Starting an online business holds a definite lure because of all the hype surrounding huge profits made on the Internet by people with no computer experience, but a great idea. Let me qualify this a bit for you...YES it can still be done...but NO, it will not happen immediately and it will not happen without some work on your part.

The idea that you can throw up a 1-2 page crap blog/site...and make money in your pajamas is NOT reality. There is a definite learning curve to starting a web business, and it can take awhile to get ahead of it. However, if you are the type of former teacher who is patient, doesn't mind reading on a subject that can sometimes seem totally foreign, and is interested in how to start a true online business...not grab at some short-term profits...you will have a greater chance of succeeding.

Creating a profitable website, to me, is the best retirement home business a teacher can have. It is a great business strategy for two reasons:

ONE: There is NO limiting factor other than yourself. Your profit potential's ceiling will be directly related to your ability to think creatively, find the most profitable keywords for your niche, monetize your site in the best way, and create traffic with your expressive skills. Your work ethic will determine your success. In the first few years, you will have to work very hard at the keyboard...after about three years...not so much.

TWO: Starting an online home business with the intent to make a profit gives you access to a huge amount of legal tax write offs. By having you own homebased business, you will have the potential to keep between $3000 - $6000 dollars MORE of your own money. What could you do with an extra $300 - $500 dollars per month in your household? Would that be better than giving it to fat politicians who use it for corporate bailouts, medical and social services for illegals, or building hospitals and schools for countries that hate us?

Myths about how to start an online business

* "You can purchase a 'Business In A Box'...and be making money by lunch." No way. If it was that easy, everybody would be doing it and there would be no economic crisis.

* "Once you learn some simple HTML coding, you are good to go." Yeah...right. There are 3" thick books written on HTML coding. I use Adobe Dreamweaver (tax deductible) for my sites that I created before using the much easier, SiteBuildIt! ...and I still have to check on coding even though Dreamweaver streamlines it.

* "We'll show you some SEO tricks that will get you on the Page 1 of Google." Good luck. With SEO tricks, you'll probably stay there about two days...then be lost in cyberspace forever. Creating original and relevant content that is highly optimized for the search engines DOES NOT rely on "tricks." It relies on you writing solid text that is backed by solid SEO fundamentals. It takes time to get to Page 1 of Google for highly competitive keyword phrases.

* "We have software that fully automates your content creation so you can 'spin' articles to a variety of sources for quality backlinks." This is one of the newest pieces of web technology. You write an article...load it into the software...and it "spins" out 10-30 more similar ones for you to submit to article directories. The trouble is, a lot of them sound like they were written by guys in Saturday Detention, and you end up spending even more time going back to correct them to make the sentences flow.

* "By using our suite of sites, you will be participating in our revenue-sharing plan so when someone else makes money...you make money!" Gee...what a deal. You'll be making pennies for the rest of your life. The company will take 90% of any money that is generated, then split the rest with the lucky participants. What if you are an extremely creative person who is generating 1000's of unique visitors to your site, while a guy who gets 10 people per week gets a share of your profits. (Also, these kinds of sites are really scrutinized by Google Adsense. You could end up losing your account once they are deemed bogus and manipulative.)

Straight facts on how to start an online business in your retirement

* Take some time and read all you can about starting an online business. I know you are anxious to get going...start creating your own site, monetizing it, and documenting business expenses for tax write offs...BUT you need to separate fact from nonsense. The majority of my income is generated from my SiteBuildIt! sites. Here are some legitimate case studies on everyday people who are making solid profits.

* There is a learning curve to starting a web business. You will come across terms and phrases that sound like they are from another world. You will hear about technology that is hard to wrap your brain around. You will hear about backlink strategies that make a Rubix Cube sound like a crossword puzzle. Don't worry, WE ALL started out like this. A lot of people give up in the first 3-6 months. This is one more reason why I love SiteBuildIt! and will keep adding new sites through them. It flattens the learning curve tremendously.

* Like I said before, you CANNOT throw up a 1-2 page site and expect to make money. The guys who are making the big bucks have been at it for several years and have created hundreds of pages for their site. (Many have several sites...with several hundred pages.) You have to be willing to use a few hours of your retirement, each day, to sit in front of a keyboard and create original and relevant content that visitors want to read. Quality content is the key.

* Generating traffic, especially increasing the number of unique visitors on a monthly basis is the focus of a strong online home business. The only way to do this is by creating solid content that ranks highly on Google or Yahoo so people click over to your site. Solid SEO, good expressive skills, quality backlinks, and "site maturity" (how long you have been on the Internet) all play a role. SiteBuildIt! gives me the tools to do this in my retirement.

* You are going to make "pennies per month" when you first start out. That's just how it is. BUT...remember...you are following your passion and creating an online HOME BUSINESS...not a flash in the pan Get-Rich-Quick site. Commit yourself to to an 18-24 month period of building your website. You will be surprised at the ease you will find after a year of creating one new page each day. You have a great opportunity to create your own teacher retirement system to go along with your state pension.

* Find a tax professional who is extremely well-versed in Home Business Tax Law. (They ARE NOT tested on this to get their CPA certification!) NOT all of them have a clue. You need to call several and interview them. If you can find an EA (Enrolled Agent) who specializes in preparing homebased business/personal returns...you will have a solid resource. Purchase this eBook , read it through twice, load it onto a CD, make an appointment with them. Tell them your business plan and ask them to review the book. (It may cost you $50-$90 dollars to do this...but you will save $1000's.)

Go to Teacher Retirement Plan home from How To Start An Online Business page

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