. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge

Your job as an online entrepreneur is to get out there and build upon the opportunities that you see. How do you do that? Well, here's my 5 step guide to being successful on the Internet. It's not a silver bullet for world poverty and it won't tell you where to go and what links to click to buy the house/boat/car/jet of your dreams - but I hope it will at least get you thinking about the right attitude to have when trying to make ends meet on the Internet.

1. Be Patient and Persistent.

This might be obvious to some, but you'd be surprised at how many expect instant gratification from the Internet. No matter what you do, it just doesn't work that way. Money doesn't grow on trees in the real world, and, trust me, the Internet is no exception. If your startup fails, pick yourself up and try again. If your next venture fails, come up with something else - but never stop trying. Sooner or later, you will hit that gold vein!

2. Learn From Your Mistakes.

Building on my first advice, not only should you be ready to dust yourself off and get on with the rest of your online adventure after a failed startup, but you should also try to learn something from it. Ask yourself - why didn't it work? Did you not invest enough time? Did you not do market research? Did you try to work in a field that you have no serious knowledge of? Did you approach the issue with overblown expectations? I'm guilty of some of these mistakes myself, I'll admit, but remember - it's only a failure if you've learned nothing from it.

3. Stay Up to Date. One thing to be said about the Internet is that innovations here happen on an almost daily basis. And an innovation for someone else means profit for you. For example, when the concept of space tourism was pioneered, domains such as SpaceTravel.com were snatched up overnight - and I can pretty much guarantee that in a few years' time, the person who owns the domain name will be able to sell it for a six-figure sum at least. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge

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This might be obvious to some, but you'd be surprised at how many expect instant gratification from the Internet. No matter what you do, it just doesn't work that way. Money doesn't grow on trees in the real world, and, trust me, the Internet is no exception. If your startup fails, pick yourself up and try again. If your next venture fails, come up with something else - but never stop trying. Sooner or later, you will hit that gold vein!

2. Learn From Your Mistakes.

Building on my first advice, not only should you be ready to dust yourself off and get on with the rest of your online adventure after a failed startup, but you should also try to learn something from it. Ask yourself - why didn't it work? Did you not invest enough time? Did you not do market research? Did you try to work in a field that you have no serious knowledge of? Did you approach the issue with overblown expectations? I'm guilty of some of these mistakes myself, I'll admit, but remember - it's only a failure if you've learned nothing from it.

3. Stay Up to Date. One thing to be said about the Internet is that innovations here happen on an almost daily basis. And an innovation for someone else means profit for you. For example, when the concept of space tourism was pioneered, domains such as SpaceTravel.com were snatched up overnight - and I can pretty much guarantee that in a few years' time, the person who owns the domain name will be able to sell it for a six-figure sum at least. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge

ilding on my first advice, not only should you be ready to dust yourself off and get on with the rest of your online adventure after a failed startup, but you should also try to learn something from it. Ask yourself - why didn't it work? Did you not invest enough time? Did you not do market research? Did you try to work in a field that you have no serious knowledge of? Did you approach the issue with overblown expectations? I'm guilty of some of these mistakes myself, I'll admit, but remember - it's only a failure if you've learned nothing from it.

3. Stay Up to Date. One thing to be said about the Internet is that innovations here happen on an almost daily basis. And an innovation for someone else means profit for you. For example, when the concept of space tourism was pioneered, domains such as SpaceTravel.com were snatched up overnight - and I can pretty much guarantee that in a few years' time, the person who owns the domain name will be able to sell it for a six-figure sum at least. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge

failure if you've learned nothing from it.

3. Stay Up to Date. One thing to be said about the Internet is that innovations here happen on an almost daily basis. And an innovation for someone else means profit for you. For example, when the concept of space tourism was pioneered, domains such as SpaceTravel.com were snatched up overnight - and I can pretty much guarantee that in a few years' time, the person who owns the domain name will be able to sell it for a six-figure sum at least. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge

. But don't go off to register domain names yourself - just keep in mind that any innovation or recent development is a profit opportunity in disguise. Therefore, if you're really serious about making a living off the Internet, make sure you know what's happening, where and why.

4. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

One of the many blessings of the Internet is that entry barriers are often non-existent. To be sure, certain ventures might require you to have some technical knowledge (web design immediately comes to mind) - but, by and large, setting up your own start-up on the Internet is far easier than opening a business in the "real" world. For you, this means that you can experiment at will with very little to none up-front costs. So don't be scared.

5. Believe in Yourself and in What You Do

At the end of the day, none of what I recommended above matters if you fail to follow this simple advice. I've met a lot of people who are critical of one's opportunities to make ends meet on the Internet (let's call them e-cynics). These people do not have to be poorly educated or a failure in life; e-cynics, in fact, can often have a high-paying, prestigious job, brilliant education and anything else you care to name. My advice is, if they sit there and tell you how the Internet cannot be a serious source of income, ignore them. Believe in yourself and in what you do, because, no matter what you end up doing online, there will always be someone out there telling you that you are barking mad and generally wasting your time. As with any business experiment, it all comes down to faith - and if you don't believe that the product or service you are offering will be in demand by the consumers, why are you even bothering?

Use these simple 5 steps and you can pretty much expect to see some of your online goals fulfilled in the not-too-distant future. Remember that perseverance is the key – and if at first you don’t succeed, try again.