| I can tell you that one of the best ways to make | | | | If we were to go back to the Walt Disney era, we |
| money is by creating an unconventional product or | | | | will realize that there is a historic tendency to mock |
| service which satisfies a hungry market. | | | | ingenuity. For instance, Walt Disney, the creator of |
| Unfortunately, the lack of creativity is what I notice | | | | Disneyland had a vision. This vision stemmed by his |
| most frequently in online business. Most websites | | | | unconventional mode of thought which people around |
| which market a product or service have a generic | | | | him were familiar. However, similar to Facebook and |
| look and feel. | | | | Twitter, Mr. Disney was actually mocked and ridiculed |
| Do you remember the dot com boom? Well, when | | | | for his Disneyland idea. The sad thing is that this is |
| the dot com boom was really booming, people knew | | | | common among geniuses. Just look at the times |
| that they had to come up with the next new thing | | | | when people stated that the earth may be round. |
| to even have a chance at success. Being innovative | | | | They were charged with heresy. Similarly, before |
| was primary, and practical business sense came | | | | giving it a chance, Disneyland was coined by the |
| somewhere later on. Just think, the Internet was | | | | press as "Disney's Folly". The funny thing is that now |
| relatively new. If someone could invent something on | | | | we all know that the earth is round, and that |
| the Internet which could made something which we | | | | Disneyland was such a huge success that it spun off |
| use frequently more accessible, they would stand to | | | | into Disney World, and others. |
| make millions, if not billions of dollars. If you think that | | | | One thing that you have to prepare yourself for |
| I am exaggerating, just hop on one of the search | | | | when you step outside of the normal mode of |
| engines and type in the name, "Mark Cuban". Mark | | | | thought, is ridicule. Let us go back to the year of |
| Cuban is a dot com billionaire. He became a billionaire | | | | 1996. Back then, the Internet was quite new. Now, |
| by selling his idea for Internet radio, and now can be | | | | picture yourself having come up with a plan to create |
| seen court side at Dallas Maverick games, seeing that | | | | an Internet business which will garner its success |
| he used some of his well deserved money to buy | | | | from giving everything away for free. How do you |
| the team. | | | | think people would have responded to you if you had |
| Ten to twelve years ago, it is not simply okay to | | | | proposed that idea. Perhaps a few would think that |
| have any old site. Rather, you had to stand out. Of | | | | you ought to be institutionalized. |
| course, this often leads to more flash than | | | | Do you know what is funny? A company actually |
| substance, which I believe contributed to the dot | | | | developed a business with the plan to give |
| com fall. | | | | everything away for free, and went through with |
| Now I have an exercise for you to take on. I want | | | | that plan. The company is Hotmail. Hotmail gave their |
| you to turn off your computer monitor, and | | | | e-mail platform aways for free in an era where in |
| problem-solve. Think of new and innovative ways to | | | | order to have an email account you either needed to |
| make money. You have the facts on your side. Unlike | | | | be a student, been employed by a cutting edge |
| entrepreneurs in the past, you know that success is | | | | employer, or paid out of pocket. Hotmail was the |
| highly possible on the Internet. New creations keep | | | | very first company to give away free email accounts. |
| on coming via the Internet. Just look at the most | | | | This is often forgotten. |
| recent stars, Twitter and Facebook. Can you believe | | | | What Hotmail was doing, was identifying a target |
| that both of these websites were actually criticized | | | | market which would generate a fortune for them in |
| for breaking tradition. Who do you think has the last | | | | the future. They took what was know and accepted |
| laugh. | | | | as a paid service, made it better, and gave it away |
| The thing about the Internet as it sits today, is that | | | | for free. Because of Hotmail, it became easy to |
| it is perpetually in puberty. It is continues to grow at | | | | check your email from anywhere in the world with an |
| an exponential rate. Last count, there were in excess | | | | Internet connection. This was not the norm back |
| of 40 billion websites on the Internet, but that | | | | them. Shortly after, Hotmail was able to generate |
| number may change by the time I have finished | | | | income by selling ads, and eventually got the big |
| writing this article, so do not hold me to that number. | | | | payday when they were purchased by Microsoft. |
| Nonetheless, you cannot just add your one or two | | | | The notion of identifying a paid for service, and giving |
| websites to this portal, and think that anyone is going | | | | it away for free is alive and well. However, if you |
| to pay attention. You have to identify a market niche | | | | want to share the same type of success as |
| which has a need, and give them the solution to their | | | | Facebook, Twitter, and Hotmail, it is likely that you |
| need. Take Twitter, for example. Twitter takes care | | | | will need to do more than merely copy what they |
| of the need to streamline information to a vast array | | | | have done. Of course, that something is the question |
| of individuals in an instant. Twitter was able to | | | | which needs to be answered. Whoever can answer |
| identify a niche in online communication, and provided | | | | this question will have discovered ways to make |
| a solution to the needs of this niche. | | | | money in the millions, or even billions. |