• Having failed at several brick and mortar businesses, I KNOW better than anyone what failure means in those cases…can you say, "LOSE A LOT OF MONEY!" The coolest part about our successful retail business, Cactus Canyon, is that I started it with an $8.95 domain name, $3.95/month hosting, and one case of product ($200)! The product was something we used anyway, so I really had almost no risk whatsoever! I don’t know about you, but the fact that Cactus Canyon has now replaced two full time jobs excites me! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can compare with the risk vs.reward possibilities the Internet has to offer. By the way, I created a product detailing EXACTLY how I put all the pieces together in order to be successful with my Internet business.

• As I write this, I am sitting in my living room looking out our picture windows at the woods our house sits in. We live in the country 50 miles from the nearest supermarket. Our “town”, Southard, is just a post office (no, I am not kidding). Yet we are able to run a business which does well into the six figures in sales each year…from our home! You see, it does not matter if I live in Los Angeles or the plains of Oklahoma…my broadband connection puts me on the same playing field as anyone else anywhere. I wouldn’t trade our quiet country life for anything!

• An Internet marketing business offers me the chance to try many different things…at the same time. I can have several different business ideas going at the same time. Although it was tough at first to know where to draw the line with ideas was, I have found that if I pace myself well, I can quickly and efficiently test new ideas. Perry Marshal (one of my marketing idols!) has said the Internet marketer should always have a “fail fast” mentality.

You see, it is a given that most of what everyone tries (even the Internet gurus) will result in failure. In the past few years I have easily experienced failure 10 times for each success. I have lost track of all the great ideas which have flopped on me. But the secret is to try and embrace failure as a learning experience. How many of you reading this will fail at your first attempt and then simply quit? Most people will give up after their first failure.

Ok, I got off track there a bit. What I really enjoy is how the Internet provides me the opportunity to be creative and easily try the ideas that pop into my head all the time. I know most will fail…and that is OK…because here and there I hit on a great one! Not knowing when or what will be the next hit for me really motivates me!

• I don’t think about doctors like I used to. Their education and dedication to their profession is admirable. But you know what? For them to make money, they MUST show up for work! I haven’t looked at my email since I have started writing this, but chances are, I had some sales since I started. This past weekend we went to Oklahoma City for the weekend to run in the Memorial Marathon. We of course had orders coming in while we were there. And in the morning when I get up, I will have orders in my inbox. In other words, I do not have be “at work” to make my living. How about those who own their own business in town? In most small businesses the owner is one of the workers...another employee. With my Internet business I don’t feel like an employee.

• A new sandwich shop opened up in a nearby town a few months back. The owners spent much money and have it fixed up very nice. But guess what! Their customer base is very limited. The town is not on a major highway. The shop’s potential business is limited to the town’s population. In contrast, our customer base is the world! Today for example, besides our U.S orders, we shipped to Ireland, Germany, Australia, and the UK. We have shipped to every state many multiples of times (New Jersey, for some odd reason, is where we get the most orders from).

Do you realize what I am saying here? My online store is open to the world! Compare that to the potential of the small sandwich shop I spoke of.

These are just a few examples of why Internet marketing is my passion! It’s not just a way to make money; it is an exciting and challenging way of life!