I write a lot about doing business in the Philippines (or anywhere else you may happen to live) online.  The term “online” immediately turns a lot of people off.  They start thinking about some of those spammy/scammy “buy my route to success” courses or worse yet, the male enhancement or female enhancement products.  Yuk.

Yes, it’s true that technically those bottom feeder folks are working online too, but I focus on ‘real’ business ideas.  A lot of people also have this attitude that money online is not ‘real’.  I don’t actually comprehend where this thought comes from, but a belief doesn’t have to be based on facts in order for it to seem very real indeed to the person who holds it.  All I can say is, I finally finished my taxes today (online, of course) and I wish one of you out there who thinks that online money isn’t real would contact the US IRS and make a case for me … it seems real when you pay taxes on it

Just a couple days back I published an article on teaching conversational English (or any other language you might be competent in) on line.  One of the resources I mentioned was a service called Skype.  In fact I pointed you to a Skype case study of a high-end English “brick and mortar” school who was expanding (profitably I might add) their services out from their real-world building into the rest of the world using Skype as one of their primary tools.

There are other ways to use the Internet, with or without your computer) to use the Internet as a world-wide free, or very cheap, tool for business communication, but Skype is what I use and it has some tremendous advantages if you are starting from square one.  I just came across this article which confirms how big Skype really is in the “real world” now.  If you still live with ‘wire based” carriers, or if you are thinking of investing in any of them, think again.  Like “dead tree” newspapers, they are last century technology and Voice Over Internet protocol (VOIP) carriers are where it is at, for at least the first part of this century.  Doesn’t matter if your need is to chat with family members around the world or to make a business for yourself that will cause you to forget about that antiquated thing called a “job”, VOIP is where it is at and Skype is in the lead:

Skype Tops All in International Calls

By Ryan Singel March 24, 2009 | 12:29:40 PM

Skype is now the largest provider of international phone calls in the world.

That’s according to telecom research firm Telegeography, which estimates that Skype’s cross-border traffic shot up to 33 billion minutes in 2008, up more than 40% from the year before.

That includes about 25 million minutes of free "Skype-to-Skype" traffic that travels only through internet pipes and doesn’t even go over the traditional telephone network. A little over 8 billion minutes are paid "Skype Out" calls that go from a user’s computer to traditional telephones….

Now that you have communication needs in place, what else is available online that can help you run a business … or even make a business out of “thin air”?

Here’s one tool that a person could make money with right away, especially given the tight job situation in the US.  be and online assistant/virtual office staff person and be independent.  Work for a number of doctors, dentists, lawyers, service provider firms and drive their business profits higher, while they pay you only a fraction of what they would have to pay and in-office ‘real’ staff member:

This company, Lattiss, essential provides a basic business web site and online appointment and payment service for nay business.  It’s priced very low, a completely usable version is actually free.  The for pay versions are very little more, on the order of a buck or two per day per business you would serve.  Basically Lattiss’s business plan is to sell their service direct to business owners who need it … and what business doesn’t have a need for scheduling appointments, service calls, product demos, classes or even payments?

Their model is working fine, but you also can imagine a., they can’t catch the eye of every business in the world and b., many business owners aren’t going to sign up/set up an account with them.  That’s where you come in, my bussing entrepreneur friend, of any nationality, based anywhere.

You approach business (there are millions to chose from, maybe you focus on every business in your home town in the USA to start with).  You offer them an online presence, an online appointment system, and online staffer to keep the appointments straight for a very small fraction of what their monthly bill would be for a ‘real’ staffer to do the work, and then you use whatever flavor of Lattiss is best to actually set up the account and keep things rolling.  It’s like being a web hosting provider and website developer all rolled into one, except you don’t have to know anything about the technology … all you have to do is stay in touch with your client, and , if appropriate, make those appointment remainder calls that doctors and dentists love so well, mainly because they are proven, real-world money makers.  Piece of cake.

OK, there’s enough ideas for one day.  Maybe this idea is not for you, but it may open your eyes to something easier and more smart than the old standby of opening an unprofitable Internet cafe or competing with the other 7 sari-sari stores on your block.

My idea here isn’t to deliver a ready to open turn-key business package, but more to stimulate your thoughts.  They way I see it, there are two ways to make money in business these days.  You can get a job cleaning the toilets in the rest rooms, or you can be the owner of the whole office building.  The beauty of moving yourself online is, the investment required is virtually the same … zero or close to it.

I know which one appeals to me the most.

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