Are you starting a home-based business?

Are you thinking about starting a home-based business? Before you part with your hard-earned money, keep in mind that home based business schemes have been around for years so do some investigating before you sign your home-based business affiliate agreement.

 

The popularity of many home-based business opportunities on the Internet is due largely to low startup costs and the lure of easy money.

 

Before you sign on the dotted line ask these few basic questions  before you commit to any home based business opportunity,

 

What are the Startup Costs?
How much are the start up costs for the home based business opportunity you're considering? Are there ongoing costs? If so, what will they entail and how much are they? One of the major causes of home-based business failue is due to not projecting the costs and expenses of operating a home-based business.

 

This is especially important if you are tyring to start on a shoestring.  Start up costs can be deceiving and often a home-based business can cost more to start than it may appear. The attraction of the initial low startup cost may vanish into thin air once you find out just how much is not included in your home-based business package.

 

Is there any Traning and Support Available?
The training and support offered by a company can make a huge difference in your success. Is it live training or is it Memorex? What I mean is can you attend live training sessions and have your questions personally answered by a qualified instructor or are you handed a bunch of books and CD's before being left alone to figure it out by yourself? What about your  up line, Do they good ethics and leadership skills? Are they dedicated to helping you succeed? Many times a quick search on Google will reveal quite a bit about the people and company included in your business plans.

 

What are the Rules for Advertising and Promotion?
Many home business opportunities have rules regarding how and where you can advertise. In some cases you may have strict limitations, and in others you may be able to do more or less whatever you want. In any case, it is very important to know and understand what you can and cannot do. For example, the company names are often copyrighted and/or trademarked and therefore you are not free to use them in your advertising without permission.

 

What is the Realistic Income Potential?
Read your income potential disclaimers. While a company may tell you hat is possible they won't make any income guarantees. They will however give examples of the best case scenario which is usually the exception to the rule. What is your product or service? Is it based on a need or is it predicated on a "wish list" want? Before you invest your time and money into any home-based business opportunity, you should understand how much you could realistically expect to make.

 

How Long Have They Been in Business?
One rule of thumb when evaluating a possible home-based business opportunity is longevity. A company who has been in business has an established track record. Good or bad there is a paper trail you can follow. By using Google to perform a little due dilligence you can quickly find both the positives and negatives about both the business and it's key players. Stay away from Pre-Launch and "Revolutionary" startup home-based business opportunities. Very few of thise ever make anyone other than the founders any money. Don't lose sight of your objective, which is to build a business that will provide you with an income over the years and not just a quick fix.

 

What Products or Services are Involved?
High quality goods and services that fill needs will attract an audience over a greater length of time thansome flash in the pan fad. Do you remember the pet rock?

 

If the product is a consumable, what is the reorder rate? Consumable products offer the home-based business owner a greater profit potential because people will reorder and buy more. Non-consumable products are sold less often and have a very limited re-order potential so you need to constantly go out and find more customers.

 

Is your home-based business opportunity customer based or distributor based?
If you are considering an MLM home based business then you are most likely looking at a distributor based business. A distributor based business really means that there are no real customers. Think about it for a minute. A distributor based business has no real customers - only distributors. Like you, they are only interested in making money. If your product doesn't make them any money they drop you like a hot rock and move on to another flavor or the week. Distributors have no loyalty!

 

A business based on a sollid foundation of customers is more stable. Customers are consumers of your products. They like, want and need your products. Fill their needs with a high quality product at an affordable price coupled with great customer service and you will build a steady income stream for the life of your home-based business.

 

Are There Quotas or Minimum Inventory Requirements?
Often times the real money for the companies involved comes from your required auto-ship. If you are required by the company to buy a large quantity of products on a regular basis to qualify for certain commission levels then it can be difficult to maintain the business.

 

Are the Products or Services Affordable?
The majority of the population must be able to afford the products or services you are offering. Before you begin your home-based business journey check the prices of your competetion. Know who is offering similar product and know what their prices are. Do some market research.

 

Creating a home-based business provided many benefits and opportunities however along with those opportunities come certain challenges. Be informed before you buy.

 

 

Stop Identity Thieves Immediately

Identity theft is a serious crime that is growing each year. If you're a victim of identity theft you may spend months, even years, trying to repair a ruined credit history. A seriously damaged credit report can compromise your chances of getting a new job, a bank loan, insurance or even rental housing. It's even possible to be arrested for a crime you didn't commit if someone else has used your identity to break the law.

Unfortunately, many of the methods that thieves use to steal identities are beyond your control to guard against. Although it's rare, even store clerks have been known to use their position to pass along information to identity thieves. There are some measures you can take, however, that will make it harder for a thief to steal your identity.

Protect Your Credit Card Number When Making Purchases

After you make a purchase and your credit or debit card has been swiped through a credit card terminal, check to make sure that the printed receipt hides all but the last 4 digits of your credit card account number (usually there will be Xs in place of the first 12 digits). Some terminals still print receipts that show all 16 digits of an account number, and may even include the expiration date as well. After your card is swiped, you're permitted by law to hide the first 12 digits of your account number on the copy of the receipt that the vendor keeps. Use any marking pen that will do the job.

