Unfortunately, merely wanting to make money on the Internet is not enough to make it happen. You have to dig a bit deeper until you can come up with a clear idea about what it is you really want to achieve with an Internet business. Here are some questions that you will want to ask yourself:

1. How much money do I want to make on the Internet each month or year?

It is no good simply telling yourself you want to “make some money”. You need to set a clear target figure, a quantity of money that will enable you to live the kind of life that you aspire to, whether it is $3000 a month, or $200,000 a year. Write it down.

2. How long should I realistically give myself to achieve this goal?

Aiming to make a certain sum of money without specifying a time limit in which to reach that target is almost as bad as not giving yourself any specific target at all. You need to set a time frame in which to achieve your Internet profit target.

3. Am I willing to invest the time, energy, and money that it will take to acquire the necessary skills? Am I willing to pay others to do any of these things for me?

Before you get into Internet marketing, you should do some research about the kind of skills that you will need to develop in order to succeed. Think about how much of your time, energy and money it will cost to develop those skills.

For example, are you willing to learn how to design and build websites? Or would that task be better outsourced to an established web designer?

What are your writing skills like? Are you happy with the idea of creating fresh content for your website? If not, are you willing to pay somebody to do it for you?

4. Why do I want to make money on the Internet and not through some other method?

If you find that your answers to the previous questions are negative, it is doubtful that you are really serious about running your own Internet business. But whatever your answer was, stop for a moment and ask yourself why you want to use the Internet as your business medium. What is the special benefit that the Internet brings to your idea of doing business?

5. What is your chief motivation for wanting to make money on the Internet? What is the real dream that you are pursuing behind your desire to make money on the Internet?

The desire to make money on the Internet or anywhere else is usually a secondary desire. Rather it is a means to a greater end. If you made a lot of money on the Internet you would be able to do X, Y, and Z. So actually, X, Y and Z are your real motivators. These are your big life goals, or dreams. You need to get these out into the open and clear in your own mind. Write them down and refer to them regularly. These are the dreams that will keep you motivated when the going gets tough.

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a clearer idea of what you are trying to achieve and whether or not the Internet is the place where you want to achieve it.