Although it may not seem like it, the Internet is still in its infancy.

It’s undergone incredible change in the two decades since its inception. Starting as nothing more than the nugget of an idea, it’s grown into a revolutionary form of communication, information sharing, and commerce. Even today it continues to evolve, often in new and unforeseen directions.

One of these unforeseen directions has been the dramatic growth of Internet Business.

What is it that’s fueled this dramatic business growth? And at the same time, while we’re asking important questions, what’s kept it from growing even faster?

The Internet provides consumers with a shopping experience similar to that of going to the local mall, only without the crowds and traffic.

Customers have instant access to a huge inventory of products. They can buy a top-of-the-line golf club in one corner of the Internet, and five minutes later, they can buy a coffee gift basket in another corner. Whatever they want, they can probably find it on the Internet.

In addition, customers enjoy the ease with which they can make a purchase, and how quickly a transaction takes place. Order a book at Amazon.com and the entire process can be done in less time than it would take you to get ready to drive to the nearest bookstore.

On the downside, there’s still a large segment of the population that’s uncomfortable enough with technology that they’ve excluded themselves from the customer pool. And unlike shopping at the local mall, Internet transactions are done on a computer screen without any face-to-face interaction. Consumers have to trust someone they’ve never met.

They also have to overcome their fears of identity theft and concerns about credit card security.

Finally, for hard products (as opposed to information products and software that can be directly downloaded), they have to pay shipping costs and forego the instant gratification that comes with a purchase made locally.

That’s what it looks like from the consumer’s perspective.

What does it look like from the businessman’s?

Well, the businessman can reach customers around the world instead of being confined to a small geographical area.
There’s no physical storefront to maintain. Initially, there’s no need for employees (though as the business
expands, employees can always be added).

You can get started part time for relatively little investment and let the business grow as your income grows.

You don’t have to deal face-to-face with angry customers. You can automate a great deal of your business system, replicating it whenever you take on new products or move into a new niche.

You can outsource much of the work required by your business.

You can start today, without a website if you wish, even without your own product if you wish.

On the downside, there’s information overload. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the business solutions out there. It can be easier to lose track of what you need to do today, this moment, to be successful.

There’s no face-to-face contact with customers (if you enjoy social interaction, Internet Marketing might not be for
you).

It’s still a business … which means long hours, hard work, marketing, testing, retesting, etc. There is no secret formula that will make you an Internet millionaire tomorrow (although finding and copying a proven, successful Internet business system is the quickest, easiest way to Internet success).

As with any endeavor, starting an Internet business has its plusses and minuses.

If you’re thinking about going into business, whether or not it’s on the Internet, you need to take the time to seriously look at your skills and personality traits.

So here are some questions to ask yourself …

Are you a self-starter?

Are you self-disciplined?

Are you willing to put in longer hours than you ever put in while working for someone else?

Do you know how to find your niche in the marketplace and how to identify your customers?

Are you psychologically equipped to take risk?

How long can you go without making a profit? Can you work your Internet business on the side while keeping the secure income from your current job?

Do you have the expertise or can you quickly learn the expertise you’ll need in your niche?

Can you organize, manage and supervise?

Do you have vision? Can you think ahead, anticipate, and plan for the future?

Don’t just brush over these questions. Give them serious consideration. Your future depends on the effort you put into laying the proper foundation, and the first step is to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Answer these questions honestly.

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If you inquired with many individuals who have a regular job working for a business, if they would like to start their own small business, many of them would tell you yes.

This could be because they have never had a small business that belonged to them to keep open. Although numerous individuals do build vast businesses from one small one, they could surely tell you a number of stories about all the difficult situations and frustration they had to put up with to get there.

Any person who would like to pursue their own enterprise should not be afraid, but many times someone will not really be prepared for the countless sacrifices and responsibility that a business requires.

