What are you waiting for?

The Internet, especially today's interactive Web 2.o, has paved the way for ordinary folks to make millions. Thousands of netpreneurs are springing up everyday and there are gazillions of success stories.

I am not talking about big boys like Google or Facebook. But solopreneurs, which represent a big majority of people in the online world who work from home (I am a solopreneur who works out of my sofa). One great example is blogger, John Chow (http://www.johnchow.com/) , a Canadian, "dot com mogul" who makes money from telling people how much money he makes, literally (if you really want to know, he makes $30,000 per month!).

Blogging is big business these days and you can make serious money from it, and John shares his wisdom and tips generously on his blog. Best part? You don't even have to a techie to be a success. According to John, you need to blog about unique content, cultivate good relations with similar websites so that they will link to your site (remember, the Google spider loves links, so more links = higher rankings on the search engine) and tweak, tweak tweak constantly.

Bloggers like him make money from a wide variety of ways, from Google Adsense ads to paid reviews. As long as you command high traffic, money will find you.

I find it truly inspiring and the next time you are feeling the Monday blues or having a bad day at work, I suggest you go to http://www.johnchow.com/ to find out how you can escape the rat race...

Today, we're going to discuss sex and dog poop...

Mark Joyner uses two options - sex or picking up dog poop - when he talks about what you really want to be doing.

The hard cold fact is that owning your own business may be "picking up dog poop" for you. If you don't feel as thrilled by having a business as you do having sex, this may be a sign that you don't want to have your own business.

Having your own business is an addiction and if you aren't getting a high running one, it's going to destroy you. Like most addictions, it may destroy you even if you do love it. The only difference is that if you love what you are doing, you will have a great time on your way to destruction.

So, what are some signs you shouldn't have a business? Try some of these on for size and see if they fit you:

- I can't stand change
- I need a steady paycheck
- I don't really like people
- I can't seem to take action
- I hate to learn new things
- I hate doing sales
- I hate keeping records
- I can't pay the grocery bill next week
- The landlord just kicked me out
- Nobody likes me
- Etc., etc.

Don't worry too much if you find a few things in the list that fit you. A couple of them fit me.

I'm not that crazy about change and I don't like accounting much. I'd be a lot better at business if I loved keeping records and doing sales, but no one is perfect and you don't have to be perfect to be successful.

What you do have to realize is that you have to deal with a lot of the things that are on that list if you want to own your own business, so decide now whether this is how you want to spend a ton of time and money.

Do you want to be doing this even when you would rather be doing something else?

Excerpt taken from Kenneth A MacArthur of jvAlert.com

Do you have what it takes?

Here's a look at the 11 Killer Instincts of Entrepreneurship:

1. The Solution Instinct: This is about ideas and always seeing them. It's about seeing new opportunities while traveling, shopping, or working. Seeing problems and potential solutions to those problems is at the heart of valuable ideas and business models.

2. The Detective Instinct: This is about fact-finding and due-diligence. It's about letting go of the emotion and excitement of a good idea and taking a venture-capitalist approach. This instinct is something that keeps one constantly assessing how a business model will work, scale, and succeed... without personal bias.

3. The Great Communicator Instinct: This is about connecting and constantly selling. It's a constant awareness that every point of communication matters. Whether communicating with partners, investors, vendors, employees, or competitors; every communication is an opportunity to strengthen your company.

4. The Youthful Genius Instinct: This is about doing what you love. When we were young, we dreamed big dreams and showed glimmers of what we might become. Tapping into the expectation of our youth is central to successful entrepreneurship.

5. The Entrepreneurial Heritage Instinct: This is about how our heritage can reveal some or our natural gifts. What has your family and ancestors been successful at already? Exploring your roots can help one tap into opportunity. There is a reason why many families pass along entrepreneurial success and create "dynasties" of their own.

6. The Risk-Taker Instinct: This is about going out on a ledge. No risk, no reward. It's a fundamental factor of business building or almost any major endeavor. Finding the calculated balance of risk and opportunity is key.

7. The Work-Horse Instinct: This is about paying the price. Doing whatever it takes. Those "overnight successes" usually require at least 5 years of hard work and incredible sacrifice to get there.

8. The Thick-Skinned Instinct: This is about being tough. Resilience, optimism and a positive mindset reside in every great entrepreneur. The fundamental key to success in attaining goals? Never give up.

9. The Flexibility Instinct: This is about being willing to change. Emotion and pride must be removed from the process while building a business and paying attention to the best route to take. The right path naturally eventuates; if you're willing to recognize it and take it.

10. The Human Instinct: This is about people. Attracting the best people is more important than the business model itself. Treating people well, leading well, and serving with care is a fundamental reason why anything worthwhile should be built in the first place.

11. The Knowledge-Quest Instinct: This is about constantly learning. Reading, thinking, listening, observing, absorbing, and applying is a hallmark trait of a great entrepreneur.

Taken from Northstar Thinktank (http://www.northstarthinktank.com/), one of my favourite business blogs.

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How to be a Boss of Me

There are certain traits and characteristics that stand out for Boss of Me individuals:

1. Restlessness - Job hopping and a general discontentment about making money for someone else.

2. Business-minded - You like to read about entrepreneurs and how much money they are making; you automatically calculate how much business companies are doing.

3. Risk-taker - You dabble in the stock market and are open to taking calculated risks. You are always looking for ways to leverage your capital.

4. Self- help - When you read, you are drawn to biographies about successful entrepreneurs, motivational business books and finance. You think that reading fiction is waste of brain cells.

5. Rally - If possible, you like to surround yourself with rich and successful people. Talking about business all day with them is a pleasure.

6. Thinking big - You are known for your lofty ideas and day dreams. You regale your friends and partners with your exciting business strategies.

7. Planner - On your desk are your goals for the week, month, year and the next five years. You have your life planned to the minute.

8. Walk the talk - You get things done. Sometimes, you are known to be impatient.

9. Fired up - Optimism and enthusiasm define you. The word "no" does not exist in your vocabulary.

10. Confident - You are brimming with self-belief and have complete and utter faith in your own capabilities. Naysayers be damned!