"It made perfect sense to me," he says. "I came out to the workshop very confident that my Internet site would work."

At the workshop, Richard was impressed with the StoresOnline software utility.

"The product was a very good product from first appearance," he says. With the "Internet being a global sales tool, I thought, that is where the world is going, and that is where my shoppers would eventual be in the next decade or so, and that is where I wanted to position myself."

Richard decided to expand his current business of providing ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and other consumables for the printer.

"It was just a matter of implementing the products into a Web site and have it go live and make sales online," he says.

Richard began building his online store part-time while he worked a full-time job. The building process took about two to three months to complete.

"Once I understood what each particular part of the software [did] and [how] the program worked, it was very easy to get around," says Richard. "Just like any program, it's just a matter of familiarization with a particular software package. Once you know how to use it, it easy to get around. ¿ I found the tutorials very, very helpful."

Richard's first sale occurred within twenty-four hours of going live. Even though his distribution is limited to Australia and sometimes New Zealand, his sales revenue now averages about AUD $20,000 per month. This revenue results from both sales made directly through the Web site and sales made indirectly as corporations see the Web site and then contact him and set up accounts.

Living and working within Australia's borders did not create a problem when Richard needed help building his Web site. Richard was able to use StoresOnline's 24/7 Customer Support Live Chat, and when he needed to call customer service, he was helped by "technical programmers and online supervisors with any issues we had."

"If there was anything they couldn't help us with, [customer service] would put us through to the changes department, and within a day or two they would have our issue corrected. They were very helpful," he says. The "StoresOnline people are there to help you, and they do help you all the way. They will hold your hand if you need [them] to."

However, Richard notes that online success is ultimately the result of what the merchant puts into the business.

"With any business, you do have to put in the effort," Richard says. "You do have to do a lot of planning, and like with any business, you get out of it what you put in."

To those who are considering whether to position themselves for future Internet marketing, Richard says, "Don't be afraid; it is the way of the future."

"If you have a good product, good price, and good Web site, you're halfway there, and you make a success of it. When I first purchased the StoresOnline program, I made it a point that I was going to make it work. And if you put the effort in, you are guaranteed success."

Visit Richard's sites at http://www.toner-world.com.au, and http://www.wholesaletoner.com.au

*Testimonial results are not typical and your individual results will vary. Your success depends on having the right price, product, and marketing efforts.