Laptop Entrepreneur Vs Bricks-And-Mortar Entrepreneur

Today, thanks to the Internet, entrepreneurs still in their 20s or 30s are setting up home-based Internet businesses that they run in their spare time, bringing in $5,000 to $30,000 a month.

They can travel anytime they want, and they have the freedom to run their business from anywhere in the world. And best of all, their websites are making money for them, while they sleep!

In his book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", author Robert Kiyosaki explains that to escape the 'rat race' you need to spend less than you earn and invest the difference in buying income-producing assets (e.g. shares or rental properties).

The goal is to eventually have the income from your assets replace your earnings from your job. That's how you achieve financial freedom, he explains.

When I was starting out with my business I was $12,000 in debt, I had zero income, no job, and I was homeless. Buying income-producing assets wasn't an option. Instead, I decided to build income-producing assets. Eventually, these web businesses would grow to generate thousands of dollars a day.

By the time I reached my late twenties I had 64,000 clients in 116 countries worldwide, and 16 different income streams. I could work from home... or whilst travelling around the world... or from the luxury cabin of a cruise ship in the Caribbean... in fact I could do this from any place on the planet where I could get an Internet connection!

Furthermore, my first Internet business only cost $400 to set up, and yet was bringing in more than $10,000 a month in income! When you compare the costs of running a normal bricks-and-mortar business to those of an Internet business, the differences are striking!

***********************************************
Costs of running a simple home-based Internet business
***********************************************

Internet connection $20/month
Getresponse autoresponder service $60/month
Gotowebinar webinar service $99/month
Hosting $15/month
2 Outsourcers (web design, customer service) $500/month
-------------------------
Total: $694/month

Imagine having a business that...

- Costs practically nothing to set up
- You don't need staff
- You don't need offices
- You don't need a shop
- You can work from home
- You can work from anywhere in the world
- Other people are selling your products for you, for FREE! (e.g. affiliates)
- Your business runs on autopilot (e.g. people buy your products from your websites automatically)
- You get to leverage incredible technologies such Email, Search Engines, Affiliate Programs, Voice-Over-IP, Online Auctions, Video streaming, Webinars, and Social Media!

... And all you need... is your laptop!

Other benefits of the Laptop Entrepreneur Lifestyle include:

* Total flexibility! You can work when you feel like it... You can get up as early or as late as you want... no more alarm clocks... You can take days off whenever you feel like it...

* You don't have a boss! No more taking orders from a nincompoop! You can even experience the satisfaction of 'firing' your boss! (Laptop Entrepreneurs often start their businesses in their spare time, whilst still working at a job. Eventually when their income from their Laptop Business exceeds that of their salary, they 'fire' their boss!)

* You don't have to deal with annoying coworkers anymore! No more bickering, no more office politics, no more endless pointless boring meetings...

* You can be a stay-at-home dad, or a stay-at-home mom! No need for nurseries, or a nanny... You get to see your children grow up...

* You can spend more time with your loved ones, your family, your friends... you can visit them and stay with them in different countries around the world...

* No more commuting... getting stuck in traffic every day... wasting hours every day... spending a fortune on petrol...

* You can travel any time you want, visiting different countries... you can go to seminars, take a course, learn new things, expand your horizons...

* You can live by the beach... you can 'retire to the sun' now, rather than wait until you're 65!

* You can live in a low-tax or zero-tax jurisdiction... no more spending a fortune and weeks of your time on accountants every year!

* You can give yourself a pay rise every month! (e.g. you can increase your earnings every month, simply by growing your mailing list every month!)

**************************************************
A typical day in the life of a Laptop Entrepreneur
**************************************************

My typical day looks something like this. I wake up, take a shower, and step outside to take in the fresh sea air, admire the view and play with my Golden Retriever, Leo.

I then have a breakfast of fresh 'Green Juice' (cucumber, celery, apples, spinach, avocado) with my partner, while relaxing on the loungers by our swimming pool.

I then sit at my laptop, answering some emails, to arrange a joint venture or a webinar or product launch, or to give assignments to my team of outsourcers.