When you go to a restaurant, it's especially important to make sure that the first 12 digits of your credit card number are hidden on your receipt. You might be in the habit of signing it and then leaving the restaurant's copy on the table after your meal. An identity thief can easily steal the signed receipt before the waitperson comes back around to pick it up from the table. Don't take any chances.

Do You Really Need To Give Your Social Security Number?

Another important way that you can guard against identity theft is to avoid giving out your social security number unless it's absolutely required. Although you need to share your social security number when you apply for credit or for a bank account, sometimes a store or an organization will want to use it as an ID number, simply to identify you within their system. This is a common practice even though the law says that social security numbers aren't to be used as ID numbers. In these situations, use your judgment. There's usually an alternative if you ask.

Destroy Documents That Contain Sensitive Personal Information

Buy a paper shredder and use it to destroy documents you're throwing away which contain personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, phone numbers and dates of birth. This is important to do both at home and at work. Identity thieves aren't above going through someone's trash to find valuable personal information that can help them obtain credit in your name.

If The Worst Happens

If you do become a victim of identity theft, take the following steps immediately:

Contact your credit card companies, close your accounts and ask to have new cards issued to you.

Place a fraud alert on your file with any one of the three major credit bureaus. The other two will be notified automatically.

File a police report. You may need it to show to creditors as proof of the crime.

File a complaint with the FTC, which maintains a database of identity theft cases used by law enforcement agencies for their investigations.

Work for the man or work from home - You decide.

When you work from home look at all you have to give up. I say that to myself every winter day when the snow is falling and it's 5AM. Just look at the price I have to pay to work from home. I say that to myself at least 10 times before I roll over and bury my head in the pillow for another 40 winks.

 

Winter days are my lazy days. I remember in the fall of 1993 it started to snow and it kept on snowing. I was snowed in pretty much all winter, snow drifts to the second floor. Thankfully my neighbor came over with his front end loader and cleared my driveway. Good thing my trip to the office was just down the stairs, past the fireplace (toss another log on the fire) and into "the office".

 

Like I said, you give up a lot when you work from home.

 

Actually starting a "work from home" business is not for everyone as there are some trade-offs. When you for an employer you have benefits like 401K, paid vacations, sick days and medical insurance.

 

Those perks are what used to keep people tied to a company job however times  have changed.

 

Now those who are employed by others are finding their paid vacations may be a little shorter, sick days fewer, you now pay at least a portion of your medical insurance and your 401K company contributions just aren't there. Also the new trend in cross training, teaching you other jobs just incase Debbie calls in sick that day ad they end up short handed. What cross training really means is that in addition to doing the job you were hired you are now doing additional work without any additional pay.

 

Changes in the employer/employee enviroment have definately impacted the growth of the work from home business opportunity industry. Recent studies have shown that more than 50% of US households are actively engaged in a work from home business either to supplement or replace their current streams of income.

 

The work from home business arean offers many attractive benefits and features. Work from home opportunities offer the advantage of low business start up costs. lower operating costs and tax advantages.

 

Work from home business also offer flexibility. As an example when you are employed by a company you have to be at work at a certain time. If you are late they dock your time. Traditionally you receive 2 short breaks during te day and an hour for lunch.

 

In a work from home environment you can pretty much work on your schedule. You decide when to take a break. You decide when to have lunch and you decide when to quit.

 

I think the benefits of a work from home environment far outweigh the negatives, how about you?

 

RH Sterling

Case Statement Copywriter

Certified Veretekk Trainer

TriVita Business Owner 13040262

 

Office: 570.972.1245

Private: 570.655.0522

Skype: rhsterling

 

Business email: qurox@veretekk.com

Personal email: robert@rhsterling.com

 

On the web

Its Good Business Social Network
TriVita Business Opportunity
IGB Marketing Group
Veretekk
Google My Name

 

- "Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value" Albert Einstein -

 

Work From Home Opportunities

 

Work from home opportunities are easy to find. All you have to do is enter “work from home opportunities” into your Google search box and you will see over 30 million results appear instantly before your eyes. Finding a legitimate work from home opportunity may be a bit more challenging than narrowing your Google search to “legitimate work from home opportunities” however it does narrow the playing field.

 

Searching Google for “legitimate work from home opportunities” shows slightly more than 300,000 results. It is a much more manageable size when trying to find a legitimate work from home opportunity to fit your lifestyle and your needs.

 

Having a business that allows you the flexibility to work from home holds a definite appeal for many people in today's world. Many stay at home parents or others living in remote locations, or those who simply want to escape the drudgery of the daily commute hope to find legitimate work from home opportunities. It is important to select a work from home job that fits with your skills and interests, your home life, and the legal and zoning requirements where you live.

 

Some legitimate work from home jobs include child care, writing and editing, transcription, and bookkeeping. The idea that you could work from home is not a new idea. In fact before the age of industrialization many people earned and income, plied their trades while working at home. Industrialization changed a lot of that by centralizing populations in and near cities near factories.

