Everyone has seen the websites portraying smiling people standing beside expensive cars, or relaxing on an exotic beach. The ?squeeze page? promises that these people are earning vast amounts of money while they sleep. Not only that, there is no risk, no work, and no effort needed to earn this money.

These sites usually play on people's desires and needs. They rarely spend time telling the prospective business owner what is involved in the business. Instead they promise that they will spend time with their grandchildren, vacation for weeks every year, pay off all their debts, and enjoy life.

The problem is, there are opportunities on the web that may require a year or two, or five, of time investment then ?bang? they explode over night. The business owner rides the wave and is set for life. That doesn't mean the wave continues forever, but sometimes it does. The trick is to identify which types of cyberspace businesses do keep their promises, and which are myths

Myth One: Make It And They Will Come

Those of us with successful businesses laugh at this. It is good for the ?laugh of the day.? Even drop shipping companies have a lot of promotion, marketing, and paperwork involved.

Fact

A brick and mortar business takes five years before it pays - a cyberspace business can take 2 months to five years. This is a business management fact. Search engines dump static websites fairly quickly. People flock to forums - not websites. And, selling on the net is hard.

Myth Two: MLM Equals Unlimited Residual Income

MLM income is built on three factors: new purchases, recruiting a down-line, and ongoing purchases. In order to build a "residual" income, the business owner must aggressively recruit, train and motivate a sufficient number of leaders who can continue the process in growing numbers.

Fact

Unfortunately, this is hard, because most of the people in the down-line expect those above them to do all the work. Motivating can be hard. It takes education and communication skills to consistently motivate a large number of people, and the success rate is low.

When a Leader does find a good member, they quickly learn that these MLM junkies are in it for the entertainment value and the quick buck. They hop from one MLM program to another, always looking for the Pot of Gold.

Myth Three: Joint Ventures Produce Wealth

Joint Ventures involve businesses with products for sale, and webmasters with portals. In theory, these people combine and build unprecedented wealth. Each one only does a fraction of the work, but somehow, they all enjoy the lion's share of the profit.

Fact

It is difficult to find a good partner who will maintain their side of the venture. Most cyberspace business owners lose interest, or fail to take their business seriously. They ?take? without ?giving.? In the long run, they drain your business's resources and time, leaving the serious business owners in worse shape than if they tried to run their businesses themselves.

Myth Four: Hire People to Run Your Business

There is so much wealth that you can hire professionals with a successful track record that spans years, and only pay them a commission. These people will each bring their expertise to the company, giving 110% and follow with cult-loyalty because you can make them rich.

Fact

These professionals do not need a small business to help them - they are already working with businesses that generate millions of hits a month, and are earning royalties, residual income, and free promotion, as well as the right to market their own products.