The Solar system and an ant-hill are equal. If you understand this great secret of prosperity and give up the illusions of quantity and quality, you will make money in whatever you do.
Who said marriages are made in heaven? In India, they are usually made in the money lender's office. Character, family, education and talent are less important than the omnipotent money. Have a little chat with any yet-to-be married woman and you will give up many illusions that you may have about modern India. "I want to make some quick money," Sita told me sincerely. "I have been trying to make some quick money," I confessed to Sita, "for the past 25 years without any success!"
"I need money for my marriage. My parents believe that I can never lead a meaningful life unless I get married. Though there would be some exceptions, generally, our parents wish to give the best education to their sons and buy the best bridegrooms for their daughters," said Sita. "Your point of view about your marriage is more important what others think," I said to Sita and asked her, "What is the problem that you want to solve now?"
"If you belong to the highest class in the society no one will dare to even talk about your problems. If you belong to the lowest class, no one is bothered about your problems. I belong to a middle class family - a class that must always live with unfulfilled needs and suffer from peer pressure and ridicule. I want to make money somehow so that I can get married. But I have no income opportunity. That's my problem," Sita said. "You had no control over your birth in a middle class family. I understand it. But what really stops you from making progress now? Instead of complaining or worrying about your past, family, circumstances or society, why don't you use your infinite energy in working for a prosperous future?" I asked Sita.
"You'll never be able to understand fully the pains of a financially-dependent Indian woman," said Sita. "I agree. However, unlike others that meekly succumb to their problems, you have started to think about making money. That will do wonders for you," I told Sita.
As soon as Sita completed her BA (Economics) course - she was then 21 years old - her parents started their relentless pursuit of that faceless Prince Charming who would give Sita a 'meaningful life.' In the past seven years, hundreds of horoscopes had been considered and dozens of prospects with their parents had visited her place to see her. Though Sita was beautiful and likable, her family did not have enough money to pay the would-be bridegroom. As years passed, inflation in the country and her age kept increasing the amount at which she could be sold. "I am financially dependent on my retired father, uneducated mother and unemployed brother. Now I am 28 years old. I feel like an obsolete, unwanted product. I don't visit any relatives. I don't meet any friends. I don't talk to anyone. I read books, books and books. When I don't feel like reading, I surf the web," said Sita.
"Books! Internet!" I exclaimed and said, "Have you ever heard about Amazon.com? You can make money selling books through internet." Sita did not believe a word I said. "How is it possible? Amazon is a multibillion dollar company. I'm a poor woman," Sita said. "In other words, you say that the mighty system of Suns and the petty system of ant-hill are not equal. But, believe me, the Solar system and an ant-hill are equal," I told Sita. "How can it be true? Even if it is true, what difference will it make to my finances?" Asked Sita.
"We miss many income opportunities because of illusions of quantity and quality. All websites have the same amount of computer screen area to display their web pages. A stranger to the software industry may not know the difference in size between Microsoft and a small software company. If the smaller website makes tall claims and promises, he may conclude that it is bigger than Microsoft," I said to Sita. "Here an illusion of size is created," said Sita.
"Big companies, because of the size of operations, sometimes make silly mistakes that go unnoticed by their employees. A small website with a few well designed pages may not contain even one small mistake. A stranger may believe that the smaller website sells products of better quality," I said. "I understand. Here an illusion of quality is created. If we are ignorant, the illusions of quality and quantity will mislead us. But, how can I make money by thinking Solar system and ant-hill are equal?" Asked Sita.
"The energy of the owner of Amazon that goes to make the biggest store in the world is no whit greater than your energy that goes to create your small website. The form, manner and result of the force of action vary infinitely, but the energy is the same in all," I told Sita. "If the energy that I would spend in creating my ant-hill is equal to the energy that the owner of Amazon spends in creating his Solar system, I will soon be prosperous at my level. It means I can create a mini Amazon," Sita said. "Yes. You are right," I told Sita and continued, "Big online stores create websites, catalog books, review books and allow the readers to share their views with other readers. They don't stock books. They exist only on the web. They collect orders through the website and pass them on to the book publishers. They have hundreds of employees, thousands of computers and millions of customers. Yet, they do not have a physical shop with bricks and bookshelves. Using this idea, you too can build your own ant-hill similar to those Solar systems," I told Sita.
