Never make the mistake I did and let others sway your decision when it comes to money making ideas. We all have them to a greater or lesser degree, but not many of us turn our dreams into reality. Even those that do, many run out of power or have cash flow issues and give up before they really give up.

I had a lot of money making ideas when I was young, but when I passed them on to friends and family, they used to say things like; “You’re talking through a hole in your head, boy” or “You’d be a fool to quit such a great job,” and more hurtfully, my parents used to tell me that I was living in a dream world. Despite all these negative comments, it wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would always be working for ‘the man’. However, something happened that triggered a new life leash in my thinking.

In the mid-eighties, I got really excited about the Internet. It opened up a plethora of ideas and inspiration for the solopreneur regardless of age, gender, creed, or color. There were inspiring articles not only from the captains of industry, but also plenty of rich duds and stories. I joined an interactive forum that was created for other like-minded people to exchange ideas and information on running businesses online and offline. Many of the best achievements came from uneducated people from disadvantaged backgrounds. In fact, many of these guys had been the most successful with their money-making ideas.

I learned that most things are possible if you want them enough. Once an idea was implemented, patience and persistence seemed to be the key ingredient and a determination to succeed no matter what. It was negative thinking that held me back in my younger days, but it was a positive change in my overall attitude and outlook on life that would be my path to success. I would never have found my forte if it wasn’t for the World Wide Web. However, and this is important, you have to believe in yourself, otherwise you’ll be in a basket case before you’ve even started. Many of us have untapped potential that is often latent or rejected by those in our lives who have influence over us.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably curious about what money-making ideas I’ve managed to put to good use. Well, since it all started with the internet, this was where I felt most comfortable, so I decided to pursue a career online. No brick and mortar business for me, although I have a couple of staff now due to the success of what I do. Then what do I do? Simply put, I sell products and services online. I learned the tricks of reaching customers and finding niches on eBay, but then went on to launch my own successful websites from where I mainly sell affiliate products. This is a perfect setup because you don’t need to invest in your own stock, nor do you have the hassles of post and package, not to mention after-sales service.

The best thing about this type of online business is that there are no huge setup fees to become an affiliate. It’s easy to get started once you have a website (or even a single web page in some cases). Simply enter your details, sign up for programs offered by merchants, add them to your site, and start earning commissions. Your site directs traffic to the merchant’s site and your job is basically done. Granted, there are some essential parts to learn in between, but the basics are to launch a website and get it found by search engines through promotional methods. Once web surfers find your site, it’s your job to get them to follow the links to the merchant, and that’s done through the successful design of your web pages.

But that’s not all I do. I also write webmaster articles on various topics that interest me. Webmasters are always hungry for new and unique content, so when I have time, I offer my services as a freelance writer and charge per article, which is done by negotiation.

But what I do is only a very small slice of the Internet pie. Maybe your forte is design, sports, real estate, restaurants or whatever. It doesn’t really matter what you do, everything can be achieved through the internet in this technological world. If you need inspiration with ideas to make money, jump into cyberspace and see how others are doing. It all starts with you!