An Odyssey We Never Expected

The late, great Stanley Kubrick envisioned a futuristic 2001
with orbiting Hilton hotels, lunar colonies, and manned trips
to Jupiter. But not even he could have imagined what the
first year of the new millennium would actually bring.

2001 was a year no one will ever forget. It started with a
country divided by the most controversial presidential election
in history, and ended with a country united like never before.
It was a year of outrage and sorrow, a year of terror and war.
But it was also a year of hope and reaching out.

It was the year we fell into recession, after an unprecedented
ten years of growth. Even after almost desperately slashing
the federal interest rate eleven times, nothing could stop the
economic plunge after September 11. Yet this past year also
marked the first time internet sales out-grossed retail sales,
a trend that had been steadily rising for the last decade.

People everywhere are discovering the power of the internet.
Thousands of people have started online businesses right from
their homes, with steady growth expected in the years ahead.
These people are the New Entrepreneurs.

As we look ahead to the new year, opportunities for success
seem to be all around us. Even as we struggle through the
recession, much milder than the experts feared, it turns out,
Americans are still spending. That's not just good for the
economy, it's good for you too. If you don't already own your
own internet business, now is the perfect time to start one.

It used to take tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars
to open a small business. That usually meant a lot of time
trying to find investors or bank loans or both. Today anyone,
anywhere, can get up and running, with a product to sell and a
website that accepts credit cards to sell it on, for under a
hundred dollars. If that sounds remarkable to you, it's
because it is.

The Internet is fast becoming the world's number one marketing
outlet. Millions of people every day are opening their wallets
and making purchases online. Downloadable information and
books are the top sellers with retail merchandise a close
second. If you have something to sell, there's no better place
than the Internet.

A new career as an Internet Entrepreneur can be a mouse click
away. All the information and tools you need to start, run,
and market your new enterprise is available online. You've
always dreamed of being your own boss. Now you can!

Kubrick's idea of the future never came close to the tragic
reality that was 2001. And 2002 is already showing signs that
it might be taking us on a bumpy ride. The one thing that
seems to remain constant is the American people's tenacity.
It's that constant that makes us strong... and makes us spend.