“No one can take advantage of you without your permission.”–Eleanor Roosevelt

You’ve heard about people making their fortunes online. Well, the good news is that it is absolutely true! The Internet is the number one venue for wealth-building in the 21st century. The bad news (well, it is only bad for those who don’t want to hear this…) is that the ones who make it big do NOT do so with the dime-a-dozen “easy money” schemes out there. The top earners–the Internet millionaires–make their fortunes the good old fashioned way–they dig in and work at learning how to use the Internet like a PRO, and then they take massive action, every day, consistently, for as long as it takes. In other words, they commit themselves to doing whatever it takes and then they do it. They put some “skin in the game.” There is a word for people like that–entrepreneurs.

Because the Internet is the Internet, the reward for individuals that put that “skin in the game” upfront–for as long as it takes–is that the viral spread of information throughout the Internet begins to reward those who show up and prove that they offer value and attract positive attention; once the heavy lifting is done during a start-up period, the Internet itself kicks in to multiply the serious entrepreneur’s efforts. Those who stick with it typically find that business starts exploding AS IF it required more ongoing work than it does.

Make no mistake; you will need to keep working, but you will also find that once you have built a successful, income-generating online business, you may be able to put in far less time and effort to achieve far greater and more lucrative results. That is where, and how, Internet fortunes are being made.

So, here’s my RULE for not getting scammed…

Before you “Buy It Now!” or “Start Making Money Today!”, ask these questions:

A. Am I about to buy a TOOL that, if I apply myself and learn to use it like an expert, will provide me with a way to generate income and make a real living online?

OR…

B. Am I about to buy a “promise” that I can sit back, do nothing, and watch “money come rolling in”… “by the bucketful”…as if you have “your own ATM”…blah, blah, blah…??

One of these offers a legitimate path to creating an online business–the other is a cheap shot–but one that could be very costly to you. (Especially if you fall for it over and over again.)

Can you tell the difference? If you can, then you don’t need to worry about being scammed. You are smart enough to know when to keep looking and when to walk away. That is the real key to not getting scammed: trust yourself to ask the right questions and insist on answers that satisfy your head as well as your desires. You can go ahead and look at ANYTHING (from cheesy to chic) as long as you maintain control over your decisions. (Get a grip…)

Know these things about yourself:

Be clear about what are you actually looking for online. If you are armed with self-knowledge and a clear purpose, you will not likely be sidetracked by something “too good to be true.”

Are you looking for a way to do legitimate business yourself, or would you just as soon settle for preying on other vulnerable “get-rich-quick” seekers (the ones who have no money and no clue)? That is a choice you get to make online, and people choose in each direction every day. Be aware of this: If you choose the latter, you may generate some measly checks (nothing you could live on) and you may also end up with a lot of angry people on your back.

(The people who scream loudest about being scammed are those who have let themselves get bamboozled by these get-rich-quick schemes–repeatedly! No wonder they are mad. And sadly, they never go near the real opportunities, because they have become so afraid of anything that looks like there is a “catch”–that is, work, or an upfront monetary investment. Sigh.)

If you chose A–the offer of a TOOL that will require you to learn to use it well and then practice until you get the results you desire–then you may actually be on your way to building a highly lucrative income and lifestyle.

There IS a lot of money to be made online for the simple reason that the Internet is the number one place where business is being transacted in the world today with 1.5 billion users already online, and 400 million new users every day. Anyone serious about making a serious living, or becoming wealthy in today’s world, must learn how to use the Internet as a tool for doing business. Period.

The final caveat I would add is this: The TOOL offered must include fully supported education and resources to ensure that you always have a place to turn and experts to consult while you learn how to make the Internet work for you. When you find such a resource, and invest yourself in it, you may finally be looking at your own pot of Internet gold.

Hi ho, hi ho!

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Thia Hamilton owns her own successful online business, providing serious entrepreneurs with training, tools and resources to take their businesses to the next level. Learn more about the business model that won Thia over and put her on her own path to Internet wealth, and learn more about Thia too.