When asked by someone interested in starting an online business what I would do if I were starting from scratch, I thought about it for a minute.  While everyone who begins an online venture makes mistakes, there are a few things I would do if I had to start from the beginning.  What are those things?  Nothing hard – just a few basic marketing principles.  Here are my ideas:

•    Everyone knows what I think about list building – it is THE most important aspect of becoming successful.  With that in mind, I would build lists through other contacts.  I would have other successful marketers in a related niche email their list with my offers, and attempt to get them to sign up on my list.

•    I would stay focused tightly on only one thing, and drive targeted visitors to my opt-in page in order to build my list of subscribers.  Finding ways to drive large amounts of traffic would also be top priority – writing more articles and content to lead visitors to my opt-in page.

•    Sticking to basic internet marketing principles is the key.  There are certain strategies that have always worked, and will continue to be effective in the future.  It’s all about your core foundation – there really are no ‘magic’ secrets that the gurus are hiding from you!

These are the most important things I would do if I had to start all over again.  I urge my readers to learn the basics, focus on one thing, and leave all of the eBooks and reports you may have downloaded on your hard drive.  Ignore them – and get to work!  You can spend a lifetime reading everyone else’s opinions, and in the end it will leave you nowhere if you don’t work hard and stay focused on your goals!