You want to start an online business. You've seen the hype, make six figures by purchasing "my product" and I'll show you how to do it step-by-step.

Of course it sounds fantastic. How many people do you know that have succeeded at any get-rich-quick scheme? Ever purchased one? How did that work for you?

Can you get rich with an online business? You bet. The operative work is "quick" and the implication is "minimal effort or work". Ask any successful online business owner (with multiple years of experience) and I'm sure "quick" is not necessarily a response you'll hear.

An online business is just that, a business. That "internet work week" of 15-20 hours per week is real, once you have your business up and running. But getting there is a different story. It's a great goal and many people aspire to achieve it, I know I do.

The top selling products on the Internet didn't happen overnight, but some products do take off quickly. The owner has probably spent many months building a customer base, increasing the subscriber opt-in list, finely tuning the sales copy, market testing the sales approach, and working to have a visible website.

It doesn't happen overnight.

Physically and emotionally, are you prepared for the demands?

A business owner will wear multiple several hats. This can be stressful to your overall emotional and physical health. Do you have the stamina? Are you prepared to put in long hours to succeed?

Do you have the support of your family? Otherwise it will be more difficult to succeed. Your family will take on more responsibility as you expend effort towards the business.

Do you have a passion for your new business venture? This will help overcome the emotional roller coaster that comes with building your own business.

How are your customer service skills? How much time and effort are you planning to spend cultivating customer relationships, answering questions, and addressing issues?

Think of the merchants you frequent. Why do you keep coming back? Is it the products, the customer service, the price, responsiveness, or the accessibility? It's probably all of the above. The merchant didn't have your respect or trust initially, it was earned, over time.

So you have a product and you start to promote it. You get some initial sales, but then what? The key to real success is sustaining the business month after month. Keeping your product fresh and up-to-date. It's no different for any business.

The leaders in any field constantly promote their products. Soft drink companies, car manufacturers, and fast food restaurant chains spend millions of dollars each year on advertising.

They already have name brand products, so why advertise more? To keep their products front and center, to cope with the competition, and to sustain their business, that's why.

Are you prepared to spend many months, maybe into a year or more promoting your product or newsletter?

Change is constant, especially on the Internet. Products have to change to keep up with market demands. Keeping pace requires;

- research - analysis - retooling - re marketing - looking for new markets - staying abreast of what your competitors are doing

So the underlying theme here is not "quick". For a select few maybe, but for the rest of us, we have to work hard.

I'm not suggesting you spend every waking minute working on your business. Everyone has lives, families, hobbies or main jobs. You have to decide what's best for you and how best to spend your time between your responsibilities. No problem there.

If you want to succeed with an online business, you have to work at it, be dedicated, commit yourself, and persist. Here is a quote that I think applies to my point.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

- Calvin Coolidge(1872-1933) 30th President of the U.S.A.

Do you have the tools to help you? Do you have the knowledge to help you or a mentor to lean on? Do you have the persistence or as Mr. Coolidge says the ability to "press on"?

So ask yourself, how serious are you about your online business?

There are many very successful online businesses. There are also many more that fail every day. Which group do you want to be in?

So the point is to set realistic goals for yourself and your business. Acknowledge your own limitations due to your other responsibilities and understand that you will have to spend time working on the various aspects of the business.

Get rich quick is probably not realistic for 99% of us. But generating a steady monthly income is very doable, with the aspiration to increase that income over time.

I'm not sure who said this originally, but Kasey Kasem of radio fame uses this phrase constantly. "keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars".

You absolutely can achieve your personal goals with an online business, but you have to treat it like a business. Develop your plan, set priorities, focus on your goals, work towards them, and get help when necessary.