of the law.

Tips For Making Your Site Compliant

1. Frequent: Your disclosure must appear on any page that has a review, recommendation, comment or article that promotes a product or service for which you receive compensation.
2. Clear: It must be immediately clear that you may receive compensation for your review or rating.
   • Example of a clear disclosure:
     • Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.
   • Example of an unclear disclosure:
     • Disclosure: We are a website that needs compensation to operate like any other website on the internet. We may receive consideration for our reviews but we are totally unbiased and do not accept paid reviews or fake reviews claiming to be something they are not.
   • You cannot claim that you do not receive compensation if you receive payment through an affiliate program!
3. Conspicuous: The disclosure must be clear and easy to see. It should begin with the word “disclosure”
   • For the disclosure to be considered clear, the font should be:
     • At least as large as the main text on the page
     • In a color other than black or gray
     • In contrast with both with its background and the main text
     • Darker than its background or the main text
   • Example of a conspicuous disclosure:
     • Welcome to Our Review Site!
       Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We tested and reviewed the web hosting sites ranked here. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.
4. Require No Action: Your disclosure must be immediately evident to a typical visitor to your site who views a review, ranking or endorsement on a PC or Mac monitor. A visitor should not need to scroll, click or hover to learn that you receive compensation.
   • If you do include a clickable link or additional information when a visitor hovers over text, the language of the link itself should reveal the fact that you receive compensation.
   • Example of a link that requires no action:
     • Disclosure: We are compensated for our reviews. Click here for details.
   • Keep this in mind: Simply telling the visitor that they can “Click/hover here to read our FTC disclosure” is not adequate. You need to use the word “disclosure” and present the nature of the disclosure.

The FTC also offers a variety of resources to help make it easier for you to comply with the guidelines, including:

• Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising:
  • http://ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf
• The FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides: What People are Asking:
  • http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus71-ftcs-revised-endorsement-guideswhat-people-are-asking
• Dot Com Disclosures: Information About Online Advertising:
  • http://business.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/bus41-dot-com-disclosures-information-about-online-advertising.pdf

I am often asked what some of my favorite reading material is. With a personal library of 3,000 plus or minus books, this is a difficult question for me to answer. So, I am happy to share some of my current reading and would love to hear your recommendations. I read just about anything with the single exception being romance novels. Bodice rippers tend to have me rolling my eyeballs and throwing the book across the room. Give me a terrific business book, a beautifully crafted murder mystery or anything about history and I am in love. So please send me your recommendations and I thank you in advance!

Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuk

Who would have thought that a wise-cracking, smart-mouthed 30-something could turn into an internet sensation – with a daily video show on wine? Well, Gary Vaynerchuk has endeared himself to millions through his Wine Library TV, his keynote speeches, and his best-selling business book, “Crush It!” In it, he shares the secrets of his success, including:

1. Find your passion. Find the one thing you adore above all else and go for it with all your heart. If you look for the “money” niche, you’ll burn out and give up before you succeed. Or you’ll succeed and hate what you’re doing.
2. Be willing to hustle. Vaynerchuk credits his willingness to do whatever it took to get ahead – including hosting his show five days a week, without fail, for over a year. Don’t just do something once – do it over and over and over again until people start to notice.
3. Be who you are. Not everyone warms to Vaynerchuk’s in-your-face style, but those who do adore him. He recommends not even trying to please everyone, and instead doing what you do best.
4. Build the audience and the money will find you. Vaynerchuk swears that he didn’t try to monetize his rabid and ever-growing audience. Instead, the offers came to him. He thinks anyone can do the same.

“Crush It!” recommends finding a niche you love, working your rear off, introducing folks to the real you, and working hard until your audience grows to the point where they just can’t get enough of you. This book is a perfect read if you’re looking for inspiration to begin – or continue – your journey.

Unmarketing by Scott Stratten

Do you hate selling and marketing in the “Tell-ya-what-I’m-gonna-do” way? Then Scott Stratten is your man. In his book, “Unmarketing,” Stratten shows you through his personal experience that you can build a successful business – and an audience of enthusiastic customers – without doing the Glengarry/Glen Ross shuffle.

Written in a series of blog-post-length sections, the book is chock-full of Stratten’s personal observations, advice, success stories, and words to the wise. A big proponent of social media, Stratten advises readers on how to maximize these tools to build your audience naturally and comfortably.

In fact, that’s the basis of his belief: That building relationships should be the backbone of your business, and the only way to do that is naturally, and over time. Sure, there are tips and “secrets” for how to make the most of the tools that are at your disposal, but what it comes down to is relating to the people you want to serve.

