You must choose a business model in order for your online business to take off and succeed. I have now observed most of the models available, including the coaching model, membership sites, information product creation, and affiliate marketing. The only one of these that I do not recommend for the long run is the coaching model, where it is completely dependent upon you being there in order to make any money. Instead, I prefer business models that can lead to both passive and residual income while you are doing other activities that are important in your daily life.
One of my favorites is affiliate marketing. This is where you recommend and promote other people’s products and services in return for a commission on each sale. Make sure to purchase the product before you ask anyone else to buy, and have a good reason for doing so. There are so many products out there that you will have your pick of what to recommend with your community. Once you get your systems in place with your affiliate links, this can be an excellent and ongoing source of revenue.
Membership sites continue to be an excellent online business model. I particularly like this one because it encourages me to create new content, training, and other resources each month for the people who are depending on me. These members also give me wonderful feedback on how they are benefitting from what I include, as well as what else they would like for me to add. You can also sell annual memberships to your sites, making it cost effective for members to pay in advance for the upcoming year.
Information product creation involves creating new products to sell online for years to come. It took me one full year to create my first product, and now I can do this in about 48 hours or so because I have more experience. Start with simple products at first, such as eBooks or audio recordings. Then you can add to these to offer more value at a higher price. I like to have digital products on a variety of topics and price points so that people can enter my product funnel at any point that works for them.
You can see that there are many ways to run your online business profitably. I would encourage you to explore each one of these business models to see which ones make sense for what you are working to achieve. Over time you will learn more and be able to create the perfect mix to make working on the Internet the best way for you to earn a living.