Ever since the Internet became available to any household with a dial-up connection, there has been the dream of easy wealth. The long-standing stereotype is the easy-going character who sits at home in his bathrobe and slippers, doing a few minutes work at his kitchen table, and spending the rest of the day out windsurfing while a river of cash pours steadily into his bank account - making him a millionaire by the time he's twenty.

How much of this is truth? How much is myth? While it's definitely not all true, some of it is quite achievable. In fact, you can get quite rich on the Internet, but it's not as easy as the hucksters and biz op sellers will try to convince you it is.

You Can Become A Millionaire On The Internet

There are many Internet marketers who have made millions of dollars selling everything from vitamins to porn to information. The Internet is a vast market, with large amounts of money changing hands over it every day.

If you can divert a large stream of that money, you can indeed become a millionaire. And yes, you can be a millionaire by the time you're twenty, but realize that this is the exception - not the rule.

It Doesn't Happen With No Work And No Money

Nothing good comes for free. Although it's true that you can start a business for a minimal amount of money, you will have to put something into your business - either money or sweat equity. You will actually have to do some work.

Of course, the nice thing is - once you've done the work of setting up your business and producing a product, in many cases you really can sit back and watch the money pour in. You still have to spend some time working on your business, but the work you do once can pay for itself over and over again.

Especially, with information products. You can write an e-book or create a video one time, set up a sales site for it, and sit back while your little vending machine pulls in a nice income for you.

You Won't Wake Up A Millionaire Tomorrow Morning

Don't expect to set up an Internet business today, and start making money tomorrow. The Internet does allow you to start making a profit much quicker the the traditional brick-and-mortar business world, but it is not instant.

You will have to spend some time building up your business. You need to set goals and plan how you will achieve them, research your market, create or find products, build websites, set up a way to collect payments and deliver your products.

All this business building does not happen overnight. But - on the Internet - you do have the opportunity to create a business that starts making a handsome profit within a few months.

You Can Work From Your Kitchen Table In Your Bathrobe And Slippers

This is not a myth, and it is the best part of Internet marketing - total freedom. You have the freedom to do as you want, to work your own hours, to choose your office space, to decide what to do. You have no boss, but yourself.

With a business on the Internet, you can work from anywhere in the world. there really are no limitations. All you need to be in business are a laptop computer and an Internet connection. Whether it's from the comfort of your home, a hotel room in Paris, a poolside on the Mediterranean, a ski chalet in the Alps, or one of the numerous Internet cafes in such far flung reaches as exotic Bali -- you can easily run your money-making Internet empire.

A business on the Internet - especially an information publishing business - is a truly global business. Your customers will be from all over the world, and you can serve them from anywhere in the world.

The Ideal Online Business Model?

In my opinion, the one Internet business that brings you closest to the dream stereotype of working in your bathrobe for a few hours and then spending the rest of the day goofing off ... is being an infopreneur. Selling information products - both downloadable ones direct from your website and physical products from a fulfillment house - give you the freedom to work as you please, where you please.

Being an infopreneur, you put some effort and time into creating an in formation product, and then it sells for a long time - creating a nice, steady income for you. You can work a few months each year - creating new products and new money-making websites - and then enjoy long vacations, while your online vending machines keep the money coming in to your bank account.

Half-Truths And Half-Myths

So, you see the myth that has built up around Internet marketing is not all myth. Yes, you can make a lot of money online. You can build a really solid business that gives you the freedom to live a life of fun and travel.

But, it will take a little work to set up that business, and you must devote some time and energy to maintaining that business. After all, the rewards are well worth putting in a bit of elbow grease.