This book is perfect for new entrepreneurs, or business owners who have been around the block a time or two but don’t know a tweet from a hole in the ground. Stratten presents his lessons in a non-threatening, conversational tone that is easy to read and easy to follow. You’ll want this book in your business library to refer to again and again. Even though many of the stories deal with “Web 2.0” tools (my passion!), Stratten’s advice to be yourself and focus on the relationship will be equally applicable into the future as new technology emerges.

Tribes by Seth Godin

If you are an online businessperson and you have not yet been introduced to Seth Godin, run, do not walk, to your nearest bookstore and get a copy of “Tribes” (then download a free copy of the companion ebook from Seth’s blog here). This book has served as part manifesto, part bible, to a generation of internet-based entrepreneurs.

Godin’s thesis in “Tribes,” like most of his work, is extremely simple: There are people out there looking for leaders. If you can become a leader with vision and passion, you can find a tribe of people to lead.

While this may seem commonsensical, Godin goes beyond the obvious. Not only does he explain how to find and lead your tribe, he also tells readers they have an almost moral obligation to lead if they are called to do so. If you have an idea and a passion, you need to find the tribe that’s looking for you because they’re lost without you.

Godin’s words would have seemed absurd only a decade or two ago. How would someone, for example, with a passion for making clothes for potbellied pigs ever find enough of an audience to make a go of a business? But with the reach of the internet, the lack of barriers to entry for online businesses, and the wealth of free and low-cost tools at your disposal, you don’t need millions, or even hundreds of thousands, of people to create a successful online business. Instead, a loyal tribe of just a few thousand can keep you in sequins and tulle until the end of your days – if you can find them and inspire them.

He uses the example of the Grateful Dead, Starbucks, and CrossFit as strong tribes. And he presents tons of ideas for finding and leading your tribe, from being an example, sharing stories, creating a common goal, and more.

If you just want to sell “me too” products to a faceless crowd, skip “Tribes.” But if you have dreams of changing the world, “Tribes” is for you.

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

If you’ve ever ordered shoes (or anything else) from Zappos.com, chances are you’ve ordered again. And again. Because Zappos, an online phenomenon taken to industry leadership by CEO Tony Hsieh, enjoys a staggering 75 percent repeat business. And, because everyone knows it’s much less expensive to sell to a repeat customer than it is to bring in a new customer, that means Zappos must be doing something right.

In his book, “Delivering Happiness,” Hsieh shares his sometimes radical, always interesting, views on business, life, happiness, and customer service. It’s worth a read even if you aren’t in the retail business – because every business has customers, and every business can benefit from treating them better.

Some of Hsieh’s iconoclastic ideas shared in “Delivering Happiness” include:

1. “Wow” your customers through service.
2. Embrace and drive change.
3. Weirdness is good. (You have to read the book to fully understand this one!)
4. Constant learning is a prerequisite for growth.
5. Your company should feel like a family.

Hsieh focuses not only on making his customers happy, but on making his employees happy, too. In a world where employee loyalty is about as common as a Dell laptop in Steve Jobs’ office, Hsieh has made it his mission to make his employees feel committed and attached to Zappos. Some of his ideas may seem better-suited to a business with dozens or hundreds of employees, but solopreneurs and small business owners will find many tips and a lot of inspiration.

We have all heard about the dreaded “writer’s block”. Every writer experiences writer’s block from time to time. However, writers aren’t the only creative professionals that encounter mental blocks. Graphic designers, web developers, and virtual assistants also suffer from creative mental blocks occasionally.

The good news is that you don’t have to lose an entire day’s work due to a pesky creativity block and/or energy drain. By implementing the tips below, you’ll be able to tear down the dam and allow your creative juices to flow freely.

