I've just about heard it all when it comes to people's opinions on how to succeed at starting a business, weather online or offline. Everything from, "you absolutely have to have a business plan" to "failure is imminent without my new software". Although a business plan is very important and I use some very valuable software applications to grow my business, there is one aspect of success that seems to be very hard for many people to overcome.

Let me start by tell a story about when I first started in internet marketing. Before I began selling anything I hired someone to coach me. To be honest he didn't have any really revolutionary ideas, pretty much the same as the other guru's but he was honest with me when I needed to hear the truth. I followed his instructions on researching niches. Once he wrote me with a suggestion that he thought would make it easier for me but I responded saying but I thought what he was suggesting was nearly impossible. I emailed back and told him, "I can't do that, it's too hard". His response was paramount to my success. It changed everything for me. He replied saying, "John, if you think you can't then you're probably right".

I knew exactly what he was saying, my own thoughts about what I thought I could and could not do were holding me back. I decided that very day that I could in fact do what he suggested to find a profitable niche. Not only did I find a very profitable niche, I found 10 profitable niches. I quickly started my first internet business selling a hard good product and it turned out to be a total success. This rest as they say is history.

So I encourage you to ask yourself, what could you do if you removed "I can't" from your vocabulary and weren't hindered by what you think are your abilities. I knew nothing about the niche I started in and even so it took off like gangbusters. I learned about my product as I went along. I didn't know how to build a website but I learned. My success had nothing to do with starting capital because I started with less than $300.

Your success at any business venture has very little to do with talent, money you have to invest, knowledge or the product and a whole host of other excuses that people come up with about why they can't start an internet business. You success does have everything to do with your determination to succeed and perseverance when challenges come your way. I'm not saying to throw money down the toilet because you don't want to give up, please use common sense. I am saying, if after a few days, weeks or months and you haven't made any money, don't decide that online marketing isn't for you. Move on to find another niche. There are millions of hungry buyers in thousands of niches waiting to buy. Keep plugging away until you find a need to meet in that niche and fill that need. It will only take a few months to get to know your market.

Every single month, there are literally millions of people searching for information on how to make money on the internet, yet less than 3% of those people ever actually make any money. The difference between those that succeed and those that do not is that the ones who make money don't back down when faced with the same challenges that all online marketers face. It comes down to this, you have to delete the phrase, "I can't" from your vocabulary. Don't be one of the 97% that give up right before you strike gold.