"What type of books should I sell?" Sita asked me. "There are hundreds of categories. If you want to be successful, you have to concentrate on your niche. Select a few categories that other small sellers do not concentrate on or those that have an unfulfilled demand." I told Sita. After a few moments of silence Sita asked, "How will I know that what I am interested in will sell?" "That's easy. Online bookstores publish the lists of top selling books of the day, week, month and year. Find out whether at least five books in the lists are from your niche," I told Sita. "That's a good idea," Sita said.
"Go to online stores and read the sections marked for affiliates and associates carefully. You will get almost complete information on starting your own online book store. Sign up for a few good affiliate programs that have friendly terms and that don't ask for upfront fees," I told Sita and continued, "After you make some progress, you can add related products and other categories. For example, people who buy spiritual books may like to buy spiritual gear such as music discs, spiritual games, special agarbathis, rings and gems. If you specialize on one specific category, you can quickly build a very profitable business."
"But, I think it would take quite a long time for me to add content, draw visitors to my website and then earn money," said Sita. "It is an unavoidable process for any business. I'll give you some tips to make a quick start. There are hundreds of sites that license and provide free content to other websites. Get them and quickly build your website. But, remember, visitors always like original content. Then promote your website actively. Use scripts to generate income," I told Sita. "What's a script?" Sita asked me. "Script is a software program. It will automatically search online booksellers' websites, collect the details of the books and then display the organized information and your income generating affiliate links on your web pages. This type of programs will save a lot of time and energy. It will ensure error-free affiliate links. Either you can buy them or get a free open source program," I told Sita. "What is a free open source program?" Sita asked me. "There are software developers who believe that software should be free like sunlight and air. They develop programs that anyone can use legally without paying for it." I told Sita. An hour of further discussion followed and then she left my place.
I did not meet her for the next two years. One day she suddenly visited me. After some formal chat, I asked her, "Did you start your own online book business?" "Yes. I did. Though I launched my website within two months after meeting you, it took six months to see some revenue. In those six months, I learnt all the nuts and bolts of the online business. One day I realized that even before thinking about selling books to the world through a website, I should have thought about things around me and my neighborhood. This small town has four engineering colleges and several hundred students. There is only one computer book seller. He does not sell latest books. So, I decided to sell technical books to these students," said Sita. "That's an excellent idea," I replied. "I spent an hour or two every day on Internet to learn about the hot-selling technical books. I talked to big distributors and publishers and managed to get good reseller prices. As I did not have money to invest, I took advance payment from students and got the books from publishers. Soon I became the one-stop book source for the local students and within a few months I started to earn Rs.5,000 a month without a shop or any capital," said Sita. "You are very resourceful," I praised her.
"After some research, I chose my niche for my website and concentrated on rare books, such as out of print books and collectors' editions. It generated $150 a month. I started to earn Rs. 10,000 a month from my business and the income kept growing. Within two years, I saved Rs.1,50,000," Sita told me in a low voice. "Do you mean that you saved enough money for your marriage?" I asked in astonishment. "Yes. But, strangely, money did not get me the bridegroom. A lecturer in the nearby engineering college used to place orders for new computer books regularly and we became good friends. Recently, we realized that we are made for each other. Here is my marriage invitation. Money has no place in this marriage. I will use my savings to buy a new flat," said Sita with a big smile and handed over a beautifully printed expensive marriage invitation to me.
"Do you plan to carry on your book business after your marriage?" I asked her. "I would like my retired father and unemployed brother to be self-employed. So, I have decided to give my business to them. I'll start my new business after I return from our honeymoon!" Sita said and blushed.