Looking back at my first site, I know (now) that it was revolting. And it didn't make me any income. But it was mine. And it was the beginning of something great.

Seven years later, I now create a living as a full time webmaster. I earn 6 times more than most of the friends I graduated from university with. That first web site changed my life.

I often get emails from people who ask me to help them make a website of their own. Some can give my services. Several want to do it themselves. I just know that they are headed towards a very long, painful learning curve. I've been there and made it, but I've watched a lot more fail over and over again.

Why? Because they desire to build a site, just like I first did. And they never get that out of their heads. Even seven years ago, it was not about building a Web site. So what is it about?

It Is About Growing a Web Business

Fast-forward to now. These days, it is easier than ever to build a website. Literally anyone can put up a site. Honestly, if you can do a search at Google and get your email, you can build a web site.

It is that easy. But after you 'put up your site,' it is going to be a hard, painful year(s) of failure, almost certainly. So lots of people keep on trying, failing over and over, even falling for Get Rich Quick schemes.

So what do I tell those people who ask me about putting up a site? First, I 'answer' by asking one simple question, 'do you want to earn money from you site?” You have to see the replies I get. Of course they do!

That opens the door, I hope, to tell them the most major thing I will ever tell them (and you). If you want to earn income online, if you desire to build a genuine e-business, then you simply have to realize that you do not want to build a website.

You want to build a Web business. I learned this from the president of a company. Yes, I know that's obvious. But what that means is far from obvious. If it was, people wouldn't conduct themselves the way they do online. They would take it as seriously as starting an offline business (which can cost $10,000, $100,000 and more).

It Is So Important To Understand This Part Deeply

A website is just a vehicle to building a profitable e-business. I compare it to building an offline business. You don't build a highly profitable offline business by building a structure such as restaurant or a store, or by renting the perfect office space.

There is just so much more to building a profitable business, online or off, than building the 'container', which is all your website or restaurant structure is. There are numerous critical elements that all have to go together. Here are just a few:

Market research

Structuring the business correctly

Promoting and marketing

If you use those free site builders that comes with cheap hosting, you will have a site. But you will not have prepared correctly. You won't build traffic effectively. You will not have pre-planned all the ways you can generate income from that traffic. I could go on and on.

And that is 'just' the business part.

So what do I think about all those cheap hosts with slick site builders and a grab-bag of useless tools (and all the expensive add-ons that hey want to sell you!)? None of them prepare you to do business, nor do they offer you with the ability to overcome the technical barriers such as HTML, CSS, FTP, CGI, Search Engine mastery.

Basically, unless you are extraordinarily talented, top-of-your-class smart, and unless you are prepared for a long, expensive learning curve, you do not want to 'build a site' if your goal is to build a profitable, long-term, e-business.

How to Get Started On Your First Successful E-business

If you have already tried to build a site and failed because it did not become a business, I applaud your resolve. Determination is significant, as long as you eventually find the right way to succeed online. If this is your first attempt, I'm happy you're here!

I'm going to boil down my seven years of learning into a small number of points that you simply must understand and do to build an e-business. (I express regret for sounding so insistent, but it's a shame to see most people fail for all the wrong reasons.) Here are the keys to building your first successful e-business:

Point #1) It All Boils Down To Course and Tools

If you use the wrong path, you doom yourself before you even start. I could take pages to explain this, but I'll send you to that company for an excellent explanation of Content-Traffic-PREsell-Monetize. (Don't go any deeper into their site. It has so much superb information, but I have more to tell you. So please come back.)

Once you understand the course, your entire move toward changes. But you need the right tools to execute the process. These tools help you choose the right niche (and to avoid the wrong ones), to eliminate all the technical barriers that will stop you and allow you to focus on business, to do so much more for you that I can't even being to explain them all.

Now, I use my own tools. They cost thousands of dollars and took me years to master. I lost thousands more on the wrong tools (but that sounded good at the time). If I was starting over today, I would skip that learning curve and just use Site Build It! (the 'It!' is the independence that comes from building a successful Web business).

This product has come so far over the years that I've followed it. It covers all the essentials and is always on the cutting edge. They continuously add new tools, eliminating your need to follow all the latest trends, avoiding wasting your time on things that don't work.

They mix every major trend, from blogging to social media marketing, into their creation. Their customers profit, often just by clicking a button to add the new functionality to their businesses.

Here's a list of the tools that they offer. Please review the list and explanations so you get a better idea of what's involved in building a successful Web business. Then come right back, please.

Point #2) Understand How Process and Tools Fit Together

This video shows how every small e-business must be built. It gives you the basics of what I've learned myself over the last 7 years. Instead of years, all it will take you to watch it is 30 minutes!

Point #3) Don't Just Start. Research and Choose the Right Product for You

Do you remember when I asked if the goal was to earn money? The answer was always 'yes'. Well, that means that those people want to be in business.

And that means you do research to be sure you want a good home for your business. You look for evidence of success. Real success. Not just a host that shows you pretty sites with nice stories, but no traffic. Look for real, familiar success that grows.

Anyone (who is willing to work) can build a successful e-business, from a teenager like Nori, a 15-year old who makes enough to support her through college to Claude a 64 year old 'accidental' business man, who is having a blast building numerous income generating web sites.

Spend some time on that Web page with Nori's and Claude's stories. There are several other inspiring case studies there, too. None of them had ever built a successful Web business before. And notice how they even update their stories, some of them over many years.

That is success. First-time successful e-businesses.

Point #4 Choose an All-In-One Business Builder

You can waste a lot of time trying to keep up with all the Internet Marketing news out there. You can waste a lot of time (and money) on all kinds of tools. Unless you want to be a professional Webmaster like me, you don't need to do any of that.

Instead, choose a business-building product that...

Delivers course and tools, all tied together to enable you to make step-by-step progress.

Gives tons of proof of success with data you can confirm.

Helps with both the technical and 'human side' of a website. These programs are ideal for beginners. They are also ideal for those with much 'Internet marketing' experience but who have yet to succeed online.

Have a helpful community and staff who act as great guides. They provide suggestions and practical help.

Has a solid money-back guarantee -- if something happens which by condition won't permit you to continue, you get your money back.

There are very few all-in-one e-business making and marketing programs. Of those few, only one has a 10 year proven track record that I highly recommend. In case you have not guessed yet, it is Site Build It.