There are any number of articles telling you what you need to make money online, and I've written some myself. Doing this is a business and it shares some things in common with any other, so some explanation is helpful. But one of the things that makes the concept so appealing is what you don't need to accomplish it.

I rarely see it stated you don't have a lot of the expensive requirements of a classical brick-and-mortar business when you make money online. Yes, the laws governing businesses still apply to doing this, but not the bulk of the cost. So, to add a bit to the discussion, here's a list of things you don't need to make money online:

A separate business location: Your computer is your business location, because you're working online. The one at home on your desk will do. You don't have to rent an office, construct a building, or worry with utilities, maintenance, big building troubles, or anything else of the like.

Employees: This kind of work can be done solo. Occasionally, you may want or need to outsource some assistance for something you can't or don't want to do, such as accounting. But otherwise, you don't need help to effectively make money online.

Advanced business training: You don't need an MBA to understand the concepts. The theories are actually quite simple, and the details aren't so massively complex you'll need a team of rocket scientists to figure them out.

A monstrous start-up cost: You don't need a lot of money to start. No trip to the bank to explain a business theory to a skeptical loan officer for the many thousands of dollars required to start a traditional business. You might (and that's a big might) need a few hundred dollars to get the software, services, and maybe a web site set up to make money online. Some people do it without breaking into the triple figures before the profits begin. If you love to write, you can create and monentize a blog for nothing. So bootstrapping your way to this form of income is a very real possibility.

Products: This one is specific to a business theory called affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketers sell other people's products and get paid a commission without having to own, buy, or store them. You can start an affiliate marketing business to make money online and never need to deal with things like customer interaction, shipping, or inventory. You get debited if a return occurs, but otherwise, you're just a self-employed salesperson and someone else worries with the nuts and bolts. The affiliate marketing programs are free to join.

Now, although different from the classic versions, an online business is still a business. You'll need time, effort, and dedication to build your online income. You'll have to learn, and then work, to make it a reality and anyone who tells you otherwise is scamming you. But unlike a traditional business, this one is within the financial reach of the average human being. All you need is the personal and emotional capacity to make your business a reality, and you can make money online without what you don't need: a massive expense.