The current global economic crisis is forcing many individuals and businesses to seriously reconsider their strategies for financial survival.

Much like the giant meteor that scientists believe hit our planet around 65 million years ago and was responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, major catastrophic events tend to spell tragedy and disaster for most of us, but they can also reveal hidden “golden” opportunities for anyone who can adapt to the new circumstances around them. When the dinosaurs vanished, for example, small little furry animals survived, multiplied and evolved to dominate the planet.

In this article, I want to present several viable options that can help you create long-term financial security in today’s uncertain economic climate.

Step 1 - Accept And Embrace Change

The world changed significantly in the late 80’s when the World Wide Web started becoming more popular. Since that time, although many people migrated and evolved into “Information Age” thinkers, many more unfortunately chose to stay loyal to “Industrial Age” principles and beliefs - a paradigm that was rapidly becoming obsolete. If you are still clinging to “Industrial” Age concepts like the idea that a good academic education will lead to benefits and job security, then you may be leaning towards experiencing a fate similar to that which befell the giant lizards after the meteor struck.

You may, however, just be stuck somewhere in the middle, wondering what to do next.

Regardless of where you are at, the solution is to accept that the world has indeed changed, then embrace the “Information Age” unconditionally and without making excuses (i.e. too old, too busy, too broke, too late), and start researching new opportunities with a more “entrepreneurial” mindset. I am not necessarily suggesting starting your own business if your core value is to find financial security through employment. There will always be opportunities for people who can add value to other businesses and these are generally the last people any employer wants to let go of when times are really tough.

Step 2 - Start An Online Business

Once you embrace the “Information Age” there should be no doubt in your mind that, regardless of whatever else you plan on doing, you should also start seriously considering creating one or more streams of income online.

If you need help getting started, here are 7 ways of starting an online business:

1) Start A Blog - A “blog” (short for “weblog”) is a very easy way to start building a presence online. Basically, the general formula is this: a) set up a blog, b) start blogging regularly about a particular and hopefully profitable niche area of interest or expertise, c) monetize your blog to generate a revenue stream. There are many great resources available online to help you profit as a blog writer. So … get blogging!

2) Become An Affiliate Marketer - Affiliate marketing is very appealing to many people considering starting a business online, because you don’t need to own your own product and, in many cases, you don’t even need to have a website. You simply market someone else’s product using a specially coded link with your affiliate ID, and every time a sale of that product gets made using your affiliate link, you receive a commission payment for the sale. Like everything else, to become successful at affiliate marketing does require a fair amount of work, knowledge and skills, but all the information you need is available. You can purchase e-books, e-courses or join online membership sites to learn how to become better at affiliate marketing and it’s not at all costly to get started.

3) Set Up An Online Store - Millions of internet users and businesses are selling stuff on E-Bay everyday. If you have something you would like to sell online, consider starting up an e-commerce store with eBay, Etsy.com, Yahoo stores, or a number of other places. Some years ago my wife started a little part-time eBay business and, before too long, she was negotiating product shipments with manufacturing companies in China and leaving our neighbors wondering why so many courier trucks were driving in and out of our street every single day. Even if you decide to start an offline business, there are many cost-effective opportunities for expanding online, and e-commerce is definitely an option to look into.

4) Start Up Your Own Social Networking Community - The growing phenomenon of social networking is creating unprecedented new opportunities for people online. One of the most recent trends is to start your own online community, targeting a specific area of interest. For example, I recently started an online social networking community site for beading enthusiasts (www.BeadHuddle.com). This site grew to over 1,000 members in the first six weeks after launching and it is now attracting beaders from all over the world, as well as craft-related advertisers. If the idea of starting your own community site interests you, I recommend you visit www.SocialBusinessWeb.com and download a free report entitled “How To Profit With Your Own Online Community Site” that will show you how to get started.

5) Create Your Own Information Products Online - This option is similar to starting your own e-commerce store (e.g. eBay), but the focus here is specifically on creating digital information products that can be downloaded over the internet. Examples of information products are e-books (electronic books) and information reports, audio books and podcasts, video training products, membership sites, software and web services, etc. Once again, there are many great sources of information available on how to do this successfully and, if you do create a winning product, it can be an extremely rewarding and profitable venture, since most of your business can be automated using systems, software and outsourced suppliers. I have personally developed a couple of information products over the years that sell regularly online and, since there are no costs associated with areas like shipping and delivery, every sale I make is pretty much 100% profit.

6) Buy A “Ready-Made” Online Business - If the idea of building your own online business seems too overwhelming, there are many online “turn-key” businesses available which you can simply purchase and start operating as soon as you buy it. Just like buying any business, however, you need to exercise due diligence and research the business, the vendors, the market and the opportunity before you hand over your money to anyone promising you an “online money-making machine”. Turnkey online businesses can range from simple reseller web sites that include a home page with the sales copy, a zipped file containing the product that you then upload to your own server and a download page where you send customers to after they successfully complete a purchase, to complete online “franchise-like” stores. Often, the cost is surprisingly affordable. For example, in 2005 I purchased an online retail store outlet that sells thousands of downloadable audio book titles from best-selling authors and leading audio-book publishers for $1,000 dollars. Today I make regular sales of audio books from this store (www.AudioBookOne.net) and the best part of the business is that everything is handled for me by the parent company (e.g. stock selection, product delivery, customer support, etc …) for a small monthly fee.

7) Become A Service Provider - If the idea of starting your own business seems too risky for you to consider at the moment, then why not continue working for others, but transfer your services to the online arena? There are many opportunities for working online for other companies. One growing trend, for example, is the outsourcing of tasks like creating, managing and updating web content, providing search engine optimization and online marketing services, business training and consulting services, etc. The work can vary from doing routine tasks that other businesses would rather outsource to someone else, to providing mentoring and helping others become successful online (this is definitely an option to consider once you become successful online).

Step 3 - Keep Learning, Growing And Improving

The Information Age is constantly and rapidly evolving. This means not only keeping your finger on the pulse of new developments and trends, but also keeping an eye open for new financial opportunities for growth, success and expansion. Fortunately, you don’t have to do it alone. There is a plethora of social networking groups, online communities and membership sites you can join, that focus on your particular area of interest.

If you’ve been feeling depressed lately about the current state of the global economy, then hopefully this article will help you realize that there are many positive and exciting things to be gained if you are willing to embrace change, begin looking for new opportunities and make a decision to start taking action steps today to secure your own financial future in the new world that is emerging around you.

For more ideas on ways to start, grow and succeed with your own web business go here: Web Business Building Resources