I was chatting with a friend of mine recently, and we found ourselves on the subject of my website and ebook. I rambled on about how pleased I am with the way this project is going, and he asked me: "What got you involved with internet marketing in the first place?"

I thought about this question for a second, then gave him an honest answer. "I got involved in this business because I was a sucker."

We both had a good chuckle at this. My friend laughed because my response caught him off guard, but I was laughing because what I said was true.

You see, I came to the wonderful world of net marketing without a shred of marketing experience. Sure, I had been a bit of an entrepreneur all my life, and even been self employed a few times, but I had no real idea of how to effectively promote a product, or even draft a business plan.

I was drawn to this niche by the residual effects of too many infomercials and "get rich quick" ads in the classified section of my local newspaper. Even before I owned a computer, I used to fantasize about making a ton of money with some "secret wealth system".

I admit it folks.

I honestly believed there were "little known methods" that could make the average person rich with just a bit of hard work and an open mind. The mainstream population, I told myself, was just too brainwashed to accept these opportunities. All I needed to do was get myself a PC with an internet connection, tap into the right system, and I'd be on my way.

Yeah...

A few thousand dollars and countless hours of frustration later, I had a frightening thought. Had I been duped? Was all this internet marketing stuff just a scam?

Or... could it be... was it possible... that maybe I just wanted an easy way out, and was willing to believe in even the most ludicrous of proposals in a blind effort to find that golden opportunity that would have me basking on a beach somewhere while my replicated affiliate website did all the work for me?

Could I have been personally responsible for the wasted money and lost time, because I was buying into ideals that I knew deep down were nothing more that fluff and rubbish?

Ouch. Now there's an uncomfortable thought. Sometimes the truth hurts.

The fact is, many people come to the land of biz opp affiliate programs and MLM systems in search of fast, easy money. In the end, just about every one of these desperate hopefuls ends up in one of the following situations.

1. They lose a ton of money and give up in complete frustration.

or...

2. They have a light bulb moment and realize how silly their original ideals were. Such moments of clarity are a fantastic opportunity to step back, change perspective, and have an honest look at where one might fit into the net marketing puzzle.

There is money to be made here. All kinds of different people have built successful businesses within this niche.

But these people are not the day dreamers, the star gazers, the whiners, or the suckers. They are marketers with clearly defined objectives, strong action plans, and tireless work ethics.

The good news is, even if you were a sucker coming into this business, every moment contains the possibility of a new beginning. I had my awakening after a few slaps in the face, and with the help of a few great people who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. If you aren't making any money with what you are doing, maybe you just need a new perspective.

Tim Whiston is a full-time entrepreneur and internet marketer. He publishes a monthly ezine, and is the author of a popular e-book entitled From Zero to Profit.