The number of hoops through which a individual had to jump in order to get a business up and running, prior to the Internet revolution, was enough to turn a lot of people off.
At one time, being a businessperson was a highly specialised job, and the business world was a place with a language and customs all of its own.
As a minimum you would need to have a business bank account, separate from your own personal account, and either an accountant or the ability and time to do your own accounts.
Getting started now requires nothing more than a computer, an Internet connection and knowledge of what sites to use.
The online payment site PayPal has become hugely popular in the space of less than a decade. It is a way of transferring payment electronically from one account to another.
The funds leave one person’s PayPal account and hit their intended destination almost instantaneously. The receiving account holder can then transfer this money out to their bank account, or use the electronic funds to purchase goods or services.
While cash is still king, PayPal is now welcome in many more places than before, and you can now apply for a PayPal top-up card which operates like a credit card and updates with any new funds in the space of a working day.
This means you can be spending money the day after you have done your work. The world of business is no longer impenetrable and murky – it is more simple than ever.