Would you believe there are tens of thousands of people who have found ways to make money online? Not only that, but their incomes are significant and growing, due to little competition and low cost of entry. If I can do it, then there is no reason why you can't. You can literally begin making money right away.

There are many, many, opportunities online, but here are the 5 factors you really need to consider, to guarantee your success:

1. Set your goals.
As with any business you need to set goals. Goals help you visualize where you want to go, and keep you motivated when you get up in the morning. You goal may be to earn $500 or $10000 a month, it may be to take that dream vacation, or it may be to give up your job. These are all great goals. It is imperative that you write them down and reread them often. You need a short term goal - e.g monthly goal, to keep you motivated from day to day and a longer term goal 1-2 years - to keep you on track and prevent you from chucking it in. I am confident that if you adopt a positive attitude and embrace your goals then you will soon be making money online.

2. Take time to research.
As I alluded to earlier there are many people making money online - and there are thousands of different businesses that you can try. The internet is a mine field of information and making money online opportunities are not difficult to find. However you will need to decipher the genuine opportunities from the scams. Many online promises are just methods to extract money from you. Some do's and don'ts

DON'T fall for the get rich quick schemes that promise huge returns in record time
DO try and email or telephone for more information
DO search online for feedback on the opportunity e.g. try name of opportunity + scam
DON'T part with money without consulting a friend you can trust and/or sleeping on it.

3. Find something that you like.
You're the boss now - so do yourself a favor and choose something you enjoy. This will greatly enhance your chances of success. A few things to consider:

Do you enjoy writing?
Do you enjoy talking to people?
Do you enjoy working on the computer?
Do you have a flair for sales?
Are there particular things that you are passionate about e.g sports, music?
Do you want to be contactable 24x7?
Do you want to have flexible/fixed hours?

Personally I like to work on my computer on my own time and my choice of internet business matches this. Find out what suits you, and you can weed out the business ventures which are not for you. Don't settle for second best - choose something you are comfortable with.

4. Find something worth your while.
While it is a good idea to avoid the sales pitch that promises the sun, moon, and stars; it is also important that you don't take the safe option - that guarantees $5 an hour for sending emails, filling our surveys, or licking stamps. These amount to you underselling yourself, because the opportunities of making money on the internet are so much greater. Look for systems which offer a good monthly return for a few hours work a day - if you find something with a residual income all the better.

5. Anything for an easier life!
One of my motivations for venturing into internet marketing was to create an easier life for myself. As I sat in my day job I used to think - There must be easier ways to make money - and there are! Earning a living online means that you have the luxury of working from home and choosing your own hours. It is important that you can exploit these perks, by being able to take time off, take extra vacations and spend more time with your family. You need to avoid the 40-50 hours a week for the sake of your sanity.

You have taken the first step by reading this article - you now just need to act upon it. I wish you the very best in your online endeavors.