Sometimes it will not take really long to get over that rosy facade of how terrific it will be after they become their own boss. They will soon find out what will make a boss to be sometimes crabby and unpredictable because you are about to turn into him.

It is often a lot less complicated to be the employee who gets to leave the job behind at the end of the day, go home to their family, and not have to think about anything job related until they come back in the next day.

This is not necessarily the case for the boss. The vast majority of business owners can still have circumstances to be fixed even after the shop is closed up for the night.

If you operate a shop where you have to hire employees, it is not just your payday you have to have concerns about, but your workers pay also. Then you must be worried about if the families of who you pay will have food on their table and before you have it on yours. You can own a small business, but that never means it is a small responsibility.

If in the past you have never liked having to file tax returns every year, well, you are in tax country up to your neck now. If you are in a sales business of any kind, state sales taxes may have to be filed and paid by the month.

There are worker issues such as social security, unemployment, and medicare that have to be reported and paid. Unless you are very tax savvy, this means you will likely have to hire an accountant constantly.

In order to make money, small businesses have to be maintained very carefully. Overhead can occasionally out rank the income. It will usually have an unsteady balance the first several years unless you were lucky and had a lot of money to start out with.

You will probably need a good source of credit to help pull you through the difficult times. A great number of people have started a small business putting in all their savings only to have to close it down because they just did not realize what what lay ahead of them them.

Rachel Yoshida is a writer in the field of finances and is currently assisting those in need of Houston Cash Advance and can help anyone get a Chicago Cash Advance in as little as 1 hour.

Since I really love to travel, I look for the best possible deals I can. My goal is to see as many things as I can on the money I have. In order to enjoy the most attractions and events, I save money where I can which is generally on lodging and meals. However, this doesn’t mean I don’t want to stay somewhere that is comfortable and enjoyable. I also want to eat delicious foods.

I learned a long time ago that the look of a place to stay only takes you so far. I have found beautiful looking hotel rooms online for a great price. The problem is once you get there no one wants to help you out. You are basically on your own. I don’t know about you but when I travel I want to be pampered a bit. I also want to feel like I am important to the business where I am spending my money.

In fact, sometimes I will decide where I am going to travel based on a particular bed & breakfast I want to visit. In most instances, there are plenty of attractions in the surrounding areas so I can always find a great way to spend my time. I enjoy the atmosphere at these bed & breakfast locations as they really make you feel welcome.

The food I have tasted at most bed & breakfast locations is better than many restaurants. You can’t beat the quality of it or the fact that the cost of the food is included in your stay. I don’t like to eat alone and I almost always find some cheerful people to share my meals with at a bed & breakfast. Some of them I still stay in contact with.

I have come across some bed & breakfasts that don’t have a good vibe to them though. You really get the impression that the staff doesn’t want anything to do with taking care of your needs. Communication and hospitality are vital to the success of any bed & breakfast. It doesn’t matter how lovely the place is or how delicious the food is if these elements aren’t offered.

How do I decide which bed & breakfast locations to stay at? I generally come up with my travel destination first. This could be a place I really want to go or somewhere I have already been but they have good sales on airfare so I return for more adventures. I get most of my information from the internet.

For me, the best way to find out about the bed & breakfasts I want to stay at is to go online. I bypass the prices and the advertisements initially as I want all the juicy details. People write about everything online, including the bed & breakfast locations they have visited. Make yourself a list of the ones you definitely want to experience some day and those you really want to avoid.

I steer clear of those that have a constant report of not living up to expectations. After all, why waste my money on an unpleasant experience? Those that get rave reviews go onto my list so that when I travel that way I can stay there. Of course the price is a factor for me as well but I find if I travel during the week I get better rates than on the weekends. You can be sure I return home to post my own reviews of the various bed & breakfasts that I stay in as well.

Patti Rob – Bed & Breakfast writer, entrepreneur and enthusiast. Visit Bed and Breakfast Profits to read more before you make an offer on a Bed and Breakfast for sale.