If you give up Ignorance, Inertia and Division, the sword of Luck will strike at the knot of your financial difficulties and you will be financially independent soon.
One fine morning Raj realized what the terms infinite and finite meant. His wish-list was infinite. His qualification was finite. His wish-list included owning a bungalow in a posh residential area, buying the latest cars without a second thought and spending every summer in Switzerland. His qualification was that he was a commerce graduate without a job. He and his parents lived on his father's pension.
"How do you spend your time?" I asked Raj. "In the mornings, I go through the newspapers for suitable job ads. In the afternoons, I sleep off to forget my worries! In the evenings, I spend time with my friends. I have plenty of energy. I do not know how to spend my time productively," said Raj in a bitter voice. "What do you do other than responding to job ads to come up in your life? Have you ever thought of being on your own instead of being a low-paid employee?" I asked Raj. "I have already spent three years in B.Com. degree course. I don't want to waste my time on learning something new," Raj replied. "Has any of your friends taken up self-employment?" I asked Raj. "Some of my friends have started their own businesses. But, most of them have rich parents. A few others are lucky because even though they don't have rich parents, they have come across unexpected opportunities. I belong to neither of these categories," Raj said.
"You can easily break the knot of your difficulty, if you give up your ignorance, inertia and division," I told Raj. "I don't understand your words. Can you please explain your idea and give me some practical suggestions? I am not interested in philosophy," Raj said. "You have imposed self-limitation on yourself by looking for job only. You don't know what you must do to make money. You have not understood your potential. That's ignorance," I said and continued, "Learning or doing something new requires a lot of effort and energy. You enjoy sleeping in the afternoons though you can use that time to work hard and learn new things. That's inertia." "I understand something now. What does division mean?" Raj asked. "Opportunities always exist in society for all. However, you have separated yourself from the society by thinking that they are not for you because you are different. You too can achieve whatever your average friends have achieved so far," I told Raj.
After a few moments of silence Raj said, "I agree to change myself. What should I do now?"
"Do you have a computer at home?" I asked Raj. "Yes, I have an internet connection also. I bought the system on loan to search for online job ads," Raj told me. "For any new internet entrepreneur an auction business is the perfect beginning point. EBay, the biggest auction website in the world, has created thousands of successful online entrepreneurs. Many of them are earning above $5,000 a month. That is really big money even by the American standards." I told Raj. Suddenly, there was some light in the eyes of Raj. "Please tell me more about this business," Raj said.
"Millions of people around the world visit auction sites to buy products. This number will only grow over time. In an online auction site, sellers advertise their products or services and buyers bid on them. As the middlemen like distributors are eliminated, sellers realize a higher price and the buyers pay lower price. Both are happy. People sell new cars, old shoes, broken furniture, new computers and what not! Anything that is sold offline can be sold online through auction sites. Anything that cannot be sold offline can also be sold online. A freak tried to sell even a piece of moon!" I told Raj. "I don't know anything about online business. Is it possible for me to carry on this business?" Raj asked me.
"An auction business is any new online entrepreneur's dream: Targeted customers at your door step, no start up costs, no financial risk, short gestation period, open for business for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year, world market, easy to duplicate success, part time or full time, no competition from giant store What else do you want?" I asked Raj. "What you say thrills me. But, what can I sell?" Raj asked me. "You can try to sell online whatever you can. Do you create designer dresses? Can you make wonderful soft toys? Do you want to sell your services? Do you want to sell your coin or stamp collection? Just anything can be sold. You can sell to the world, not just to India," I told Raj. "How will I get clients? Who will buy from me?" Raj asked me.
"All you need to do is create a small ad for your product or service on a big auction website and customers will come to you. Auction websites will take care of the traffic. A few years ago I tried my hands in this business. I got my first customer within 35 minutes of launching my business," I told Raj. "Really? Is it possible to sell without meeting customers?" Raj asked me. "The seller and the buyer can live anywhere under the sun," I told Raj.
"How much can I earn?" Raj asked me the most important question that all new entrepreneurs would have in their mind. "A few pioneers in the United States have made millions from this business. Forget those exceptions. Thousands of people like you and me are making a living from Online Auction business. Some people are already making money in India. Did you read an article in the Career section of the New Indian Express a few months ago about students making money from Online Auction business?" I asked Raj. "Yes. It was about a medical college student and an engineering college student who work from the comfort of their room when they have free time and make more than Rs.5, 000 a month. When I read that article, I did not think I too could earn. It's ignorance. I did not want to work and to learn about the business. It's inertia. I thought my case was different. It's division," Raj said with a smile. "If you concentrate on products that can be easily and safely distributed worldwide, making Rs.15,000 a month is easy. 'Distribution worldwide' should not make you think of a big ship full of boxes. It can be as simple as a handmade designer cotton jacket sent in an envelope by registered post parcel. If you are serious about this business, you can earn above Rs.10,000 a month."
"Give me a kick so that I start my business today without any starting trouble," Raj said to me. "Go to reputed auction sites and get a good understanding about online auction process. Www.eBay.in is a good place to start with. Auction sections of Amazon.com and Yahoo.com are other great places to spend your time productively. Like any other thing in life, you must become strong in the basics. Learn how auction sites work. Read all the help pages and study the real life auctions. When you feel comfortable, get registered with some of the big sites." I told Raj. "Do I have to pay fees?" Raj asked me. "Most websites do not ask for money for registration. In your online ventures, do not pay upfront fees to anyone who promises income opportunities. Be careful. It is possible to find out many online opportunities without paying any fees," I told Raj. "I don't have any money. So, I don't have to worry about it," Raj laughed and said.
"Make a decision about your niche, your specialty. Then, follow all the auctions under you niche category. Develop a realistic, actionable auction plan. An auction business is like any other online business. So, make clear decisions about how you will receive the money, how you will deliver the goods and how you will handle your customer's complaints. Study other successful sellers' strategies and wherever possible modify them and use the ideas in your business. Try to replicate others' success. You will grow," I said.
"I am an average Indian with ordinary skills. Do you believe I can do this successfully?" Raj asked me. "If you are creative, there are zillions of ways to make money on internet. I will give you an example. If you find a great product at a bargain price, you can bid for it and buy it. You can ask the seller to hold the delivery. Then, you can resell the product either on the same site or some other site and ask the original seller to ship the product to your buyer." I told Raj. We spent that evening in discussing specifics of the business.
When I met Raj after a few months, I was shocked to see that he was still looking at job ads section in a newspaper. Raj smiled and said, "My auction business has grown. I need two assistants. So, I have placed an ad inviting applications from suitable candidates. I am looking at my own ad."