Ken Gold

Recently I wrote an article about automated computerized tutorials that helped a housewife make money. As this project has enormous income potential in India for entrepreneurs, it has kindled the interest of hundreds of educators and housewives. Many of them have asked me a specific question and this article is the answer to it.

The wise work harder than others and create new products. The wiser work smarter and make money through products created by others.

"Before my marriage, I was working as a Math teacher in a primary school. Now I have a six month old daughter and so I am unable to go for a job. If you suggest a way to earn money working from home, I will be grateful to you," said Ramya.

"Have you thought about your interests, and opportunities around you?" I asked her. "Yes. I think I am good at teaching Math to kids," she said.

"In the Money Spinners column you have discussed about the principles that would help us create profitable online businesses. The ideas are useful. But, I am a lazy duck. Instead of trying to make me think, please make me actually do something tangible and discover a profitable online project," Babu grinned sheepishly.

Rama Rao is living in a big town in Andhra Pradesh with his wife and son. He told me, "I am 50 years old. My wife is a school teacher. I am working as a head clerk in a private business firm. I have spent a lot of money on the higher education of my son. After reading the New Indian Express articles on self-employment, I too want to become self-employed."

"Attracting a lot of regular visitors ensures decent income from a website project. That's common sense. But, what type of projects will pull such a huge traffic? Even after scratching my head for several days, I am not able to find out that magic formula. Please help me," Mohan requested me.

Creating a eCommerce website and hosting it is within the reach of most of us. Even if we don't know the alphabets of creating a website, we can hire a web developer and do it.

"Unless we get a lot of traffic to our websites, we will not be able to make decent money from an Internet venture. There are millions of websites and the competition among these websites to attract visitors is intense. How can a beginner like me make money on the Internet?" Suresh asked me.

Some of the New Indian Express readers have asked me whether an online entrepreneur can aspire to earn only a few thousand rupees from the Internet. As I write only about people that earn less than Rs.25,000 a month from online businesses and activities, they have raised this question.

An online business is just like an offline business. Even though there are millions of successful offline business persons, only a few of them have become millionaires. The case of the Internet is exactly the same.

Venkat was full of self-pity. "I'm good for nothing. My father, a Vedic scholar, ruined my life. When all my friends pursued regular education, my father forced me to study Vedas in a Vedic school. Now my friends are earning more than Rs.20,000 a month as software programmers. I earn less than Rs.1,000 a month."

Rich or poor, young or old, employed or unemployed, people love to receive freebies. You can make money by giving away freebies to the Internet users. This is the golden rule: Give your customers what they want in order to make them do what you want.