Is there any money left on the internet?

Most people with limited knowledge about the internet seem to always have a few pre-conceived ideas about people making a living online. Some classics are:

• People who make money online are either promoting porn, playing poker, or ripping off people with pirated movies and games.
• People who make money online are hackers who live in their parent’s basement and never come out to see the light of day.
• It’s too late for individuals to make money on the internet. All the smart and lucky ones cashed in before the dotcom collapse. No point even trying now.

All of these arguments have one thing in common: ignorance! Sure, there are nerds who make money flipping porn and warez sitting in their skidmarked boxers, but this general assumption is nothing but laughable. People love stereotypes.

But – what’s more interesting to me is that the majority of people I have talked to in the “real” world seem to think that the internet is dead as far as making money goes. Either they still have the dotcom bubble from 1999 still stuck in their minds from when it was all over the news back then. Or - they have heard the occasional success story where some “guru” made it big because he snapped up some amazing domains way back when and sold them for a fortune. Wow…because it’s all about luck in this business. Not.

You know what though? I love an ignorant majority!

While the rest of the world believes that all the good ideas are “taken” on the internet, and that only big corporations and online shops can make profit – the individual internet marketer is laughing all the way to the bank.

Especially those who are willing to play in the so-called “saturated” niches. Because even among internet marketers, there is some degree of ignorance. Admit it now – at least once you have thought to yourself “that niche is hopeless, it’s way too saturated”. Or people will tell newbies that when they ask for advice in a popular niche. There is usually a reason why they want you to stay away from that niche: because it’s insanely profitable! Why do you think so many promote it and “saturate” it?

Granted, there is saturation – and then there is saturation. But the difference isn’t whether or not they are hopeless and not worth trying. The difference comes only in level of risk and difficulty. That’s it. Anyone can try even the toughest of competition and succeed. Nothing is impossible, just easy, hard or harder. It’s just one of many things I love about this industry.

But what REALLY motivates me is knowing how this industry is just growing and growing with no end in sight. The US Census Bureau just released the annual report for the past year of 2007. Just like every year now, it shows some really great numbers for the online market.

At the end of 2004, 2.1% of all retail sale in the US was done online. That number has now jumped to 3.4%! Not much you think?

Seriously – that IS much. In 2006 that number was 2.9%. To call it growth is an understatement! Show me one other area of commerce that continues to increase with such unstoppable force year after year.

How much money is being spent online? Last year, Americans spent $136 billion dollars. That’s $372 million being spent every day. Every day. That’s $15 million being spent every hour. Every hour. That is more than double of what was being spent only 4 years ago. And internet marketers were making a killer living already then!

Still think all the popular niches are saturated?

These numbers are ONLY statistics from the United States… Although I don’t have any accurate numbers to show for Europe and other parts of the world, I do know that the overall trend is the same.

In an upcoming blogpost I will talk about how to take advantage of foreign markets. These countries won’t know what hit them!

People LOVE to shop online. They love to order things from their PC and have it delivered. They love saving money. They love trying new services they couldn’t find elsewhere. They love access to all the information. Every day, new people start using the internet for the first time.

Anyway – I’m not trying to bore you with numbers and statistics here. I am trying to make a point across. That is, when your friends, co-workers and family are rolling their eyes when you tell them you can make tons of money online – let them! You’ll be the one cashing the commissions from the money they spent.

And next time you’re told by someone on a forum to forget about “that impossible niche” because “it’s been done” and is “saturated” just giggle like a schoolgirl and try the damn thing yourself. Maybe you will faily. Or – maybe you will be surprisingly delighted!