Is It Too Late To Start Your Internet Business? [LNIM191]

by | Nov 21, 2019 | Podcast | 0 comments

Is It Too Late To Start Your Internet Business? [LNIM191]

Are the golden days of internet business behind us? Is there too much competition? Mark tackles one of the most common questions he hears from aspiring entrepreneurs and explains why the answer might surprise you.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

  • What has genuinely changed about starting an internet business compared to the early days
  • Why it is actually easier to start now than it was 10 or 15 years ago
  • The one thing your business must do to succeed in a crowded marketplace
  • Why consumer comfort with online buying is a massive advantage for new entrepreneurs
  • The tools and platforms that make launching faster and cheaper than ever

Episode Summary

Starting an internet business can feel intimidating when you look at how much is already out there. There are hundreds of stores, blogs, and courses in seemingly every niche. So the question Mark gets asked constantly is: “Are the great times on the internet behind us?”

Mark's honest answer: some things are indeed behind us, and that is actually good news.

What is gone (and good riddance): It is no longer easy to create businesses that rely on traffic tricks or gaming search engines. The days of making money for nothing with thin, valueless websites are over. Google and other platforms have gotten much better at rewarding genuine value and punishing manipulation.

What is better now:

  • It is easier to start. There are now incredible software-as-a-service platforms for almost everything. Whether you want to sell products, services, or courses, platforms like Shopify, WordPress, Kajabi, and Teachable give you the tools to launch without building infrastructure from scratch.
  • People are comfortable buying online. In the early days, consumers were skeptical about online purchases. Now it is the most natural thing in the world. The market is more crowded, but it is also vastly larger and more willing to spend money.
  • Search and advertising are more predictable. SEO is more stable than it used to be. Advertising costs and behaviors are easier to forecast. You can build plans around more reliable data.
  • Internet connections are better. The infrastructure supports things that were impossible years ago: live video, interactive courses, streaming, and rich media experiences.

Mark leaves listeners with two truths that should guide every aspiring entrepreneur:

The best time to start is now. If you want to grow something, today is always better than tomorrow. Every day you wait is a day of potential growth you miss.

You must create real value. Your business must manufacture something of genuine value. If you create value that people are willing to invest in, that wins in the marketplace. It was true when internet business started, and it is even more true today. The gimmicks are dead. Value is king.

Key Takeaways

  • The internet marketing tricks of the past are gone, and that is a good thing for legitimate businesses
  • Starting an online business is easier and cheaper now than at any point in internet history
  • Consumers are more comfortable spending money online, making the total addressable market enormous
  • Platforms like Shopify, WordPress, Kajabi, and Teachable handle the infrastructure so you can focus on value
  • The best time to start your internet business is today. Waiting only costs you growth
  • Create genuine value for real people. That is the only strategy that wins long-term

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode in November 2019. Everything he said about the trajectory of online business has been validated and then some. The pandemic accelerated ecommerce adoption by an estimated 5-10 years in just a few months. Global ecommerce sales have continued to grow year over year, reaching over $6 trillion annually.

The platforms Mark mentioned have all grown significantly. Shopify now powers millions of stores worldwide. Kajabi has become the leading platform for course creators and coaches. Teachable was acquired by Hotmart and continues to serve online educators. WordPress still powers over 40% of all websites on the internet.

New tools have made starting even easier. AI-powered content creation, no-code website builders, and automated marketing platforms have further lowered the barriers to entry. The competitive landscape has intensified, but so has the total market opportunity. Mark's core message holds: if you create genuine value, there is room for you regardless of how crowded the space appears.

Paula Mason's Photography Website, which Mark mentioned as an example of someone launching a new online business, demonstrates how niche-focused businesses continue to thrive online.

Resources Mentioned

Related Episodes

If you found this episode helpful, you might also enjoy:

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.

TEST

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *