Doing business on the internet is an all together different story that working the typical 9-5 job. You are no longer an employee, but rather the employer responsible for many different tasks required to set up your internet business successfully.

If you are looking to the internet to fulfill your life long goals and dreams, it is achievable online. However, if you envision a day at the beach while earning money online, you may have to think again. Although you can eventually work up to that level, to start out with you are going to have to dedicate some time and energy into making your business successful.

There are some specific things that you will need to do to earn money online and make your internet business successful.

1.) Marketing - Internet advertising and marketing is the foundation of any solid online business. It is wise to spend some time learning how to advertise and market your business online. Without marketing, you will not have any traffic to your website, and therefore no sales.

2.) Education - Business education should and will be an ongoing endeavor. It is vitally important that you never stop expanding your knowledge base. Learning should take place no matter what income level you achieve. This will give you the upper hand on your competition.

3.) Mentor - One of the best things that you can do to increase your learning curve is to develop a relationship with someone that can mentor you. A good mentor should be someone who has had success in the business arena, preferably online. Having someone to pattern your strategies after can make or break your business.

4.) Consistency - Being consistent in your online advertising is the key to internet marketing. Whether you are article marketing, forum chatting, or managing a pay per click campaign, you have to be consistent. It is important to do something everyday, rather than just for 10 hours every Saturday.

5.) Leadership - Learning to be a leader in the industry is what will set you apart from your competition. You will have to work your way up to establishing solid leadership skills. However, you can begin developing these qualities from the beginning of your online career.

6.) Capture Page - A unique and professional capture page that brands yourself is the best type of website that you can have. An effective capture page is a one page site that intrigues the prospect, gives a warm and inviting welcome from yourself, and captures the prospects contact information.

7.) Keep Records - You should keep an accurate record of your online marketing and conversion statistics on a weekly and monthly basis. Knowing what is or is not working online will streamline your marketing efforts. You will now be able to concentrate your efforts on what is working for you on the internet, instead of wasting your time and energy on what is not.