First order of business - Money or product.

It should be a complete combination of all three that you mentioned - any business which focuses purely on profits does not have longevity - consumers are very canny and with so much competition in almost every sector space, the product or services that you offer must 'stand out' in some way either for their quality, unique selling point (USP) or value for money otherwise consumers will soon turn elsewhere!

This is something I have noticed. its really easy for some to just start over, using the same techniques on a different site. I mean, they would flog one created site for all its worth, sell it and move onto the next one. I was reading a forum post about someone looking for ad pop ups for their site and all they really cared about was which ad type made the most money.

Its beginning to make me think that the internet is becoming more an area of disposable business practices. You can be one person for one week, make money, and then when that area taps out, you become a different person working the same techniques, from a different perspective. (If that makes sense)

I think a lot of the problem is the ease with which you can get a website set up and running, and then call yourself a "business".

A blog with 5 visitors a week and covered in adsense isn't a business. Neither is that clickbank sideline that hasn't been declared to the tax man.

A genuine business originates from an idea, with a plan and a strategy and normally accompanies risk, normally financial, either from giving up fulltime work, investing your own cash or both! But the online world has opened up endless opportunities to conduct business, even if they may be frowned on by more conventional or traditional bricks and mortar businesses.

Monetizing web traffic is a means of generating revenue, and now a standard online business model, even if some of the sites doing it appear shady. Reality is, unless they are getting a decent amount of traffic, all the pop ups and advert saturated pages in the world will amount to nothing.

I know what you mean by disposable business practices, but you've had the same in the offline world for a long time (or at least in the UK). Shady Ltd companies folding owing a fortune, only to arise from the ashes under a new name, and then out conning people again

But regarding to wanting to make money, I've got to be honest, isn't that the main reason we are all in business? Or is it just me

I think it is, but somehow I also think its more than that. To me, its more along the lines of knowing you have a good idea, knowing it could help, or really make a difference in someone's life (product/service depending), and I guess, knowing in the end that you can make a decent profit out of it. The need is there to make money, But before you do that, you need a product or a service. I know its a kind of "what came first, the chicken or the egg", and yes, business is there to make money. I just don't think it should be the only reason to be in business.

Look at some of the "shadier" businesses online. You have people selling ebooks of rehashed techniques that really don't do well anymore (In IM, its like a plague), people selling software/ebooks (again) with master resale rights, so that anyone can sell it and make money. The drawback to that is that this person is seen as some sort of "guru", when back at the ranch they haven't even read the book, or used the product they're selling. Some sell micro sites with everything you need all rolled into one (products/software included), and all a person really needs is a domain. I just feel its wrong. Just like any offline business that takes advantage of its customers, these guys take advantage of people that are new to the net and they make money out of it. No work, no actual hard/cold sell, just a "fake" promise, a few clicks of software here and there, and off they go. I just think it takes all the reward out of success when you have someone else do everything for you, and all you do is sit back and watch.

Product or service must come first, in my mind at least. Without the passion for what you're providing, you'll lack the drive to really make a success of the business. Money is great of course(!) but it's secondary to the product or service itself.

I think this is true, but there's also people out there building products they love or just want to see exist. Business is good in that way; people are involved for different reasons.

Like Gordon Gekko said in Wall Street - "What's worth doing is worth doing for money." With that said, as long as your customer service is adequate and professional, you should have no problem in any business venture.

I agree. Without that, you have basically nothing to stand on.


Precisely, and these people have to compete with the shady types just to see their dreams/plans come to some sort of fruition. It seems unfair.


I have always harped on and on about customer service, so no argument there.