Ken Gold

Pallavi is a third year engineering college student. Her father is a senior clerk in a bank. Pallavi has a computer and an Internet connection at home. She said, "I would like to earn some money to meet my personal expenses working from home. My father feels sorry that he is not able to give me handsome monthly allowance even though I am happy with what I have."

"That's a fine attitude," I said. She said, "But I warn you. I don't have any creative skills or money to invest."

"The Internet is for the crooks, by the crooks and of the crooks," Anandi declared. "Making money on the Internet is the biggest lie I have ever come across in life."

I said, "One need not be an astrologer or a seer to understand what happened in your life recently. You have a lost a few thousand Rupees by paying to some agent or website to get paid work."

Sundar is a clerk in a nationalized bank. He was free from 5 pm to 9 pm every day till a few months ago as he did not have any friends and was not interested in socializing with people. A perfect candidate for doing online business! He used to spend a minimum of 4 hours a day browsing the Internet just because he does not know what else to do.

Surya said, "I know how to use the browser like Internet Explorer and an email program like Outlook Express. I don't think I have the talent, skills, knowledge or patience to create a website and then make money. I am not aspiring to become business mogul or rich. Like any other housewife, I have a few hours of free time every day and I would like to earn some pocket money by using the free time. Is there a way for me to make money?"

A friend introduced Laila, a seventeen year old girl, to me a month ago and said, "She did not pass in her Plus Two examination. She has to stay at home for a year. She is depressed."

"But she looks bright and intelligent?" I asked him. "She is. She loves music and movies and lives in dreams. She has got a multimedia notebook computer and spends her every waking moment on browsing movie related websites. She uses all her energy and time in such useless, wasteful activities. So, she failed in her Plus Two exams," my friend replied.

A flashy website that is run by a team of professionals from a posh office in Silicon Valley would be losing millions of dollars year after year. A simple, average looking website that is run by a teenager from her small bedroom would be making millions year after year.

The teenager's name is Ashley Qualls. She is the founder of Whateverlife.com.

The localization concept helped Ram achieve prosperity.

Ram is a civil engineering graduate. Though construction projects worth thousands of crores are in progress all over the country, many civil engineers work as site supervisors for a few thousands a month. Some engineers work as lecturers in unrecognized engineering colleges under oppressive management for even smaller pay packets. Ram belonged to that unfortunate category and worked in a small engineering college in rural area.

A few weeks ago, Mala, a dynamic lady in her late thirties asked me, "I want to launch a political party or a religious entity. Is it a good idea?"

I replied, "We are living in a free country. Our constitution guarantees freedom of expression and you are free to follow your own beliefs and faith, whether political or religious. But I am curious to know why you want to do it?"

I have been writing about various opportunities available on the Internet for entrepreneurs looking for home based self employment projects. As the opportunities available are too many, some readers may find it difficult to make a choice. To help them, I have prepared a list of ten projects that most people can take up and written briefly about them. For detailed information, please refer to my earlier articles.

Two years ago, Atul, an engineering college student told me, "My father is a retired government officer. He pays my college expenses with great difficulty. Is there any project that I can do, earn some money and reduce his stress and difficulty to some extent, if not fully?"