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What to look for in home based opportinities

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donzal
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Joined: 2 Feb 2008
Posts: 1

# Posted: 2 Feb 2008 13:37
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Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to leave a few words of advice to anyone looking at a work from home business opportunity as there are so many people looking for this sort of thing, but equally as many scams out there to avoid.

I have been working from home with a company since may 07 and in November was able to give up my full time job and work part time from home. I was lucky to find a brilliant company, which has allowed me to do this.

If you are looking for a work from home business , whether it be something that you would like to do to stay at home with the children, or if it is for some extra money outside of you current job, then you still need to take it seriously and treat it as a business. If you treat it as a hobby it will end up costing you money. Regardless of what you are doing. On the other hand, if you treat it as a business it will make you money.

Here are some pointers:

1. Make sure you thoroughly research the company that you are thinking of getting involved with. Check out their stability, and make sure that they will not be going out of business tomorrow.

2. Look at their products. You have to be passionate about them and become your own best customer. Don't try and sell things that you would not use yourself. Your customers need to trust you and feel comfortable that you are confident in your product.

3. Check that the company offer a money back guarantee with their products... if your customer is not happy you can offer them a refund without loosing money personally, and they feel happier knowing they are buying something with a guarantee incase it dosn't work

4. If the company does offer an unconditional money back guarantee, this should prove to you that the products do work other wise they would have gone out of business before now.

5. If you are replying to any 'mail out', 'envelope packing' or any other company that are asking for an 'administration fee' or money up front be very wary. The ones that are worth doing will not ask for cash upfront, before giving you any information.

6. Check that the company is willing to train you, and help you develop. Also check that the cost of training is free, or of very minimal cost.

7. There should also be people you can contact with any queries when you are first starting out. Look for an Investor's in People Award within the company. This is an accreditation for training and support.

8. Make sure the business offers you the things you want, whether it's extra money, a car, travel or recognition. There should be certain criteria for achieving these things. Be certain that the company never moves its goal posts, or only lets a certain number of people qualify for a reward.

9. Check the minimum order value. Don't get stuck with a company that has a minimum order of �200 at a time. This can be hard to achieve for some people and you can end up keeping customers waiting, by which time they could possibly have gone elsewhere.

10. Some companies require you to spend a minimum each month. When you first get started this is difficult for some people, while they are building up their customer base, and you could end up having a garage full of 'dead stock'.

11. Brochures can be expensive, and some companies change them as frequently as every 3 weeks. Try and go to a company who only update brochures occasionally, so it keeps the cost down on literature for you and you don't have to re-order new brochures every month.

12. Make sure the start up cost is realistic. I would say anything over �200 is ridiculous when you are going into business to make some money. The lower the cost of products to start the better. You also need to check that you will get some of this back by selling some of this initial kit. If it is only for samples then you will not be able to make money back as quickly. Ideally, they should offer you a kit with duplicates in it so that you can try the product and sell one for some immediate income back from your initial cost.

13. You should be given the opportunity to meet with other people doing this before you start so that you can get some 'real life stories' of how it works. If the company is legitimate they should be able to arrange something where you can meet other company members.

14. Like I said before, you need to treat it as a business and not a hobby. If you have 10 hours a week, commit those 10 hours to doing things that will move your business forward or make you some money.

15. Not all of these companies should be sales based. Selling is not for everyone. There should be two available routes for you to choose from. the 'selling' or 'remommending' route and a 'business building route' for people who do not want to focus on selling products or doing party plan.

16. You need to be committed to working hard in the hours you do have, even if it is only 2 hours. There is no such thing as easy money. You have to be prepared to put in the ground work before you can sit back and enjoy some of the royalties that the companies offer.

17. Enjoy what you do. There are some really amazing companies to work for out there, that pay people fantastic money. If you get it right it can be really good fun and change your life for the better.

Anyway, I hope that has helped. I was lucky enough to find a really amazing company which has made a huge difference to the way I look at my work nowadays, but I know that some people get involved with 'not so good companies' (believe you me, I have been down that route and chose the wrong company first time round, but it was a learning experience, and that is how I am able to share with you some of the things to look for).

If you would like anymore information about the company that I work with or my story, please contact me on the e-mail address below.
Take care and good luck with your working from home.

Donna xx

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Marktech
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Joined: 8 Jan 2008
Posts: 219

# Posted: 10 Feb 2008 15:46
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In my experience the best work at home opportunities don't charge anything to sign-up. Affiliate programs for example.

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madnawat
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Joined: 26 Jul 2006
Posts: 45

# Posted: 24 Feb 2008 07:33
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Great information for those who are looking for a home business way to make money from home. About work at home job opportunity, you should not give fee for any reason like membership/registration/administrative chargesor fee for study material etc., as legit employer never ask for money to get you hired.

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brotherZ
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Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 5

# Posted: 24 Feb 2008 17:05
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Quoting: Marktech
In my experience the best work at home opportunities don't charge anything to sign-up. Affiliate programs for example.

I agree. Any work at home opportunity who requires that you pay something upfront is something to stay away from.
Most of them are usually scam and make money from their prospective job seekers.

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pcwork
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Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 1595

# Posted: 24 Feb 2008 20:29
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Researching a company is very important when you are selling their product

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Chitchatt
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Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 5

# Posted: 24 Feb 2008 22:38 · Edited by: Chitchatt
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very nice post Donna

Just in case you would like to clean up your signature
Quoting: donzal
[url]http://www.myspace.com/freedom4me1710

Change it to this (url=http://www.myspace.com/freedom4me1710)http://www.myspace.com/freedom4me1710(/url )
Change the () for [] I used the (url) (/url)so you could see it

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brihar2012
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Joined: 5 Mar 2008
Posts: 10

# Posted: 9 Mar 2008 03:00
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Definitely don't pay any money to startup. I never understood why someone would spend money before making it.