I then take a break and go cycling through the mountain trails next to our house, taking Leo for a run. In the summer we usually end up on the beach in front of our house, where we love to swim.

In the afternoon I'll usually write, creating products, blog posts, content for my membership sites or my books, and emails to send to my mailing list. Or sometimes I'll study a new course, to find out new business strategies.

In the afternoon my partner and I go play tennis, or we go out with our friends for a meal, or for some relaxation at the spa on our resort. In the evening, we like to just relax by the fireplace, have a nice meal, and watch a DVD.

Once a week, on average, I do a 90-minute webinar for my clients.

We go on 6-7 trips a year, around Europe, or to more 'exotic' locations such as Thailand, The Maldives, Bermuda, The Caribbean, Senegal, Egypt, Australia, etc.

If I want to take a 4-month break or a 6-month break to write a book... then I do just that!

If you like the sound of this, welcome to the world of The Laptop Entrepreneur!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_L_Anastasi

By Mark Anastasi

Turn Your Computer Into An ATM Today For Free....

Unhappy, unfulfilled and broke...

That was me. 

I had a good job in the grand scheme of things but I was just getting by.  The few euros left over in the kitty at the end of the month weren't going to give me the finer things I desired in life. The future was bleak. I needed a plan. So the search began.

After spending nearly a month in the library with all the best entrepreneurial literature available I realised this could be done. My problem was money and time. I had little to none of both! After attending a few seminars I found what I was looking for and I couldn't believe it! I was to enter the unfamiliar online world of blogging, list building, online marketing, product development and affiliate marketing.

If you were offered resources to generate as many income streams as you like for free, would you take advantage of that opportunity? I did!

It answered all my problems:

1. It required no start up costs
2. I could work at my own pace on my laptop at home in my pyjamas
3. I didn't need to buy any products
4. I didn't need to set up any website
5. I worked for myself and it was enjoyable
6. It's money making prospects were endless

Some of you may not be aware but setting up an online blog is completely free(www.blogger.com). You can design it any which way you please. The first step is to choose a niche. It can be anything. You should focus on finding one which solves a problem which many people suffer from. It has to be an area you are very interested in and are willing to learn about. Whether it be fitness, business, personal development, weight loss or how about turning your laptop into an ATM!! 

Once you have your niche, Its design time. Its as simple as cycling a bike if your a professional mountain biker! All the tools are readily explained. Your blog will now need content. Fill it with information that provides value to interested visitors. You can do this in many ways, some like to write, some like to study and combine other peoples articles on the subject.

Time to Monetize!!

Ever heard of Affiliate Marketing???

People with products to sell need your help and will pay for it. Check out a website called www.clickbank.com. On it you will find thousands of products that vendors will pay you up to 75% commission for selling their products(It's FREE!). This doesn't involve knocking on every neighbourhood door with a tangible product. This involves basically copying and pasting a link on their site to your blog which leaves an attractive advertisement on your blog. Now if someone visits your blog and clicks on one of these products advertised  and purchases it you have money in your bank account! Once set up its money making capabilities are endless. How is it free?? :)

Ever heard of Google Adsense????

Did you know Google will also offer you money in return for advertising on your blog? Its beautiful really. They advertise relevant products to your niche. You have complete control over what goes on. The best bit is that every time someone visits your blog and clicks(no purchase required!) on a Google advertisement they pay you. 

But of course you'll need one important thing. TRAFFIC!! We need people to come to us and that's where social media comes in and where the money rolls in. Guess what, traffic is free too!! Ever get one of those annoying adds telling you you can make crazy amounts of money from just facebooking or twittering? I've learnt this can be true. On this blog I'll go through how I began turning my laptop into and ATM. I'll update again soon. Make sure to sign up to receive my free eBook above"Six Tips To Help Turn Your Laptop Into An ATM".

Its important to note that I am in no way a computer whiz. Trust me when I say this is easy. Anyone can do it. Although I was working heavy hours in my own job I committed only 2 hours to this every night starting off. It can be built much faster. I hope you can see the potential something like this has. I will enjoy educating you all!