Here is some feedback I recently received from one of my home business advice newsletter readers:

"I have joined a lot of free home businesses and have made no money. I am determined to succeed at this internet thing, but I need help. I'm not going to spend money on this and waste it. Do you know where I can get a simple step by step FREE manual so I can start my home business?" -- Jeff M.

And here is the advice I gave Jeff...

Have you spent months, maybe even years, looking for a way to make a living from home on the internet? If you are only considering what is commonly referred to as a "free home business", you are likely to be looking for a long time to come. You can avoid wasting more time and effort by understanding the realities of running an internet home business.

I began the journey of owning a home based business several months ago. Like many others, I found the task of marketing my business overwhelming and frustrating. Without marketing, you don't make sales, and without sales, you can't profitably run your business. After spending countless hours on the computer and throwing many dollars down the drain, I learned one very important thing: You must combine mass marketing with a personal touch.

There are many great marketing tools you can use to achieve mass marketing including pay per click engines, placing ads, buying leads, banner advertising, and exchanging links just to name a few. While these methods can produce positive results, they lack the personal connection many new business owners need to build a true customer base.