subject: Why Start An Online Business? [print this page] There are many reasons to start an online business, many are money related, but not all of them are greed. Everyone wants an independent income, money which comes in day after day without requiring us to go out to work.
Not surprisingly the idea gains popularity as we get older and look at the possibility of retirement; but if you have a good business idea why not put it into practice by buying or starting a business in the high street?
What's so different about working online? The real reason to build a business online, as opposed to a brick and mortar store is all to do with control.
If you plan carefully your business can be completely portable. Even a web store selling physical products can be location independent if your business model includes drop shipping. Your web shop is with you and you don't have to trust anyone to open it in the morning or be sure they're not helping themselves from the till. E-commerce stores sell 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and all that time you can be relaxing on the beach, but at the same time you can still be in control.
You can move to the South Pacific, build your HQ in a hollowed out volcano, or take off on a round the world cruise, and still run your business as before.
Artists and writers have always had the ability to live anywhere they choose, with no ties to a particular area they could instead have ties to a lifestyle.
While this means you can seek out the sun, (if that's your choice) what may be more important is that, within limits, you can choose a cost of living to suit your own aspirations.
With no more going to work each day you can spend time with your family and by choosing where you live you can decide how much income you need to support a relatively carefree lifestyle.
For example - the cost of a four bedroom detached, single family home in California is between $350,000 and $430,000. Not the ideal location for a person on a low income. In contrast, the average house price in Mississippi is between $153,000 and $187,000.
The same differences exist in other countries. In the UK housing in the South of England is far more expensive than in the West of Scotland, yet the South of England is flat, grey and crowded while the West of Scotland has some of the most beautiful mountain and seascapes in the world. What it doesn't have, is jobs, but if you have your own online business, a job is something you don't need.
If a millionaire lifestyle is more your thing, how about your own private island? It's not so far fetched as it sounds. If your business is online, you can go anywhere you can get an internet connection, and with satellite technology that means anywhere. How about a 5 acre island in Florida for $75,000 or the Greek island of Ligia - 32 acres of glorious pine clad scenery which could be exclusively yours for $800,000.
Although the details differ, we all dream that someday we won't have to worry about money, that someday we'll have that home in the mountains, the castle by the sea, or the palm covered private island. While we might well be able to sell our current homes and buy the dream, the problem remains - how to make an income.
A successful online business is the answer; it can be managed from anywhere.