 

During the latter part of the 20th century people began to shed the corporate lifestyle. Some wished to escape the rat race and spend more time with their families. Some found that by working at home they could cut their expenses and live more cheaply while maintaining the same lifestyle. Other people have returned to a work from home atmosphere out of necessity.

 

Corporate downsizing, bankruptcies and NAFTA are all reasons that some people have used their skills to turn unemployment into employment only this time they are working for themselves as small business owners who operate their own work from home business.  Companies who now outsource some of their employment needs are using former employees as consultants.

 

I know of a husband and wife who now sells their company learned skills back to their former employer at more than twice their original salary. How’s that for turning lemons into lemonade?

 

Home Business Statistics

 

According to IDC, a top national research firm, there are between 34.3 million and 36.6 million work from home households in the United States alone.
Nationwide, the number work from home businesses may range from 18 million to 38 million, depending on who is doing the counting.

 

The number of work from home in the United States surpassed 20 million in 2002, and eclipsed 25 million by 2003 according to International Data Corp.
In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are now more than 18.3 million work from home businesses in the United States.

 

The number of U.S. households that have a work from home business currently exceeds 12 percent." - Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration
Newsweek magazine reported that by the year 2005, 50% of the households in the United States will be involved in a work from home business!

 

Show me the money

 

The work from home business industry is a growing market. It is estimated that the work from home market is responsible for creating more than 8,500 new jobs each day. It is estimated that more than 25% of work from home businesses now earn in excess of $100,000 annually and growing.

 

Tips for choosing a legitimate work from home business opportunity.

 

There are many things to consider when looking for that home-based business.  You need to take into account your time availability, your personality, your talents and strengths, the amount of money you have available to start a business, your family and other busy aspects of your life.

 

We have found that too many people give up on their quest in being a work from home mom because they get frustrated in the initial search process.  In this day and age of "I want it now", many people jump ship and close the door on a potential life change, all because of impatience. 

 

Before starting a home business, you need to realize that this first step is THE most important step in whether you will see success as a home business owner or not.  If you don't take the time now to research the vast number of opportunities available, with diligence and honesty, you will most likely not experience the success that you had hoped to find.

 

In determining which business is right for you, you'll want to consider the industry that holds your passions. What I mean is choose a work from home business that focuses on something that you want to do. Owning a busines that you enjoy is far better than doing a job that you detest. Isn't that one of the reasons that you wanted to work from home in the first place? Before you invest your money do a simple survey to see how much interest there is for your proposed venture. The most important thing to remember is "don't develop a need, fulfill a need." Next create a simple business plan, chart out how much money you'll need to get started.

 

Failure to accurately project costs is one of the biggest reasons people fail in building an Internet work from home business. Some people are led to believe that if they plunk down the initial admission price that all they have to do is use one of those pretty company provided replicated websites and they will wake up to millions of dollars in the bank, a manison on the coast and an expensive Italian sport car.

 

The good news is that you will!!

 

The bad news is that it will be a Photo Shop mansion by the coast with Photo Shop money and a Photo Shop car.

 

You are the Photo Shop Millinaire

 

You must realize success in any business - even an Internet work from home business doesn't work that quickly.

 

When researching an Internet business, steer clear of the numerous pre-launch hype. By pass those buzz words like "Revoltionary", "Amazing", "Secret". It's all just hype.

 

Next ask yourself is this a "Wish List Want" or a "Needed" product or service? You have an easier time building a sustainable business if you are filling a need rather than a want.

 

Longevity - How long has this company or opportunity been around. You have a greater chance of success if the company has shown stability for a long period of time.

 

Who are you customers?

 

Have you ever though about that? If you haven't considered your customers, you should. Consider this... You purchase an xyz distributorship, who are your customers? Most likely your customers will come in the form of other distributors. Distributors aren't really customersm they are sales people. Sure your distributors purchase product however they like you are trying to make money and build a business.

 

What happens when that distributor isn't making any money?
a) You recruit a new distributor to fill the hole in your organization.
b) You get frustrated.
c) You fail.

 

Look for a businees that uses a cooporative business model that provide saccess to their customers. Nothing builds loyalty like a solid customer base.

 

Customers not distributore is what will create streams of residdual income.

 

Finally, consider how you will be paid. Look beyond the numbers. Steer clear of the binaries and invistigate the qualifications. I recently spoke with one woman who had earned $80 in commissions however the company wouldn;t cut her a check unless her commission reached $100

 

There is a lot to look at when considering a work from home busines opportunity but with persistence and due diligence you will find a legitimate work from home business opportunity you can sooon call your own.

 

RH Sterling

Case Statement Copywriter

Certified Veretekk Trainer

TriVita Business Owner 13040262

 

Office: 570.972.1245

Private: 570.655.0522

Skype: rhsterling

 

Business email: qurox@veretekk.com

Personal email: robert@rhsterling.com

 

On the web

Its Good Business Social Network
TriVita Business Opportunity
IGB Marketing Group
Veretekk
Google My Name

 

- "Strive not to be a success but rather to be of value" Albert Einstein -