The volume of online business is growing at an unprecedented rate. This is a result of the rapid changes being observed in the global business model. The number of people entering into the online arena is increasing daily. Some people are coming online because they want to earn a secondary income. Many people are coming online to find a way to make money because they can’t find a job in the marketplace. The online marketplace is huge, and is growing daily.

If you want to get a piece of this huge opportunity, you need to have an online presence. You can use a replicated website provided by a company, or you can have your own. I am a very big proponent of having your own sites for several key reasons.

There are a number of ways to do this but over the years it has been established that having your own website is the best way to go. You own the asset and have control over it. You can display the information you want to share and you can change it when you want. You are in control of your own destiny here.

A key reason to have your own website or blog is to “brand you”. When you are using a replicated company site, you are branding the company… not you. When you are on a “borrowed” site you are very limited in the scope of what you can do to brand yourself.

I you do not have access and control of all of your content, you are at the mercy of the owner. When you are working on a free hosting setup, you do not have total control on the amount and location of your content. Many free hosting websites have strong limitations on the content quantity as well as the type of content you can put up. This is not good when you are trying to brand yourself and really get the word out about your portfolio of products and services.

Always remember, a company site is there to focus on and display what the company wants people to see. They are not going to focus on you the representative nearly enough. This fact alone should make it clear that you need to have your own personal website. Until you have your own site and story out on the Internet, you will be limiting your success and profit potential.

If you want your customers to know who you are and come back for repeat business, you need to make them remember who you are. Having your own site is essential for any business where your customers need to”know you, like you and trust you”. With today’s difficult economy and the general skepticism that is rampant in the world today, you need to meet and bond with your customers. It is just good business. I hope you realize that it just makes sense for you to have your own personal site to “stand out in the crowd” and let people know you are a real person running a legitimate, solid business.