But then there was a little bit on the end that said - 'if you know what you're doing.'

And here's the catch - do you know what you're doing? Is it really possible to start an Internet Business overnight on a shoestring? Because if you don't manage your expectations at the beginning, you'll become disheartened and dejected and fall off the wagon before it's even got rolling.

The article went on to talk about Autoresponders, ftp, web design, HTML and so. And rightly so. These are all integral parts of getting your Internet Business up and running. But on a shoestring? Overnight? Come on.

There was only the slightest hint of a learning curve in the article. And who is going to be on your shoulder to motivate you and push you and make sure you get things done? And where do you look for the right cost-effective tools.

Let's be really honest, it will take more than a few days for a non-techy to get there head around designing and posting a website. Deciding who you want to host your domain can be as confusing as which Autoresponder product you should use.

So what is really achievable? What are the real timescales? What are the real costs?

It's apparent to me that it depends on the answer to a lot of questions. Questions that you need to think about and answer honesty so that you can manage your expectations from the start. Do you already have a product? Do you know your market? Do you really know your budget? What type of web site are you going to use? How are you going to market your product? How are you going to get customers to visit your web site? How much time do you have to research all this? And so on, and so on. Because the answers to these questions will determine how long it will take to get your business up and running and how much time you will waste focusing on the wrong things.

My point is this. We all need help and assistance when we start something new. We all need someone to hold our hand and guide us every now and then. We all need someone to help motivate us and encourage us when we lose focus. We all need a plan of some kind; a strategy. We all need someone to challenge us with the right questions.

We must manage our expectations from the outset BUT that doesn't mean we don't aim high!

Also, we're all basically lazy and want to get all this help and advice and support in one place and preferably for nothing. We want it in a form that we can easily assimilate. We probably want it in a visual form rather than in a book or on a web page. Just like speaking face to face with our work colleagues, we prefer to see their lips move.

So perhaps we should be seeking a mentor who has done it all before. Someone who can coach us and show us and keep us motivated. Because let's face it, it's never as simple as people say - or is it?