• Go for a walk. Play outdoors with your children or pets. Or mow your lawn. As a creative professional, you more than likely spend too much of your time cooped up in your office or studio. Break that habit by seeking inspiration in the beautiful gifts of nature. One of the secrets to abolishing your creative block is to get out into the great outdoors and get your adrenaline pumping. Take a moment to recall what inspires you and get outside and be inspired! For me, it is digging holes. I move shrubs and plants around and then admire my handiwork. My garden is my canvas and it is where I can create my own living art.  I also LOVE to water the yard. I have no idea why. There is just something about listening to the water splashing out of the hose that is very soothing.
• Freestyle. If you obstruct your creative process by being too rigid or expecting too much too soon, you’ll send your creative juices into hideout indefinitely. Release the pressure and allow your mind to freely express itself. I often do this by simply breathing. Just stop what you are doing, go outside or into another room and just breathe. Empty your mind and your lungs at the same time. You will feel much better for it!
• Do whatever it is that you normally do, differently! Are you up against a deadline for a writing project? Try simply writing from a stream of consciousness. It doesn’t have to make sense at the time. It will later. Just write down the words and partial sentences that come to you and let them sit for a while. Don’t try to edit or force the creative process. Are you trying to come up with an idea for a logo or website image? Just doodle. Then put it aside and come back to it later.
• Turn it over to your subconscious for review. This is what has always worked best for me. If I find myself faced with what seems to be an insurmountable problem or a question that either has no readily apparent answer, or worse yet, too many answers, I simply turn it over to my subconscious for review just before drifting off to sleep at night. I keep a notepad and a large Sharpie on the bedside table because the answer ALWAYS comes to me around 3 AM.
• Seek inspiration. Every creative professional has an industry hero or two, or ten. Take a stroll through the Internet and seek out people in your industry who inspire you. Browse their portfolios or body of work. Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I think you will find that many of these people will respond warmly to you in a social media environment such as Facebook.
• Take some time off and get out of the office! Your office may be the cause of your creative block. After sitting in the same chair day after day, it can certainly take its toll on your ability to produce. Your body gets tired. Your mind gets tired. And I don’t know about you, but my legs and feet get tired if I sit too long! Head to a coffee shop, park, or bookstore for a rush of energy that will inspire you to create! By just taking a few hours off, and away from the source of your angst, you will find that you are energized and happier.
• Examine your fear of failure and then dismiss it. As creatives, we are our harshest critics and too many times, a project may not even get off of the drawing board because of the negative self chatter that we impose on our creative selves. Many times, the fear of failure or creating something that isn’t top notch is the only barrier between you and success. Let your insecurities fall by the wayside and create a masterpiece that is divine in your eyes.
• Deadlines. If it is really, really necessary, ask your client or your boss for a deadline extension. No client likes to receive material beyond the agreed upon deadline, however, many clients will understand an occasional delay, particularly if they know and like your work and can be assured that the little bit of extra time will net them some high quality work. However, I STRONGLY recommend against doing this more than once with any given client. You will give them the impression that you are not reliable and that is death to your business.

Creative blocks are like pesky little summer gnats. You can put screens in your windows to keep them out, but a few always find a way to break through the netting. In much the same way, you have little say in when or where your mental blocks appear. All you can do is try to work through them, and strengthen your skills during the process.

By Yanik Silver

1. It’s got to be a BIG idea that you, your team and your customers can “get” in seconds.
2. Strive to create 10x – 100x in value for any price you charge. Your rewards are always proportionate to the value you provide.
3. You must charge a premium price so you have a large margin to provide an extraordinary value & experience.
4. Provide a ‘Reason Why’ customers should do business with you and pay you a premium.
5. Get paid before you deliver your product or service. And when possible figure out how to create recurring revenue from transactions.
6. You get to make the rules for your business. Don’t let industry norms dictate how you’ll work or who you’ll work with.
7. Create your business around your life instead of settling for your life around your business.
8. Consistently and constantly force yourself to focus on the ‘critically few’ proactive activities that produce exponential results. Don’t get caught up in minutia & bullshit.
9. Seek to minimize start-up risk but have maximum upside potential.
10. Get your idea out there as fast as possible even if it’s not quite ready by setting must-hit deadlines. Let the market tell you if you have a winner or not. If not – move on and fail forward fast! If it’s got potential – then you can make it better.
11. Find partners and team members who are strong where you are weak and appreciate being paid on results.
12. Your reputation always counts. Honor your obligations and agreements.
13. Never, ever get paid based on hours worked.
14. Leverage your marketing activities exponentially by using direct response methods and texting.
15. Measure and track your marketing so you know what’s working and what’s not.
16. Bootstrap. Having too much capital leads to incredible waste and doing things using conventional means.
17. Your partners and employees actions are their true core – not what they tell you.
18. Keep asking the right questions to come up with innovative solutions. “How?”, “What?”, “Where?”, “Who Else?” & “Why?” open up possibilities.
19. You’ll never have a perfect business and you’ll never be totally “done”. Deal with it.
20. Focus most of your time on you core strengths and less time working in areas you suck at.
21. Make it easier for customers to buy by taking away the risk of the transaction by guaranteeing what you do in a meaningful way.
22. Always have something else to sell (via upsell, cross-sell, follow-up offer, etc) whenever a transaction takes place. The hottest buyer in the world is one who just gave you money.
23. Always go back to your existing customers with exceptional offers and reasons they should give you more money. It’s 5x less expensive to sell to happy customers than go find new ones.
24. However the flip side is – fire your most annoying customers. They’ll be replaced with the right ones.
25. The marketplace and competitors are always trying to beat you down to a commodity. Don’t let that happen.
26. Develop and build your business’s personality that stands out. People want to buy from people.
27. Create your own category so you can be first in the consumer’s mind.
28. Go the opposite direction competitors are headed – you’ll stand out.
29. Mastermind and collaborate with other smart entrepreneurs if they have futures that are even bigger than their present.
30. Celebrate your victories. It’s too easy to simply move on to your next goal without acknowledging and appreciating the ‘win’.
31. Make your business AND doing business with you FUN!
32. Do the unexpected before and after anything goes wrong so customers are compelled to ‘share your story’.
33. Get a life! Business and making money are important but your life is the sum total of your experiences. Go out and create experiences & adventures so you can come back renewed and inspired for your next big thing.
34. Give back! Commit to taking a % of your company’s sales and make a difference. If this becomes a habit like brushing your teeth, pretty soon the big checks with lots of zeros won’t be scary to write. If you think you can’t donate a percentage of your sales simply raise your price.

