Should I Be An Infopreneur Today?

Whenever I talk to people about becoming an Internet infopreneur, I hear two objections - from different sections of the audience.

One group says, "Oh, the time's not yet ripe for this sort of thing"

And the other says, "But, isn't it already too late?"

The fact is, there is no 'perfect' time to start being an infopreneur.

Let's face it. There's nothing new about compiling data into information. And there's nothing new about selling the processed product. Why, even the Internet is no longer 'new' - though it is constantly evolving.

What is, however, relatively new and unexplored, is the concept of selling information products over the Internet to various niche audiences.

Is the time right to start doing this?

Just look at these numbers.

E-commerce over the Internet in the U.S. for the third quarter of 2006 amounted to $27.5 BILLION, a 4.5% increase over the 2nd quarter and a 20% growth over last year (Source: U.S. Census Bureau News, Nov.2006). For this study, ecommerce was defined as the value of goods and services sold online.

Annual spending per buyer increased from $457 in 2001 to $784 in 2006.

The trend is reflected around the world. Below are the total worldwide eCommerce Revenues for 2004

North America $3.5 trillion

Asia Pacific $1.6 trillion

Western Europe $1.5 trillion

Latin America $81.8 billion


Rest of World $68.6 billion



Source: Forrester Research

So what are they buying? And more specificaly, for you as an infopreneur, the important question is: "Are they are buying INFORMATION?"

The answer is a resounding "Yes".

In 2004, more than 14 million Americans made digital content purchases - each for less than $2. TowerGroup forecast that by 2009, the market for micropayments would grow to $11.5 billion in revenue.

One area in which micropayments are growing in the U.S. is for online paid content. Despite double-digit increase for micropayments, at $12.8 million in revenue, the share is only a 1 percent of total online paid content revenues. Do the math - you'll see just how vast the potential is for selling content online.

43.6% of all purchases over $50 were made on Business Content - and that's good news if you are targeting that market. More and more consumers will buy low-priced content online, with music continuing to lead the way.

In 2005, data from Nielsen NetRatings's Holiday eShopping Index showed a 33 percent increase in online purchases over the previous year. Books, music, and video combined were the fastest growing category, with a 238% increase.

Are you convinced yet? Or maybe a smaller, more personal sampling will prove the point more forcefuly.

In my own infopreneuring business, the revenues and profits from the first half of 2006 were higher than entire 2005.

A few marketing changes may have impacted these figures, but my instinctive analysis is that more people are buying specialized information online, are willing to pay more for useful information, and when satisfied they are getting good quality stuff, are buying more of it to meet their growing and changing needs.

And that change has doubled my sales in a year! So, you tell me. Is the time right for you to start doing this?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Internet infopreneur Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has helped hundreds of business owners build online information empires. He shares powerful tips, ideas and secrets about achieving success and building massive wealth from information products in his "Internet Infopreneur Tips" ezine.

Is it possible for anyone to be an Infopreneur ?

Far too many people hold off on trying out something new because they are afraid it will too difficult. Or too time consuming. Or too expensive.

Infopreneuring is not any of them. You'll be surprised to see just how simple it can all be.

To create and sell an information product, you need to know what your market wants, then find a solution to solve their biggest problem, and then package it into an easily consumed product - and finally, you have to place the offer in front of the right audience and make sales.

Done the right way, it can be VERY easy! Let me share a short story about how to do it.




1. Find out what your market wants.

Some years back, I emailed my list of subscribers a short survey. In it, I asked them what their biggest problem was. Many responded to the survey.

Their answer surprised me - as this was an area I had not much experience about. Still, the number of people who said they were willing to pay to learn more about it made me think a bit about creating a product to meet their needs. After all, that's what an infopreneur does!




2. Create the solution to their problem.

As I thought over the situation, I remembered a few friends mentioning that they were involved in the same area, addressing the same problem. A quick email confirmed they were trying out some interesting new ideas - and they worked well.

Within a few hours, and with just a few email exchanges and a phone call, we had
a plan - where they would teach my subscribers about the specific thing they said they wanted to learn about.




3. Package information into a product.

We picked a 4-part course as the ideal way to deliver this particular solution. If the circumstances were different, we might have packaged the information in the form of an ebook, an email newsletter, a membership site, a printed book, a teleseminar, an audio recording, a video and multi-media presentation or even a live seminar or personal coaching and mentoring program.

The 3-step exercise generated over $1,700 in a day for my business - selling specialized information to an audience that craved it, wanted it, demanded it. And what's more, I didn't even have to create the information myself!

As an infopreneur, you too can soon be doing deals like this one. It really can be that easy!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Internet infopreneur Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has helped hundreds of business owners build online information empires. He shares powerful tips, ideas and secrets about achieving success and building massive wealth from information products in his "Internet Infopreneur Tips" ezine.

6 MORE Reasons To Be An Infopreneur

In another article about becoming an Internet Infopreneur, I shared five reasons for why you should consider creating and selling information products online. Just in case those are not enough, here are another six juicy benefits every infopreneur enjoys - and you can too.




6. Can be set to run hands-off.

Don't you wish you could be lying on a beach, sipping pina coladas, while your business chugs along raking in millions?

Well, maybe you won't be carrying the green stuff to your bank in sacks. But fully automated income streams running completely on auto-pilot with zero effort on your part are a 'dream come true' for many infopreneurs - including me.

Don't get me wrong. I don't mean all you have to do is wish for it, and checks magically starts appearing in your mailbox.

