Knowing yourself and your Internet business intimately means you can make the best use of your time and efforts. A careful evaluation of both will allow you to focus on the key points that need attention. How you choose to implement this knowledge will depend on your business model, how involved you are in doing all the work in the business and what your plans for the future are.

The elements of Internet marketing are:

* Strengths

* Weaknesses

* Opportunities

* Threats

Before you can decide how to strategically deal with these elements, you have to know how they apply to you and your Internet business. You can't decide, in advance, to emphasize your strengths and ignore your weaknesses if you don't really know what they are and how that might affect your business if you chose to act that way.

Take the time to list all the traits, procedures, methods and other measurable elements in yourself and your business, according to these four categories.

Once you have your list of each category, examine it in terms of your business and its plan for growth. You may find that you've begun a business that you can never sell off to someone else, because its main weakness is total dependence on you as the key holder of a license, patent or trademark that cannot be transferred. This analysis is best done before actually committing to a start-up - finding out you've painted yourself into a corner after you've begun painting is awkward, at best.

This particular type of analysis, done in advance, can help you become open to unlimited growth and give you nearly complete freedom of your time. By building a business that is based on your core strength and growing opportunities, you can create a model for your business that puts trusted "lieutenants" in charge of dealing with the weaknesses and threats. Meanwhile, you can devote your energies to planning, strategy and using the rest of your time to pursue other interests.

Ideally, you can use this technique to create a string of "absentee owner" businesses that run themselves, with no input or interference from you. By carefully setting up processes, procedures, methods and restraints, you can start it up and watch it run from a distance.

Naturally, at the beginning, you'll be involved in every step of the process, making sure there is a backup for each element of the business. Once you test and verify each part, and the process as a whole, you let go of the reins and move on to your next project.

If your intention is to create a more "hands on" business, this analysis will show you where you need to increase your strengths and develop effective protection from threats.

This is especially true if your business depends upon your ability to perform as an individual. By taking the time to shore up your weaknesses and improve yourself and your business to withstand threats from within and without, you increase the likelihood that, no matter what happens, your business will thrive.

Knowing where you stand, in terms of performance and protection, will give you a confidence and ability that cannot be shaken. While all about you may be losing their heads, you'll be able to keep yours and avoid unnecessary panic and uncertainty.

Knowledge of self and of the business at hand is priceless. Taking the time to invest in yourself and your business by learning these Four Corners of the structure of your creation will serve you well. No matter what model of business you choose, you will know that it is based on sound thinking and wise preparation.