A couple of weeks ago I traveled from Eugene, Oregon to Los Angeles, California to attend a conference. Leaving the comfort of my home-based office is actually an infrequent occurrence for me.
Nowadays, my business travel is minimal because the majority (at least 95%) of my business is conducted by way of the Internet and phone.
The truth is, I don’t have to travel for business if I don’t want to. Not just on commercial airlines, but by way of driving to local meetings. I am very self-contained because of the power of the Internet in running my business.

My business is to work with speakers, authors, coaches and consultants who are ready to turn their knowledge into money making products and services that they can sell on and with the Internet.
The rules constantly change
Back to my trip. Because I know the rules are constantly changing, I checked the website of the airline I was traveling on to see if yet more restrictions had been added by the FAA or by the airline. As it turns out, there were new restrictions.
In the past you could check two pieces of luggage without any problem. Now, they allow one piece of carry on, one checked bag and anything beyond that has a charge. The first bag beyond your carry on and one checked bag has a charge of $25.
Thinking I would carry one of my suitcases on the plane and check the other, I proceeded to pack what I would need for my five day stay. I made sure to use the one suitcase I have used for years as a carry-on.
When I checked in I was told both my bags would have to be checked due to the carry on bag size being smaller than in that past. Carry-ons are now about the size of a computer bag. Hmmmm.
Knowing there was really no way around it at that moment, I pulled out my credit card and gave it to the Delta representative to process the $25 fee for the second checked bag.
At least I knew to expect that on the way home too. I figured a total of $50 was not that big of a deal and not worth getting frustrated over. Actually, it was kind of nice not having to carry anything on the plane.
More of the same
Yesterday I received an email from another airline I have used in the past. The email was to inform me that the newest policy of this airline (United) is to charge $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second.
Okay, enough is enough. Although $15 may not seem like a lot, it’s gotten to the point that pretty soon we might have to pay to use the bathroom on the plane, buckle our seat belt, say hi to the flight attendant and even breath the air on the plane.
Well, that might be an exaggeration, but you get the picture.
Not only has it become much more expensive to travel by air, gas prices in general are having an incredibly harsh impact on many people. There is a domino effect from this. As anyone who has been paying attention knows, when gas prices go up so does just about everything else. It feels like highway (and airway) robbery.
I feel fortunate that I don’t have to travel if I don’t want to. This includes driving to an office. Simply put, the current gas situation does not impact me the way it does millions of other people. In some ways you could say I am jaded by this. Yet, the topic of conversation for millions of people is how they are being impacted by the price increase.
There is a solution
I feel very fortunate that in my line of work (Internet marketing, information product development and virtual training) I don’t have to use much gas at all other than an occasional visit to the office supply store.
Every day I get lots of inquiries from people around the globe wanting to know what it takes to start an Internet based business. They figure this is an incredible way to make a living – and they’re right! It is. Not only make a living, but a great living.
However, a word of caution. Running an Internet-based business is like running any other type of business. There are certain practices you need to put in place in order to be successful.
Sadly, I often see people jump into what they think is a “get rich quick” business and either give up in short order or dump a lot of money into a business that is destined to fail.
Don’t get caught in the trap
So often people get caught up in the traps of running an Internet based business.  They hear the stories of how you can make thousands of dollars in a day with little or no effort while sitting on your back side, pressing the “send” button and watching the money pour in. Aghhhh! Avoid this trap. This simply isn’t true.
Can you make thousands in a day? Yes, most definitely. I have done it on many occassions. Did it happen with little or no effort? Absolutely NOT!
Making thousands of high profit dollars in a day is made possible because of the foundation I have put in place. It is because of this foundation my business is so profitable.
http://www.powerupforprofits.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/typepad/Recently I was talking with my good friends and colleagues, Patsi Krakoff and Denise Wakeman aka The Blog Squad, about this very subject – the traps of Internet marketing that can crush a person’s spirit as well as their financial well-being.
Daily they also encounter folks who buy into the bull that you can get rich with an Internet based business and not have to work at it. Again, you can make an incredible living with the Internet, but there is work and effort involved.
FREE Internet Marketing Teleseminar
Between the Blog Squad, myself and my business partner, we have identified the top 5 Traps of Internet Marketing That Can Derail Your Business. Because we know how critical it is for people to understand what the traps are and how to avoid them, on June 24th at 3 p.m. Pacific we are offering a FREE teleseminar to anyone who wants to learn the truth about building a wildly successful business on and with the Internet.
To learn more and register go to http://www.actandattract.com/5traps/  Do so right now while you are thinking of it. Spots are filling up fast.