No. You'll need to put in some effort first. Hard work, maybe. But once it's done, you'll enjoy the fruits of your labor for a long time - even many years.




7. Scalable - you can take it as high as you want.

Looking to make a few hundred dollars more every month? You can do it.

Want to replace your day job, and make a full-time income from your infopreneuring? That's possible too. A bit harder, but not very.

Do you plan on building your own information empire online, creating a huge fortune based on your infopreneuring? It is well within your reach. Just know you'll have to do things better, in a more structured, organized, systematic way to achieve this goal.

Your ambition as an infopreneur is only limited by your imagination!





8. No time limitations. Grow your business as fast or slow as you like.

Tired of punching a clock, turning up at the office 'on time', running on a treadmill that's ever moving faster - yet going nowhere!

Infopreneuring can be your salvation. You work a schedule determined by yourself, depending upon the targets and aims you define for your enterprise. Big or small, short term or long, there's a method you'll find optimal and suitable for your work as an infopreneur.




9. No geographic restrictions.

All you need is a computer with an Internet connection. It does not matter where in the world you live. Or where you travel. Or how often you do.

As long as you have access to a computer and a way to get hooked to the Internet, you can conduct your infopreneur operations unfettered. Indeed, within a short time, you'll learn to set things up so that you won't even need to check on things too often - maybe once a week, or month, or even once every year!




10. No barriers to entry.

Nothing keeps you out. Conventional barriers like language, social status, or physical handicaps do not matter when it comes to becoming an Internet infopreneur.

The World Wide Web is a great leveller. A one-man show can compete on its merits with a Fortune 500 corporation (within limits). You do NOT need expensive tools or equipment. You do NOT need a big marketing and advertising budget. You do NOT need an office, staff or employees.

You can launch your information business with a story - one based on your own experience, education or expertise.




11. Potential for long-term passive income.

To me, the biggest advantage - and one that is often overlooked - is the potential to work once and get paid over and over again. Many people who read about the potential in becoming an infopreneur give up too early, thinking it sounds like too much hard work.

You write a report or book once - and yes, it can be hard work. But guess what? You get paid for that work a year later... 4 years later... even 10 years later, or more! That's FUN.

So there you are... 11 great reasons to think about a career as an information product creator and marketer. When are you going to get started?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Internet infopreneur Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has helped hundreds of business owners build online information empires. He shares powerful tips, ideas and secrets about achieving success and building massive wealth from information products in his "Internet Infopreneur Tips" ezine.

5 Reasons You Should Become An Infopreneur

Why Should You Be An Infopreneur ?

The 'information business' is uniquely suited to harness the global reach and impact the Internet offers. It taps right into the major driving energy of the Net - an interconnected digital network over which data (and information) can flow without friction over great distances, almost instantly.

Email changed the way we communicate. Online marketplaces changed the way we buy and sell. Web-based communities are affecting the way we interact - even offline, in the real world.

And information shared, exchanged, bartered, sold - and hidden - over the Internet is impacting all these areas, deeply and irrevocably.

You, as an infopreneur, can be a part of this exciting revolution. Here are 5 good reasons you should consider becoming an information entrepreneur.




1. You need only your own experience.

That's right. No extra resources are necessary. Everything you need to be a successful infopreneur resides right between your ears, inside your brain!

You just have to learn how to extract that precious information, compile it into a product or service, and sell it to the folks who need it desperately. And these folks could live right across the street from you - or halfway across the globe!




2. Work from anywhere, only in your spare time.

Tele-commuting is all the rage for corporate employees. But you can't beat the lifestyle of an infopreneur. Who else can choose to work in a pinstripe suit in a plush office, or out of their bedroom in pyjamas - or even both?!

And as an infopreneur, you answer to no boss, meet no deadlines - except ones you impose yourself. It's a dream come true for many lazy entrepreneurs.




3. Affordable for anyone.

Have you ever looked into the start-up costs of setting up a small business in the 'real' brick-and-mortar world?

Depending upon where in the world you live, this could vary - but it's always a sizable chunk of change. There's office space to rent, equipment to buy or lease, employees to hire and pay, legal formalities to complete, licences to purchase, inventory to stock, manufacturing costs to incur and a lot more.

When you combine this with the startling statistic that over 95% of small businesses will fail within 3 years of launch, the low set up cost of becoming an Internet Infopreneur begins to appear an attractive advantage.



4. Plenty of guidance available.

There's no need to reinvent the wheel. Almost every facet of infopreneuring has been explored and experienced by others before you - and luckily, many of them are willing to share their hard earned lessons with you.

You won't have to experiment or take huge risks. Just see what worked for others before you - and follow that proven path, with your unique information and knowledge. It's a virtually foolproof way to success.




5. Powerful, intuitive, easy-to-use technology available.

Technology and tools for infopreneurs has grown by leaps and bounds. And smart entrepreneurs tweaked and adapted the tools to further their needs, in the process making them more valuable and useful to budding infopreneurs like you.

Just click a few buttons - and you have a 24/7 sales-force working for your information business. It just doesn't get much easier than that. And technology solutions exist for almost every aspect of infopreneuring.

So, are you convinced it's a good idea to think about becoming an Internet infopreneur?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Internet infopreneur Dr.Mani Sivasubramanian has helped hundreds of business owners build online information empires. He shares powerful tips, ideas and secrets about achieving success and building massive wealth from information products in his "Internet Infopreneur Tips" ezine.