I have often wondered about the real secret to making a living online.  You see some people making thousands of dollars overnight.  Then you see others who struggle for months and even years without making anything.  There's a lot of in between those two extremes of course.   

    Instant success does not happen for everyone obviously.  There has to be a plan that gets you from beginner to successful professional in the shortest time possible.  

    What I have discovered about succeeding with an online business is knowing how and where to start.  Wondering around with information overload with no clear direction will not lead to a successful business.  

    Everything has a beginning and the right beginning will put you on the right road.  Find a niche you love.  Some marketers will tell you to find out what people want first.  I say go with your passion and do some research to see if there's a market for it!  Doesn't it sound like a whole lot more fun to be doing what you love every day instead of selling stuff without having any passion for it?

    Research into a particular niche should come first.  You may be thinking of selling on eBay or creating an information product that people can download instantly.  Even if you have an audience for products related to your passion, you need to know the specific needs of your target market.    

    After you learn how to get the attention of your customers, it's time to create a product or sell items that will turn customers into repeat customers.  Developing loyalty to your particular brand is key.  Succeeding in an online endeavor requires producing products that have a ready customer base waiting for whatever quality item you introduce.  

    It definitely takes some determination because it is easy to be constantly distracted by the next new thing.  If you keep flitting from one idea to the next, in a year you'll be exactly where you are now.  It's important to follow through on an idea that leads to product creation, package the product for value and then drive targeted traffic to your site.  Then rinse and repeat!  If you stay with one idea, your business will stagnate rather than grow.

    Even if you're interested in selling items on eBay, you will still need to attract a large block of targeted traffic to your auctions or store.  I found out early on that getting the traffic to your product is very important.  Light bulb moment - without customers stopping by your site or your eBay store, you are not going to have any sales.  

    Getting visitors to your site or eBay store is just the start.  You will need to keep tweaking your offer to get the best performance for your efforts.  A lot of marketers will have different pages for the same product and test which ones work the best.  

    There are many techniques to try and these are constantly changing.  Brand yourself as an expert in your niche and then expand that expertise into a new niche.  Make your business plans and learn everything you possibly can about each segment of Internet marketing.  Once you realize a success in a certain niche, simply repeat.