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gamesofskill2
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Joined: 9 Mar 2008
Posts: 14

# Posted: 9 Mar 2008 16:40
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I would have to agree with most of the comments made here. Except for the startup money to get a business up and running. You have to invest money if you want to make some real money online. I have been involved with online businesses for almost 2 years. and I have yet to come across any business that pays WELL which didn't have some type of fee or startup cost to really put a dent in making money online.

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dmitch31
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Joined: 18 Jan 2008
Posts: 209

# Posted: 11 Mar 2008 23:16 · Edited by: dmitch31
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Quoting: madnawat
you should not give fee for any reason like membership/registration/administrative chargesor fee for study material etc., as legit employer never ask for money to get you hired.


That may apply when you are going to become an employee, but, in general, home based business opportunities are not about becoming an employee, but rather, becoming a business owner. If you are going to start up a business, you most likely are going to have to spend money of some sort to get started. It's actually more the norm.

Many home based business opportunities will require you to buy a "starter kit" that allows you to buy a sampling of their products that you can use for demonstration purposes. That is totally reasonable and legit.

Additionally, it would be ridiculous to expect home business opportunity providers to give away training materials for free. They'd lose their shirt because people who weren't really serious would request the materials and then do nothing with them. But buying your own training materials would show some degree of commitment.

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brihar2012
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Joined: 5 Mar 2008
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# Posted: 11 Mar 2008 23:27
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There are ways today to get started in a home business with no out of pocket cost. I didn't believe it myself until I tried it. You just have to look in the right places.

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MyOwnBoss
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Joined: 16 Dec 2007
Posts: 109

# Posted: 29 Mar 2008 03:22
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I'm sure I'll get a lot of flames on this, but Oh, well...

A "home based business opportunity" isn't something someone is going to offer you - it's something you make for yourself.

I know a lot of people on this forum are involved in various MLM's and work-at-home plans and have had good experiences, but to me this doesn't qualify as your business.

With these programs, the first thing you do is become either a customer or an employee (in fact, if not in name).

A business is something you do for yourself.

Now, to attempt to stem the tide of hate-mail:

I understand that there are good companies, good programs, and good teams. Also, there are programs, companies, and teams who consistently help people get into a better place, financially.

To me, though, if you can't change anything, work on it when you decide to work on it, or if someone can fire you for violating their terms - it's not your business.

brihar2012
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Joined: 5 Mar 2008
Posts: 10

# Posted: 29 Mar 2008 08:53
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I don't see why you feel you'll get a lot of fire for that statement. If you're in something that you can be fired from then it's definitely not you're business. You are absolutely right. Now I didn't come up with the business model for what I do but I control my own destiny no matter how long it takes it's up to me and no one can get rid of me. With no out of pocket expense then I'm not losing anything but time so I make sure it's time well spent. So it truly is my business that I'm building on a daily basis for life as a matter of fact. Only person that can stop it is me. So I agree with you myownboss!

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MyOwnBoss
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# Posted: 29 Mar 2008 15:21
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Well, like I said, I know a lot of people here are happily involved in MLM's or "Franchises" or work-at-home programs.

Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's not your own business. I know too many people who either are lied to, or fool themselves into believing it IS their own business.

brihar2012:
I don't see why you feel you'll get a lot of fire for that statement. If you're in something that you can be fired from then it's definitely not you're business. You are absolutely right. Now I didn't come up with the business model for what I do but I control my own destiny no matter how long it takes it's up to me and no one can get rid of me. With no out of pocket expense then I'm not losing anything but time so I make sure it's time well spent. So it truly is my business that I'm building on a daily basis for life as a matter of fact. Only person that can stop it is me. So I agree with you myownboss!


GunHoChris
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Joined: 2 Apr 2008
Posts: 24

# Posted: 7 Apr 2008 05:08
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You will want to look for that one correct mentor who can provide you with the necessary knowledge and information on how to market your online business so you too can succeed in the future.

It's not the opportunity that will make you money, it's your mentor that will help you succeed and create that serious wealth and success you desire.

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tidbits
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Joined: 4 Apr 2008
Posts: 25

# Posted: 8 Apr 2008 21:34
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The great thing about the internet is that if you search hard enough, all of the information you need to start your own business and earn money on the internet can be found for free. I believe it's all a matter of how patient you are.

I took the free route and I'm happy I did. I realize that its not for everyone.

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GunHoChris
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Joined: 2 Apr 2008
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# Posted: 9 Apr 2008 23:52
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tidbits:
earn money on the internet can be found for free. I believe it's all a matter of how patient you are.

I took the free route and I'm happy I did. I realize that its not for everyone.


That's correct. The average person does now have the patience to take the time to learn and absorb all this powerful information and knowledge the Internet provides for free due to their current situation.

A majority of individuals jump into the home based business industry with desperation, hoping to simply create success and wealth over night.

A great entrepreneur once told me "If you're not willing to learn, you're not willing to earn" and that is so true.

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ownyourlife
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Joined: 13 Apr 2008
Posts: 31

# Posted: 17 Apr 2008 16:42
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GunHoChris:
A majority of individuals jump into the home based business industry with desperation, hoping to simply create success and wealth over night.

A great entrepreneur once told me "If you're not willing to learn, you're not willing to earn" and that is so true.


I agree. You will not create success and wealth overnight. Patience and yes, be willing to constantly learn. I knew nothing about Internet marketing until this month and I'm having great success with it. It has helped me to develop more confidence.

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