The title of this article is nothing more than a not so coy shot at getting some ranking for one of the hottest keywords in the online world. When the idea came to me about writing an article for making money online, I was prepared to explore and explain why an online business is probably the easiest way for regular folks to make significant income in the 21st century. Then it occurred to me how many people really want to succeed, but; so few actually do.

As I thought, I actually had more questions than I did answers. Is it the people themselves that create the failure or is it the industry we are in? I don't know that I am the one to expertly answer the question; but, I do know that to succeed at an online venture, a plan and some skills are required. You can possess those skills when you start, you can learn them or you can buy them. None the less, to succeed online, you must be able to offer something to somebody that they want or need, compel them to get it from you and then deliver said "thing" to them. You then get paid for you effort. Simple enough it all seems.

Why then, if making money online is really just that easy why do so many people fail? My answer, failure to plan! When I started my first online endeavor I hardly knew how to get past the start page from my ISP. With all the hype in today's media, more and more users are pouring onto the information superhighway everyday. Many of them have no more experience that I did when I got started. Regardless of the hype you may read, a lot goes into creating a successful online business.

How do you get products or services, how do you build a website, do I really need a website, do I need to accept credit cards, how will I get visitors to my website? Like a child in an ice cream store that can't decide what flavor to pick, choosing an online business opportunity is much the same. They all look so good, which one do I chose? All too often the flavor that looked so good in the case just doesn't satisfy like it was supposed to. So it goes for online business opportunities, as well.

If you are truly serious and you want to make money online; you need to make a plan and stick to it through thick and thin, no matter what. First, decide exactly what it is you would like to do; there are thousands of different ways to make money online, then educate yourself about operating that type of business online. The making money part will come later.

Once you have some vision about what you would like to do, make a plan to get there. You should learn in your research what exactly is needed to operate the type of business you are interested in. The list can go on and on, to make it manageable, break it down into steps that you can take to measure your progress. Don't try to do it all at once.

Expect that in the beginning you will fall down, loosely translated, fail; many times over before you find the combination that creates a successful online endeavor. Because an idea doesn't work, doesn't mean you're a failure, it means the idea didn't work, period. If something doesn't work like you thought it should, figure out what didn't work so well and press on. All the while, follow the plan you have created for yourself.

When I say follow your plan, what I am trying say is this; just when it seems all is lost in an endeavor and you are frustrated, another opportunity always seems to come along to divert your attention. If you jump ship to something else, all the effort you put into your first endeavor is lost. Soon you find yourself awash in a sea where nothing seems to work and you have spent a lot of money for nothing; it becomes easy to quit. Where as, had you followed your original plan and overcome the hurdles that came up, you would be so much further ahead. A breakthrough usually occurs when you are at the end of your rope. The old adage "The grass isn't any greener on the other side of the fence" is so true when it come to online endeavors.

So, what's the secret ingredient to make money online? In one word lies the answer: Persistence.