This is an inspiring story!

This may be the longest Bulletin I have issued but I do recommend you read all of it. The following message is from Melanie Mendelson who I have been in contact with for sometime as I have used some of her products to help me with my business. Her story fits so well with the ethos of my site I include it in full. Hope you enjoy and are inspired by it!

"Hi Michael,

As you know by now, I make a full-time living from home, on the Internet. No more JOB for me! Many people ask me about my story how I got from a job-hating corporate bug to a successful Internet entrepreneur... so if you want to know too, here's my story.

I used to work in a corporate IT job that I really hated. Actually, I didn't like any of the full-time jobs that I had. I just didn't like working for others in general.

What really drove me crazy is the dreadful routine of having to come in and sit in the office Monday through Friday from 9 to 5... regardless of whether there was work to do or not. There was no incentive to finish your work faster- you still had to "do your time" and sit there!

In fact, being too fast or "too smart for your own good" could backfire - the bosses would be annoyed that you did not look busy enough or that you are smarter than they are. And if you are smarter than your boss, you better hide it.

I felt like I was selling away the precious time out of my life - the time that cannot be brought back.

And then there were those corporate meetings where people drone on and on about the same thing... they take hours to say whatever can be said in 5 minutes... having to sit there, listen and nod my head made me want to pull my hair out! Not to mention all the politics, games and back stabbing that goes on in a corporate world... enough said.

At first I thought that switching jobs might help and some other company will be better. Well, some companies were a little better, others worse, but the bottom line is that they all sucked. Even though I was paid very well (close to 6 figures), I was never happy working full-time. I guess I'm just not cut out to be the "employee" type.

So for several years I was thinking of ways to quit my job and work for myself. My day job was in computer programming, so I knew how to make websites. The most obvious thing for me would be to become a freelance computer programmer or web designer.

I've tried that path by doing some freelance computer work on the side, and realized that this business model wasn't for me. Here's why: I didn't like trading hours for dollars. When you are in the service business (like web design), people pay you for a project. You finish the project and get paid. And that's it - no more money until you find another project. It's too much like a job, except instead of having one boss you have different clients.

I wanted the type of business where the money wouldn't stop coming in when I stop working. I also knew I wanted an Internet-based business. I'm a typical introvert, so just the thought of having to make sales pitches over the phone or face-to-face makes me cringe. Yes, I admit I like to hide behind a computer screen.

I've created a couple of websites on several topics, but they were just sitting in cyberspace and not making any money. They just had free content and no business model. Until one day as I was surfing the Internet I came across the business concept of "e-books".

The e-book business model clicked with me immediately. I really liked the idea of "write it once and sell it over and over". 100% profit margins, full control over the product, not having to carry inventory - it sounded like a perfect business!

So I got really excited about the e-book business, and I was on my way! I decided to write a weight loss e-book. A few years back, I lost 23 lbs, so I knew exactly what to do to lose weight. And since most people these days are overweight and are desperate to shed extra pounds, I knew that my topic was hot, hot, hot!

When I first told people how I was going to write a weight loss e-book, sell it online and quit my job, they laughed at me and thought I was completely nuts. Not a single person I knew believed that it was really possible to make money on the Internet. Well, I've had the last laugh.

I took ACTION and started writing my e-book. I would write it several hours a day - during my lunch hour at work, and in the evenings when I got home. Writing was a real drag, but I kept forcing myself to do it - I knew that it was MY WAY OUT.

When my first e-book was finally done, I put it online and started selling it. That e-book went live in September of 2002. I sold about $300 worth of e-books in the first week, and I was absolutely thrilled! I now knew for sure that people will buy my e-book, and it is really possible to make money online by selling e-books.

I now knew that I could really make it on my own, and I went ahead and handed my 2-week notice to my big bad boss. I finally quit that dreaded job and never looked back. October 10, 2002 was my Independence Day. It was one of the happiest days of my life.

I continued with my e-book business, and kept writing and selling more and more e-books. My first year in business I made around $20,000 profit, the second year around $50,000, and the 3rd year I broke the 6-figure barrier and now make over $100K... purely online!

The more e-books I wrote, the easier it became. I developed a SYSTEM that I follow, which allows me to churn out e-books in exactly 24 hours of work. Check out my "24 Hour E-book Writing System" I hope my story inspires you. All you need to do to duplicate my success is TAKE ACTION.

Here's To YOUR Success,

Melanie Mendelson"

That's it folks you know what to do!

I've said it before "ACTION IS THE KEY".

Best wishes,

Michael Harrison.

You can contact me at anytime on Bulletin@be-your-own-business-expert.com If you think this article would interest a friend or collegue please feel free to pass it on.

Use it on your web site or in your publications. All you have to do is place the following 'resource box' after each article.

Article by Michael Harrison, Author, Consultant and Business Builder.