There is a common misconception among some online business-owners: That everything you need to grow your business can be found online and you don't need to pay for it. This is a belief that can have you running around in circles trying to figure out how to run your business online. I know because I've done it.



There are so many sites on the internet that offer you free business information, free courses, free forums and all kinds of things to help you grow your business. Now I'm not saying that these sites are not incredibly valuable (many are, many are not) but you need to know what is good information and what is not. Many times the only way to do that is to pay for it, that's right, with real money.

I stress the money part because for a very long time I myself was under the impression that I need not pay out money for information I could find for free online. You see, the problem is much of the information is scattered all over the place, in no clear order, so it makes it very difficult to determine how to apply it to your business.

When you pay for a course, book or service you are buying information that someone else (who hopefully knows what they're doing if you've chosen right) has taken the time to organize and prioritize so that you can learn from what they've already learned and save yourself tons of time in the process.

Even if you only earn a little back by using what you read it will increase your knowledge and allow you to make informed choices about what you need to know next time you invest in your business. Often the return on your invest will be huge and you will wonder why you didn't invest in your Internet Business Education sooner!

Here are some steps to take when looking to purchase business self-education materials online:

· Read the sales copy all the way through – There will often be a lot of valuable information in the sales copy of someone who knows what they are doing. You can go through their sales page and learn just from that! If you are reading a page that is full of ‘fluff' and ‘promises' but no real solid facts or information, move on because they are probably selling you something not worth your money.

· Look for testimonials and check them out - Almost all reputable sites will have testimonials of people that have used their product and were very pleased with it. Often they will include a link to the site of the person who wrote the testimonial. Check out their site, have a look at what they have done with it and you may also learn a few things.

· Contact them and ask questions – If you have any questions about the product or service being offered use the contact information available and ask them. The amount of time it takes for a response and the quality of the response should give you a very good idea of whom you are dealing with.

· Ask around – If you belong to any discussion groups or forums, etc, ask around and see if you can find someone who has purchased what you are interested in and what they thought of it. I have done this before and it is great to get feedback from someone who's already spend money on what you are looking to purchase.

The important thing to remember is that if you learn from it and grow your business it is not a waste of money. If you only break even you are still getting education that will help you in the future with your business.

I have used some online courses and services that I have found invaluable. It took me a long time to decide to invest in my business education, but once I did I was sorry I waited so long to start really learning!

Here are some courses/services I would recommend to start your internet business off right:

· http://www.marketingtips.com - Insider Secrets To Marketing Your Business On The Internet

· http://www.sitesell.com - Make Your Site Sell

· http://www.mommasterminds.com - Mom Masterminds

· http://www.perrymarshall.com - Perry Marshall's ‘Definitive Guide To Google Adwords'

I would love to hear of any you have found to be worth your money, please let me know.

Good luck and Best Wishes In Your Business!