Every few years, someone asks me whether it is too late to start an online business. They asked me in 2010 when I first wrote about this topic. They asked me in 2015 when everyone said blogging was dead. They asked me in 2020 when it seemed like the big players had taken over everything. And they are asking me again in 2026, now with the added worry that AI is going to make everything impossible for small operators.
My answer has not changed: no, it is not too late. It is never too late. And here is why.
The Internet Is Still Growing
When I originally wrote this post in 2010, I was amazed to see a billboard for a web hosting company on the highway in Dallas. It felt like a sign that the internet was about to go mainstream. Looking back, that was still early days. Mobile commerce was just getting started. Social media marketing barely existed. Podcasting was a niche hobby.
In 2026, the internet economy is massive — but it is still growing. New platforms emerge every year. New niches open up as culture and technology evolve. The creator economy has made it possible for individuals to build audiences and monetize expertise in ways that did not exist five years ago, let alone fifteen.
Yes, competition is fiercer than it was in 2010. But the total market is also orders of magnitude larger. There are more buyers, more searchers, more people willing to pay for solutions to their problems. The pie is bigger, even if more people want a slice.
But What About AI?
The latest version of the “is it too late” question involves artificial intelligence. People worry that AI-generated content will flood the internet and make it impossible for individual creators to compete. It is a legitimate concern, and I take it seriously.
But here is what I have observed: as AI content becomes more common, genuine human expertise and personality become more valuable, not less. Google is actively working to surface content from real people with real experience. Audiences gravitate toward creators they trust. The internet entrepreneurs who will thrive going forward are the ones who bring authentic knowledge and a distinctive voice to their niche — exactly the kind of content that is hard for AI to replicate.
The Real Question Is Not “Is It Too Late?”
The real question is whether you are willing to put in the work. That has always been the real question. In 2010, the barrier was learning HTML and basic SEO. In 2026, the tools are better and the learning curve is gentler, but the work is the same: choose a niche, create genuinely helpful content, build an audience, and match that audience with products and services they need.
I started my internet business seriously in 2007 and have been podcasting since 2009. I have watched people start from zero and build real businesses every single year since then. Not just in the early days when it was supposedly easy, but last year, and this year, too.
If you have been sitting on the sideline waiting for the perfect moment, stop waiting. The best time to start was years ago. The second-best time is today. The internet is not going anywhere, and the opportunities for part-time entrepreneurs willing to do the work have never been broader.
Mark, thanks very much for your interesting observations. Yes, its very easy for beginner internet marketers to think we’ve missed the internet boat, and give up before we’ve really tried, or never start in the first place.
The truth is you can start to day and be more successful than 99% of the people out there in a year if you focus and follow someone who knows what the heck is going on.
Frightening isnt it! I remember years ago meeting someone who had bought business.com as a domain name and sold it a few years later for several million dollars. It kind of made me think that domain names were old hat. If I had followed up on it then I would have had a pretty hefty domain portfolio by now!
Its never really too late to do something but there are huge advantages in being an early adopter! Its still early days really for online marketers so yes I urge you all to get your acts together and hit the IM World running!
I try not to think about all the domain names I should have purchased long ago. LOL.
You are right — it is all about people getting their act together.
It will never be too late to start. The web drives traffic for new and old business. But, if you don’t start, you won’t get anywhere.
But be prepared for hard work, long nights, perseverance, and diligence. It will take 1-year to 18-months to see results and longer to see results that really start to pay.
My feeling is if I can build a nice side income with a few extra hours a day over the next 1-year to 3-years, then it will be an income I can enjoy for many years to come. It is something I own and can sell if I want to. It is something I can pass on and/or train my children to do. If only more people had done it before the economy tanked, they wouldn’t be so bad off.
Exactly. My friend Jennifer says you should spend a year or to doing with other people will not do (work) so you can spend a lifetime doing what they cannot do (play).
Hi …this is such great info for those of us just starting into this IM stuff .. lol I am part of Lynn Terrys elite group too and just love it .. but yes the thought has crossed my mind a few times that everyone is a million miles ahead of me lol.. but Im a fast learner lol… I see you kind of have to be otherwise you might get left behind … it feels kind of like merging into a fast freeway that stops for nobody! lol .. Thank you for this post !
Every time a new person gets connected to the net it’s a potential new visitor for our sites…. I would hedge my bets that the amount of new internet marketers per day are far far less than new web users per day so the customer base is growing faster than the business to supply them… Plenty of room for everyone 🙂
Indeed, it is never too late. There is a wide array of internet options that one can choose from. Each person is unique so not everyone would really cater to the same thing or sell the same product. There will always be variety thus there will always be an opportunity. New things are popping up everyday.
I think there is no such words as “too late”. For as long as we have our breath intact, we can move, think and done things. There are absolutely no such words.
The only thing is that you might be lazy or don’t want to know at all about new things. Closing yourself for new things and just focusing on the old thing is not always the good thing for one to take.
Being stubborn is another thing you should think. Whether your stubbornness is bring you result in some particular time? if not, dump it and move some place else.
Hey this is a really unique and great point of view, thanks for posting this stuff all the time.
I started out freelance writing on the web in 2007 and that is how I learned about internet marketing and just how much potential it has. I was a little hesitant into jumping into IM since I was making a decent income writing but quickly got burned out from writing so much. Now I am all about making a passive income and reaping the rewards of my work for years to come. I wish I had started doing this back in 2007 instead of simply writing for other people, but like you say it’s not too late and I plan on taking advantage of it now.
Yep — look at it as “learning.” — and consider yourself part of the elite tiny number of people that knows that you can make money online in your pajamas!
I agree with your points 100% it’s never to late.I think it’s a question of arming yourself with the right tools and knowledge more than anything and then applying it. Of course you have to work hard!That’s the bit lots of folks don’t like.
I never did mind a little hard work.
It’s the lotta hard work that’s killing me.
It’s definitely NOT too late.
Yet another reason for some not to start now. Just ignore the past, put all your effort and focus on business now and you will surely succeed.
At last some positive news. I have been working with IM for three years now and still finding it hard. Sometimes I do think have I missed the boat but keep hanging in there. Although I still have some way before I can quit my day job, all the while I am still working on it I have not failed. Never give up!