As entrepreneurs we focus morning, noon and night on how to build and grow our business. But, when you begin a business you should also have a pretty good idea on how you plan on exiting that business. Unless you plan on spending each day working in it until the day you leave the bustle and turmoil of this mortal life, you should give some real thought to how you plan on disposing of the business.

Should you hand it to your partner, spouse or children? Should you sell it, gradually move out of it, or simply close the doors? What is your tax strategy?

So my question to you is, do you have an exit strategy for your business? Please post your thoughts here. I would love to hear them.

Can you work from home?  Can you create an online business? My answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!”

The Internet offers many business opportunities for the enterprising soul. You can become a part of someone else’s enterprise or create a business of your own. There are many advantages to starting an Internet business. Every day people search the Internet for all sorts of opportunities. With this economy, the number one search is for ways to make money with low start-up costs. Many of the basic equipment needed to begin Internet businesses are in your home right now. If you have a computer with a high-speed Internet connection, a telephone, a desk, and a printer, you can get going right away.

 Here are some Internet business ideas to help you find that appropriate niche you are looking for. But keep in mind, you need to understand your niche and be passionate about it. You must be engaged, creative, excited, and let me repeat again, passionate!

1. Blogging.This is the way to create an online presence without the technical issues of owning your own website (that comes later). Most blogs are offered with free hosting and come with already installed features so set up is easy. Blog about anything that you find interesting and will be interesting to other readers. A blog with a niche will perform better a personal one. Blogs can also make money with programs like Google Adwords and AdSense. Pay per Click advertising also works for generating revenue.
2. Internet research. Anyone who can navigate the Internet and find out almost anything, can market themselves as an Internet researcher. Large and small companies will pay you to find out information for them, create reports from the research.
3. Selling products. If you have a hobby like making and selling crafts you can expand your business online with a website. Set up a website that caters to your product offerings. Market these products online to drive traffic to your website.
4. Selling on eBay. With this idea, you set up shop on the Internet. You can sell products you created or items you own that you want to sell. Many now make a living selling on eBay. As your business grows, you can expand to involve other product markets.
5. Freelancing. Many online and offline businesses are looking for help. Freelancers lower the overhead of the company thus becoming more profitable for many jobs than hiring someone to work in the office. Depending on your talent, hire yourself out at a freelance writer, graphic artist, website designer or programmer. Follow this link to an article that discusses the top 10 best freelance websites.
6. Virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are the going trend for many businesses. In the beginning, virtual assistants performed the administrative duties of a company from their home. Now, VA’s can be found in all career specialties like medical, real estate, marketing and publishing. They perform tasks above administrative such as website administrator, report creation and Internet research, or in my case, web development, product development, social media marketing and much more. 
7. Membership sites. You see more of these around these days. With a membership site, you choose a niche, such as online marketing. Customers pay to join at a certain level (gold, silver, bronze) and are rewarded with certain perks for their membership that include newsletters, videos or articles on marketing and services to help expand their own business. You create the website and supply the materials yourself or through outsourcing each month to your members.

Do you have an idea of what your Internet business idea might be? This list should get you started.