The Deceptive Lure of an Internet Business
July 7th, 2008 | Categories: design, launch, marketing, markets, off topic, strategy, trends, web issuesEveryone seems to want a piece of the Internet. Everyone has a friend’s cousin’s neighbour who started an Internet company in their basement and now flies around the world in a private jet. The appeal is obvious. However, making it to that point is another story altogether.
Some people even think it’s easy to get rich on the Internet. After all, the advantages of an online business versus an offline business are quite remarkable:
- Global storefront/ global audience
- 24-7 accessibility
- Scalable due to automated processes
- Inexpensive (web hosting and domain fees are minimal)
- No barriers to entry
With such attractive benefits, why doesn’t every Internet business succeed? The reason is simple: everyone else has the exact same benefits. In other words, the playing field is level.
The key is to be able to differentiate and provide a superior offering than the competition. This isn’t as easy as it sounds and demands a strategic combination of resources. Most aren’t able to accomplish this and eventually fail. The success stories spawn from viability, quality, execution, and persistence.
Tags: business, competition, differentiation, Internet, launch, marketplace, scalability, strategy, success, wealth
July 8th, 2008 at 9:54 am
Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything.
Or so I’m told.
July 8th, 2008 at 10:02 am
HA!
-Aidan
July 8th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Nicely put Aidan.
This is part of the reason everyone is happy to give advice on starting an internet company but does not start one. And more to your article, stuff like ‘global store front’ are often not so simple, involving complex tax rules and hidden costs, etc..
Ultimately focused, consistent, and well thought out strategy is where it is at (and the whole execution thing too).