Showcase Your Strategies: By Brooke Saunders
SCAMS AND DUE DILIGENCEIf you are thinking of working from home on your computer, remember the odds of success. For each business that succeeds, a hundred fail to make money, just like the restaurant industry, and probably only one in a thousand really flourish. Some entrepreneurs limp along, and their business is a drain on time and resources, and never really grows. How do you avoid being a failure, or just as bad, treading water, in a confusing and rapidly changing environment? First things first, you have to know your capabilities and level of resources when starting your own business. It is far better to make one sure small step than a large poorly-conceived one. "Know yourself" applies here. But don't fall prey to "paralysis by analysis." You have to at some point act, even if you are not sure what you are doing. Read everything you can find by Anthony Robbins and Dale Carnegie, and don't let "dreamstealers" take away your plans. The most important reason to prepare is the real risk of burning out, and abandoning your dreams unnecessarily, simply because of one bad experience. It's like going on a trip and having a miserable time, and expecting all travel to be like that, even though there are infinite number of places to go and ways to travel. So try again, just do it better the next time. These following tips should be obvious, but I see time after time people making the same mistakes. If you hate the telephone, certainly don't get involved in a business that requires you do a lot of work on the phone. If you are shy and retiring, don't try something where you need to constantly be in front of people. Poor on technical know-how? Avoid trying to become a webmaster or computer programmer. Unless you have a burning desire to change and learn new things, pass on opportunities that require you to do things you really don't like, or consider finding a partner with the skills you lack. It can make or break your situation. Subscribe to quality ezines on the Internet and pore over them carefully. Most are free and have valuable info to learn. If you have technical skills, learn how to get a website in top rankings in the search engines. That is a skill that is in high demand. You may apply that ability to your site, or be paid to do it for someone else. And it is one techies can flourish at. Website design and maintenance is another. You may rarely have to be on the phone or even see another person if you choose to work this way, and be just as successful as someone hitting the streets. Now you have to find a business opportunity that is both profitable and ethical. No matter how hard you work, and how much you like the work, if you don't believe in the product, or if it does not make money, there is no point. You should not be doing it just to say you work for yourself, or if you have to struggle all the time to make any kind of profit. Be ready to dump everything you are doing and walk away. Don't sign up for a business with anyone you cannot get on the phone in person. Test them by leaving messages, and see if they call back or send emails in a timely fashion. Find out their physical address, and explore every bit of their website, promotional materials, and look for professional appearance. Check Better Business Bureau listings (www.bbb.org) regarding the company, though many times the company won't appear, they either have had no complaints or have not paid to be listed. Be sure to check listings both in your area and the place the company is headquartered. If there are complaints, review what is said before dismissing them, it could have been resolved, or somehow not been the company's fault. Don't even consider doing business with or buying a business unless you have done at least one hour of research on and offline. Network marketing is very popular, and growing worldwide by leaps and bounds. And it no doubt can be profitable, with the lure of big residuals. But use real caution here, most of them will be out of business in a year or two, and all your hard work will be down the drain. Of the ones that will survive, a surprisingly large number don't pay much at all, they make their money by selling the opportunity, not products. That is more like a pyramid scheme, they peddle books, tapes, and videos at high prices, and few people actually buy the products. Some are even illegal in various states, and countries around the world. Most you have to do full-time to make any money, despite the rhetoric. Tip: make sure you are getting involved in a company that sells "consumables" on a monthly basis, rather than one-time items, otherwise you won't get much in the way of residuals. Check out www.mlmtruth.com for info on network marketing companies. Other good ones include www.scamwatch.com, and www.snopes.com. If you don't run the name of the company by those websites before getting involved, you deserve what happens, there is no excuse. One thing to consider, never ever bother yourself with chain letters that sell phony reports, and ask you to put your name at the top of a list. Stupid is as stupid does, and they are illegal for the most part. Another thing to consider about network marketing is that people will think you are peddling a pyramid scheme, and look down on you as if you are involved in something shady and disreputable. And they are right 90% of the time. You are sitting there parroting phrases about how their job is a dead end, and how rich they can be if they just sell your potions or pills, but you have made nothing yet from the plan yourself. Not only is it uncomfortably like preaching, with a big downline being pitched as heaven, but you don't even know if the company you are pushing is going to stay ethical, or profitable. You may have done "due diligence" but the future is unknown. Something else: Donald Trump never said he would do network marketing, and it is not taught at Harvard. If you are determined to do network marketing, it is probably best to work with anonymous prospects nationwide, that way no acquaintance even needs to know what you are doing, or whether or not you succeed. And only if and when you are successful, do you approach people you know, otherwise your reputation could suffer. If you are thinking about becoming involved in an online business feel free to send me an email and I will check them out and provide resources to do further research. About the Author... Brooke Saunders is a marketing consultant based in Richmond. For a business that requires no phone work, no inventory, no Internet ability, and is one of the top-paying affiliates, go to http://www.zoomplus2001.com. | 
