Attention all folks new to internet business: I have found five true secrets to success as a business owner! In fact, I've known them all along, and you probably have to.

The five secrets are not marketing, not some 'wonder software' and not something that costs money. The secrets are:

Hard work
Belief in yourself
Goals
Motivation
Knowledge
Let's take a look at these secrets one at a time.

HARD WORK

If you think success is going to come easy, you think the wrong thing. Every successful online marketer, business owner and reseller I can think of worked very hard to get their businesses to the level of success they are at right now. Even those who were able to make a living on the 'net within a year probably spent that year working harder than they have in their entire lives.

If you do achieve success in record time (i.e., if you started your business a week ago, even a month ago, and already make four figures or more) you're either very lucky, or very smart! Either way, drop me a line and let me know what you did so that I can do it too!

BELIEF IN YOURSELF

Face the facts: if you don't believe in yourself and your abilities, no one else will either. Sure, you'll make mistakes along the way. Everyone has, everyone does. But you're human, and so am I. Human beings are perfect in that we are imperfect. But we learn from our mistakes.

Don't let criticism get you down, either. Criticism, whether it's from family, other business folk, or even yourself can be a deadly thing. But it's only deadly if you don't believe in yourself! Don't let anyone knock you down. It's okay if you learn from criticism what you aren't doing right in your business, if the criticism is constructive. But if people knock you simply because they're jealous, misinformed, or plain old jackasses, ignore them and listen to you.

GOALS

You need a set goal, or even a set of goals, to succeed in business. Your goal could be earning $1000 a month by a set time. It could be to simply get your site up and running by a certain time frame.

Goals are ever changing things. Make sure you have your main goal in place (to retire by your thirty-first birthday, for example), and a set of mini-goals to achieve your main goal.

My main goal is to earn enough money with my business to support myself without a JOB to go to. My mini-goals range from redesigning my website to finding better accounting methods (and anything in between).

Write down your main goal and post it where you are apt to see it at least three times a day. Keep your mini-goals written in a notebook so you know what you have to accomplish that day, week or month. That little 'To Do List' you have, by the way, is actually your set of mini-goals.

MOTIVATION

No one can accomplish anything if they aren't properly motivated. Whether your goal is to make extra cash on the side, to earn your full income from the internet, or to retire young, you won't achieve that goal unless you have the proper motivation.

Perhaps you're fed up with the way your boss treats you. Maybe you've reached the salary cap in your field and it still isn't enough income. You want to stay home with the kids and still earn a steady, livable income.

KNOWLEDGE

If you want to succeed in your own business, heck if you want to succeed at anything, you need the knowledge to reach and surpass your competitor's (and your role model's) heights.

Seek the knowledge. Gain and retain the knowledge. If you can't remember everything you read, especially online, take notes, print it out, or save the information to floppy disk. Do what ya gotta do! Just so long as you're learning.

Use the Internet as a learning source. There are many websites online to get information from. Go to the library and find books and magazines on marketing, accounting, advertising, etc.

Remember, folks, the five true secrets of success: hard work, belief in yourself, goals, motivation and knowledge.