We’re all motivated differently. Here are 4 ways to motivate yourself to start your online business. This post was inspired by this article at CNN.com:

1. Set small goals. Think baby steps.

You might be lusting after a significant increase in your income. You’re confident your online business idea would fly, if only you could spend 10 hours a day getting it off the ground.

You might reason that if you start an online business it will make up for lost pay, and you can quit your day job, or at least, not stress over losing it. Keep in mind that any online business worth its salt will probably take six months of building before it turns a profit.

To create a steady, long-term income flow with your new web business, choose one aspect to pursue, such as writing x amount of articles or posting at regular intervals on your blog. Choose something you can reasonably achieve within the limits of your day.

The takeaway: Be realistic.

2. Frame your new goals in a positive light.

Let’s not kid ourselves, entrepreneurs work hard for the glory and the payoff. Being financially independent is totally worth it. I’m just saying. You might even have to let down the blinds on those sunny days when all your friends are going for a brew or hanging at the beach.

In order to reach your online business start-up goals, you may even choose to sacrifice a few weekends. (The ninja and I recently decided to start taking weekends off, after five years of doing business online.)

Instead of simply tolerating your new workload, get proactive and imagine some of the fun stuff that originally got you excited about your particular entrepreneurial path.

• See yourself fully in charge of your work day. You might decide to take your business on the road. You probably won’t be nailed to a specific location, especially if your e-business is purely informational.

Who knows? You might even decide to go camping with your buddies or your family, while checking in occasionally with your online business. We did just that last fall. Fun! Working online liberates you. Don’t forget that.

The takeaway: Be proactive.

3. Savor small accomplishments.

Changing your career or becoming self-employed involves every part of your life. Even (or maybe especially) your relationships are likely to undergo change as you adjust to your new internet business schedule and goals.

• Start a journal for keeping track of your accomplishments. Whenever you think of a new goal, or you re-prioritize, write it down. Keeping track isn’t the only reason for writing down your goals. University studies show that you’re way more likely to achieve a goal that you write down.

When you notice you’ve reached a goal, reward yourself.

One surefire way to know you’re making progress toward a big goal, for example, making an annual income of $40,000 from your online business, is to recognize the smaller goals along the way.

Some restaurant owners keep the first dollar bill from their first customer, frame it and display it above the register. Looking at it reminds them that they started out small and kept growing. They know how to savor that first milestone.

You will reach your goals for starting an online business. Just follow the steps we’ll teach you. And when you do, it’s a sweet idea to have a tangible reminder of the steps you took to get there.

The takeaway: Be specific.

4. Get a goals buddy.

We don’t live or work in a vacuum. Other people are our best allies in starting an internet business. Trust me, other people are cool.

And the truth is, web ventures can be a lonely way to make your living, unless you get out once in a while and socialize off line.

When was the last time you shared an unexpected belly laugh with a co-worker over some work-related stupidity or gaffe? At their very best, forums and chat-rooms can be supportive or amusing. But nothing can replace a real-time pal who has the inside scoop about your business, and will get the joke when you’ve just got to talk to somebody.

• Finally, a real-live friend can offer more than simple understanding. They can help you stay on track. He or she can help fire you up when you need it, and help you celebrate when you reach your goals.

Even if your goals buddy is someone with whom you communicate primarily online, it’s the feeling behind the goals-buddy relationship that’s most important here. If your best friend who lives 3,000 miles away is available online, and you know that her special brand of humor and compassion is exactly what you need, then ask her to be your goals buddy.

The takeaway: Be accountable.

So what do you think? Is there something special that gets you motivated about building your business online? Tell me about it in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.

I know you’re busy, but if you’re thinking about starting an internet business, you might want to take a sec and check out the happenings on the Unleashing Ideas website.

The economy is still rather stinky, but the news is not all bad. Drumroll, please…Nov 16 – 22 is the 2nd Annual Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). You can find local events by going to the Unleashing Ideas website.

One of the best ways to lift our economy out of the dregs may be to start an internet business. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it’s really not. A whole lot of smart people with big money are invested in this very concept.

Global Entrepreneurship Week

Organizations such as universities, non-profits, large corporations and businesses from more than 75 countries are participating in events world wide. Government leaders are encouraged to get involved and help match brilliant business ideas with fiery-eyed young entrepreneurs capable of bringing those ideas to life.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash prizes are handed to start-ups who are meeting a need or serving others through the marketplace.

As an example, the Global Student Entrepreneurs Award (GSEA) 2009 is worth $150,000. According to the website, “The GSEA is the premier award for students that own and run businesses while attending a college or university.”

The competition for the GSEA is tight. Only 15 students are chosen to compete for the final prize.

What do internet business start ups have to do with GEW?

Young people don’t have a monopoly on innovation, imagination or creativity. However, successful businesses know that it takes a certain willingness to risk, to think big, and to go for the gusto when making your business idea a reality.

Running a small online business, you might sometimes get the feeling you’re out of the loop. You’re not. Entrepreneurs and small start-up companies, including internet-based companies, contribute substantially to the US economy.

According to a report on US business by the Kauffmann Foundation, “companies less than five years old created nearly two-thirds of the net new jobs in 2007.”

New and up-and-coming companies are “the primary drivers of job creation in the United States.”

Let me know in the comments if you attend a GEW event.

Starting an internet business includes the task of working up your 60-second response to our culture’s number one small-talk question.

Since Evan and I started working online we’ve had a lot of opportunities to spout a succinct description of what we do. Saying it over and over again helps to hone it down to the main ingredients. However, you can probably find a faster way to figure out your elevator speech.

If you already have a mission statement, edit it down to a bite-size version. Think of the way you spend your time, the results you get, your style of interaction.

• Do you primarily consult?
• Teach a method?
• Who needs or desires your service or product?

Blanche, 90, is a retired yacht designer who works out at our gym (I know. People. Don’t you just love ‘em?). She is nearly deaf, but the fact she can’t hear never stops her from engaging in conversation.

She furrowed her brow when I said we worked online. She wanted to know what we did. I fumbled, resorting to sign language. She watched me for a minute and then burst out laughing. “What can you do for me?” she asked.

“Nothing,” I said. I’m pretty sure Blanche doesn’t want to start a cleaning business, which is one of the things I teach people to do online. She’s not in our audience.

But she taught me a key thing. Picture your customer asking “What can you do for me?” When you can answer that, you’ve got your elevator speech.

Keep a couple different versions of your speech on-hand. When a person asks what you do for a living, it’s usually possible to size up their level of interest.

A lot of people are sincerely looking for ways to be financially independent, and when they hear you make a living online they may try to imagine themselves doing what you do.

A smart elevator speech helps them put themselves in your shoes.