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Computer Times
February Feature Article

Making Money With Computers

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Making money with computers does not mean printing money using a color laser printer, although that could win you free room and board for 20 years as a guest of the federal government. Making money with computers means using the power of the computer to provide a product or service from the comfort of your home or office.

There are many books on the market to help you make money with your computer. One that is very well written is Entrepreneur Magazine's Making Money With Your Personal Computer, ISBN 0-471-10981-9 (Retail $14.95). This book provides detailed information on 24 businesses including:

This book also has advice on

Many large companies began in someone's basement or garage, even before the advent of computers. Now, with the power of the personal computer, some good old-fashioned determination, and a little seed money, nearly anyone can find a way to make money with computers.

We recommend you avoid getting a business loan to start making money with computers. When you use your own seed money, however little you may have, you are truly your own boss. Every dollar you invest in yourself only costs you a dollar and not a dollar plus high interest. Plus, every dollar of profit belongs to you and you alone.

Beware when investing your dollars. If you look at business opportunities in magazines and newspapers, they make it sound like anyone with a computer can get rich quick. Ads and postcards tell us we can make thousands of dollars a month with our computer, working part-time. The fact is, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

When I get calls offering me such great deals, I always tell the caller I wouldn't feel right taking such an opportunity away from them. I also remind them that they could make much more money by doing what they're recommending than by selling me their idea, IF the opportunity is such a great deal. Every legitimate way we have seen to make money with computers takes good old-fashioned hard work and does not make you rich overnight.

The most important thing for you to do before you decide to make money with your computer is to ask yourself what you love to do. I think this is the most important ingredient in making money with computers, or in making money any other way.

Once you make a list of what you love to do, then you can match it with one or more of the many businesses in which you can use your computer to make money. In addition to the 23 businesses we listed earlier in this article, you may wish to consider:

The list is endless. Virtually anything that deals with information can be offered from a computer-based business.

In addition to matching your talents to the business opportunity, you need to determine if there is a need for your product or service. Timing is very important. Bulletin board systems (BBS) used to be very hot. When the Internet became hot, BBS operators starved if they were not also Internet Services Providers.

You also need to check out your competitors. Are they making a good living? What can you offer that is better than they provide? How can you use your computer to help make your product/service unique? With careful planning and hard work, computers can help you make a lot of money.

Finally, think about how you might expand your client base by creatively using the Internet to become a global business. The Internet provides a host of opportunities that have not even been thought of yet.

We wish you great success with your business in the year 2004. J

Till next month . . .

Happy Computing! J

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