Many Internet business startups fail because inexperienced entrepreneurs spend too much time fussing over small details, and too much money trying to buy success, instead of focusing on what really matters, namely, taking effective steps to master the net and focusing on selling products or services online.

Thinking things through in detail is a great idea at the outset to make sure nothing is left to chance in getting the business off the ground. However, at some stage action must be taken, otherwise the detailed plan could easily expand in size until you have enough material for a 300 page book that covers every minute detail of your business; yet the business still won't have sold anything!

Another problem can be the amount of time Internet marketers spend on distractions such as website design, hanging out on forums, clicking on traffic exchanges, trawling the net for free classifieds that no-one reads, and so on. Also, too many "newbies" are easily persuaded to part with their cash on doubtful promises and tempting advertisements for schemes which, far from "explode" their downlines, simply empty their wallets and cause them to give up in disgust. "Are you losing money? Here's a great way to lose some more! Just spend $65, $85, $165 on this powerful software or that awesome downline builder..."

Of course, a well designed (i.e. simple, neat and easy to navigate) website is an asset to a business, forums can be great sources of information and publicity, traffic exchanges and free classifieds can build traffic to your site, and some tempting offers are indeed genuine.

However, "to think is to choose" as the old proverb goes, thoughtful or discriminating choice is often the first casualty of many an Internet marketing startup!

The first thing to do is to set a budget and stick to it.

Do not under any circumstances allow yourself to be distracted by tempting offers that cost money! Impulse purchases should be anathema to Internet marketers! By all means keep a notebook handy and jot down the website and brief details of those offers that tempt you, but don't immediately purchase! Sleep on it! If you feel the same enthusiasm for the product or service the next day, you might want to research it on Google or on a trusted forum. Even then, only make the purchase if and when it is within your budget. Discipline is essential if you are to succeed.

The second thing you need to do is to focus on selling and then spend 80% of your productive time on effectively generating sales. Ask yourself whether clicking on traffic exchanges is the most effective way of doing that! Ask yourself whether building the perfect website before you have a customer to sell to is the best way to spend your precious time!

Instead, you need to find ways to give more time of your day (or night) over to productive sales-generating activities even before everything else has been perfected. If this suggestion sounds wierd, I recommend Michael Masterson's book, "Ready, Aim, Fire" for a detailed account of this approach.

Here's a tip from Gary Bencivenga that may help you to focus. You are probably aware that you need to write lists of your goals and To-Do lists for your monthly, weekly and daily tasks. That is good advice, but the problem with To-Do lists is that they can grow and grow until you end up like the old woman in the nursery rhyme who lived in a shoe - "she had so many children she didn't know what to do."

TIP: Keep your To-Do list short by writing a NOT TO-DO list and make that one as long as possible. It should help you to discriminate between productive activities and time-wasting activities and help you to eliminate the time you spend on the latter in favour of spending more time on the former.

Compared to the time you spend on actively generating sales - writing persuasive copy, getting it in front of your target market and so forth, all the rest is fluff, and fluff will clog up your Internet cash machine quicker than anything!