Online Business Success -- Will This Be My Year?

I've been involved in ways to make money online for several years, but now it's the time to get serious about it. I'm currently working at home for a big fortune 500 company that employs home workers. I thank the good Lord for being able to work at home. The pay is not all that great, but it’s better than some jobs outside of the home. I began my online endeavors several years ago selling on eBay. I did my research. I got a business license and a business bank account. I signed up with the best drop shipping guide in the business and opened an eBay store. I did quite well and actually reached the coveted status of "Power Seller". Woo-hoo! Yeah, it really was fun. I enjoyed doing advertising banners for my products. I loved setting up products in my store. I even enjoyed the competition. I was the first to sell some products on eBay. What I mean is that I was the only person selling a particular product on eBay. No one else was selling it on eBay. I was making a lot of sales then all of a sudden, everybody and their grandma, aunt Suzie and cousin Pookie were selling it too -- and at a lower price. That cut into my sales, but that’s what it’s all about. I would then look for another good product to sell. What I enjoyed most of all is getting email that said, “You made a sale!” I loved going to my Pay Pal account to check my balance. I remember my very first sell. I had placed only a few products in my store. I was just sitting at my computer and got an email saying I'd just made a sale! Wow. Because I had a drop-shipper, I never had to spend money on the actual product until after I got paid by the buyer. It was great. That was the most enjoyable time of my entire work life. That all ended though. What happened?

To make a long story short, I closed the eBay store and stopped selling. There was the constant, never-ending changes and higher fees eBay levied on it's sellers. That's how they earned the name "Fee-bay ". In hind site, I realize I closed my store way too soon. I didn’t plan ahead. I should have stayed with eBay for the traffic & used it in conjunction with a website of my own. I was going to, but never got around to actually setting my store up on my own domain and website to avoid the higher fees. That was my mistake and it’s my own fault. At that time, I was also somewhat successful with affiliate marketing. I was happy and excited about that too, but it wasn't enough money to boast or brag about. Consequently, my finances ran low and I had to go back into the corporate world for a job to support myself. I hated it, but back to the rat race I had to go. Can you hear the game show sound bite in the background going, “Wonk, wonk, wonk, wonk, woooonk” ? My eyes closed, my head dropped, and my face was in the palm of my hand.

Being back in the rat race took away my enthusiasm. I became complacent. I was so numb that I stopped doing affiliate marketing. That was stupid. I even lost some earned affiliate money simply because I didn’t bother to login and check my affiliate account for over a year. I didn’t realize that if money laid dormant after so many months you’d lose it. I was just like the other rats in the rat race. I got used to being a “slave ". However, after a while I grew more discontent with the low pay. I was tired of the commute back and forth, car problems, high gasoline prices, office politics, the favoritism, etc. I hated having to ask or tell someone when I needed to go the the break room or to the restroom. I’m a grown woman and some of the so-called supervisors were barely out of high school. They were ten or fifteen years my junior. Why should I have to ask them to go the the restroom or beg to have time off to take care of some personal business? Argh! In short order, I regained the desire to work at home. I got that fighting spirit back. Once you’ve tasted the freedom of working at home and for yourself, things are simply not the same. Anyone reading this who’s been successful on their own knows what I mean. Things are just not the same. That desire might get buried under a load of circumstances and cares, but it will eventually come back. I began to search the Internet for companies that hire home workers, I applied to some and was fortunate to be hired by one of them.

I was hired to work at home! Yay! I was so excited. Things were great. There was paid training, an intelligent and professional staff. It was wonderful. I loved the training. I loved the people. I loved the job. Nearly a year went by, then all of a sudden things changed. The salary was messed with, more duties were added, more rules and procedures had to be followed. It goes on and on and on. Lord, I’m working at home, but here I am again. Ta-dat tada ! A light bulb came on above my head. Great discovery folks! Even though I'm working at home, it’s still a job and I'm working for someone else. I have more freedom than being physically on the corporate campus, but it's still a job. I’m on a longer leash, but it’s still a leash... and it’s choking me! Yes, I can work in my PJ’s if I want to. I don't have to worry about high gas prices or car repairs anymore. I don’t have to work in the presence of cursing obnoxious people, etc but it's still a J-O-B! I’m at the mercy of an employer who can “yank my chain ”, change the rules in the middle of the game, and even end my employment at anytime for just about any reason it wants. I don’t want to live like this anymore. As I stated before, I thank God for working at home. I’m grateful to even have a job right now because many people don’t in this economy. In the beginning, I absolutely loved this job. Things changed and it’s not for me anymore. Due to the poor economy, I’m staying put for now, but in the meantime I’m making plans for my escape to freedom.

I have that spirit of freedom stirring inside me again. I want to work for myself. The only limits on me should be from the Lord, God almighty and me, myself. I've come to the conclusion, that I'm not going to be completely happy in my work life until I am independent again. I want to be free. That’s my goal. I'm going to make this year, the year I get back in to eCommerce, and affiliate marketing. I don’t know how long it will take me to get back to where I was and beyond, but I will get there. I can be successful online. I did it once and I can do it again. This time I will take my business and online success more seriously. I will make better plans. I will stay focused. I learned much in the process before so I can kick it up a notch or two this time around.

I chose the screen name NoRR4Me because it stands for “No Rat Race For Me ”. I’m sick and tired of the rat race. I hate it. I don't plan on ever going back. I have experience with eBay and affiliate marketing, but there are so many more ways to earn a living via the Internet now. From what I’ve been reading, doing what I’m doing now, writing a Hub for HubPages could be very profitable. This is my very first Hub. I hope this is the first of many more to come. I’m ready. It's time to get serious about online business. It's time to get real. How about you? Do you have that spirit of freedom burning inside your heart? Will you join me in achieving online business success this year?

Reader, if you reached this article from the Internet (not the Hub Pages website), Hub Pages is a great place to use your writing skills on topics you love. Come share your expertise & make money at the same time. Best wishes to you.