You've probably been inundated with emails from online marketers promising you'll make 1000s of dollars if you buy their program or software. It's easy to be tempted by these offers because the sales letter is well written and the promise of making a lot of money sounds good.

7 questions to ask yourself before starting an online business

1. What are your goals?

If your goal is to make 60K a year you need to first create a business plan especially if you are just starting out. If you just want to make some extra income on the side you still need a step by step plan how to achieve it.

2. What time commitment can you make?

If you can't commit to at least 10 hours per week, you won't make much progress and will be disappointed with yourself for investing your time and money in an unsuccessful business. A full time income from an online business means you need to invest at least as many hours as an offline business. It also takes great discipline and ability to focus on completing daily tasks that move you towards your goal.

3. Is the offer too good to be true?

If a business promises 10K/week, it sounds too good to be true and it probably is. Many marketers make money selling their products to others but know the product can't deliver what it promises.

4. Who is behind the offer?

Trust is one of the most crucial elements for doing business with someone online. Check their web site to see if they included their contact information. Google their name to read their articles, myspace page or have a twitter account. If they are active online you will soon get an idea if they can be trusted by the content they've written or comments from others.

5. Are they easy to contact?

Email, call or fill out the contact form on their web site. If you don't get a response within 24 hours go elsewhere. The faster the response the better. Ask to speak to the owner of the business rather than an assistant. The owner has a big stake in making sure his business is successful.

6. Are there testimonials from satisfied customers?

A series of testimonials from customers that have done business over a period of time adds great credibility to a business. Testimonials should include email address or web site so they can be contacted.

7.Are you jumping from one business opportunity to another?

You're probably familiar with the saying "the grass always appears greener on the other side." If you don't stick with one business offer it's easy to jump to another. If you already have an online business look for ways to improve it instead of creating a new one. For instance you could improve conversion rates by rewriting your own web copy or create a series of autoresponder messages to follow up on new clients to generate repeat sales. You could also offer new products (ie ebooks, short reports) that relate to your current business.

By asking the 7 questions above, you'll make a more informed decision about starting an online business and increase your chances of it becoming a successful investment of time and money.