Your Own Gold Mine by NIGEL HINDS

Internet marketing is a veritable gold mine. Those who have struck it rich in this field would even say it is the gold mine of gold mines. With very little capital and with little to no recurring expenses, the avid marketer can establish his business or campaign on all corners of the globe and start reaping profits almost immediately. In many cases, the profits come in on autopilot 24/7, running as a flawless money-generating machine.

There is, however, an important caveat: Easy money does not mean reckless money. It is vital that you possess a certain degree of knowledge and smarts. This is often hard-earned knowledge for the most successful Internet marketers, but they have left priceless clues for the budding marketers among us.

The pages of history are replete with easy money approached recklessly. One of the best examples is the California Gold Rush, which kicked off in 1848 when

James W. Marshall discovered gold in a river in Coloma, California. Easy money, right? Yes. It was indeed a gold free-for-all, and hopeful gold miners got in on the action en masse.

But it was not money you could acquire recklessly. For one thing, arriving at the site was an accomplishment in itself for many miners, who had to endure months-long boat rides at great risk of contracting infectious diseases, the alternative being an arduous trek across unforgiving land. Those who made it to the site then had to deal with agonizing work and price gouging on basic necessities. Many starved and perished.

The moral of the story is that knowledge and preparation are vital for most money-making endeavors, and Internet marketing is no exception. Had the unfortunate gold miners focused more on the means rather than being entranced by the end, they surely would have had a much better chance of reaching that end.

Similarly, Internet marketing is not a game for fools. Many are the tales of starry-eyed newbie marketers burning through wads of cash. They have their eyes on the prize but have not taken the time to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to reach it. This is folly.

The good news is that it does not take a great investment of time and effort to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. Once you have those, easy money is easy money, and you have a gold mine in your living room.