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If you've been looking for a work-at-home business, chances are that you have found yourself immersed in a "sea" of opportunities. Your search for your "dream business" has turned into a nightmare! {"Envelope Stuffer" "Medical Billing Processor" "Multi-Level Marketing Opportunity" "Assembly & Craft Work" "Health Products Distributor" etc.} You're overwhelmed with the task of sifting through these "opportunities" to find the right one. Well, guess what folks? You are not alone. Statistics show that someone starts a home business every 11 seconds!
In his # 1 National Bestseller - "More Wealth Without Risk" - entrepreneur and self-made millionaire, Charles J. Givens, wrote: "America was firmly established in the 1770s as the country of independent small-business people, the country for turning dreams into reality." This statement rings true more today than ever before, thanks to the entrance of the Internet era. The Internet has revolutionized the business world, opening up an opportunity for employees in the traditional business world to do something they would only have fantasized about a few years ago: developing a campaign for marketing a product or service to millions of people around the world from the comfort of their own home! This is the scenario of the non-traditional business - the home-based business.
You - like many other traditional employees - were probably prompted to seek security through home business ownership, after realizing the uncertainty associated with working for someone else. At MSNBC.com, you can watch the list of job lay-offs grow. The Labor Department reported that 89,000 employees lost their jobs in the month of January 2002!
Whatever your motivation (corporate downsizing, desire to stay home with your children, search for more time freedom and financial freedom), you have joined the ranks of the serious "opportunity seeker." However, you might have become a bit disillusioned and overwhelmed by the myriad of "opportunities" out there, wondering which one is the right one for you. Perhaps you are a bit skeptical and concerned about falling victim to scam artists.
Take it from me - a self-acclaimed "Queen" of opportunity seekers: You will find the right home business for yourself - if you do your homework. Yes, there are genuine, tried-and-true home businesses out there that have all the advantages of the traditional business, but none of the disadvantages. In the book - Mompreneurs Online - the authors list the top 10 fields for "Mompreneurs Online" as: 1) Web Consultants; 2) Virtual Assistants; 3) E-tailing; 4) Direct Sales; 5) Online Coaching/Teaching; 6) Communications/Information; 7) Parenting Services/Products; 8) Event Planning; 9) Personal Services; and 10) Work-at-Home Support. This represents only a small segment of home business opportunities you have to choose from.
You might also be pleased to learn that home-based business ownership can be very profitable. According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the average annual income of a successful home-based business in the United States is $50,250, while the average annual income of the traditional employee in the United States is $26,000. Clearly, there is money to be made in a home business. However, if you are going to find a reputable, genuine home business opportunity you must evaluate all of the following before you decide to invest your time and money:
The Company: Is the company that is offering you a home-based business opportunity, a credible and financially solid company? There are many ways to check a company's credibility, including a search with the Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission for the Consumer, and the Attorney General in all states where the company does business. To check out the company's financial stability, you should gain access to its annual report. If you find that the company you're researching is credible and financially solid, you should proceed to the next step in the evaluation process.
The Product And Its Need In The Marketplace: If the company offering you a home business opportunity does not have a unique product that fulfills a need in a vast marketplace, you should think twice about getting involved. Ask yourself if this is a product or service that you see as a necessity, and one that you would use yourself. It is always easier to find success with something you sincerely believe in.
The Compensation: In your search for your dream home business, you should compare and evaluate compensation plans. If you choose multi-level marketing, you will need to evaluate the opportunity for receiving override income from the sales of your marketing team, in addition to your own direct sales. You should also know whether you will receive a residual income stream from products or services you market. If you find a solid business model with a lucrative compensation plan, an opportunity to receive override income from your sponsored business partners through networking, and residual income, you can be assured that you are on the road to creating wealth, which equates to financial security for your future, and that of you family.
The Timing: Is the timing right for the product or service you are marketing. You've heard the expression, "Timing is everything." Well this is especially true when considering a home business opportunity. For example, a few decades ago the timing was peak for the vinyl records industry. But the market for this product has long passed with the entrance of the CD, and now the DVD. What if you had been fortunate enough to have been in the cell phone business during its infancy stage? You would most certainly have hit the multi-millionaire mark by now!
Now that you have received some direction in your venture, you should re-enter your search for a home business - fully equipped with the ammo you need to plow through the myriad of "opportunities" and find the ones that are solid and legitimate. Your new-found knowledge on this subject will allow you to decide on the home business that fits your needs, and that will help you achieve your goals. In the words of philosopher and poet - John Ruskin - "What we think or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequences. The only thing of consequence is what we do." You can join the thousands of other successful entrepreneurs in one of America's fastest growing industries - the home-based business industry. Go for it now!
SOURCES: "More Wealth Without Risk" by Charles J. Givens; "Mompreneurs Online" by Patricia Cobe and Ellen H. Parlapiano; Entrepreneur Magazine; MSNBC.com; and Federal Trade Commission For the Consumer Online at www.ftc.gov.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Linda Hodge is a Home-Based Business Consultant and an Independent Broker of Pre-Paid Legal Services Plans in forty-two states. She has also worked as a Paralegal for 23 years, and is a commissioned Notary Public in her home state of Louisiana.
Website: http://www.mysuccesschannel.com/hodges. Get FREE information on how you can start and build a home business through network marketing.
(985) 902-4361
moreinfo53@juno.com
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