Home Based Business Tips and Reviews: 7 Steps To Finding A Good Home Based Business Opportunity

By: Crystal Booth

First of all, I am by no means an expert. I still have a lot to learn, but I have been researching home based business opportunities and work at home programs for a few years now. I have been scammed, as I’m sure anyone looking for work at home has been.

When I first heard of working from home, about 9 or 10 years ago, I was very excited. I was a stay at home mom and I thought this would be perfect. I could still stay home, take care of my children, and be able to bring in money to supplement my husbands income.

I tried several work at home opportunities that I found in newspapers or magazines. (This was before the internet became very popular.) I tried stuffing envelopes only to find the money I would earn would not even come close to the amount I would spend on envelopes and postage. I ordered the original mystery shopper program, but did not have the time or money for postage to devote to contacting all the companies by mail and asking for permission to work for their company. (Note: This was before Mystery Shopping was available online. This program is much easier to get started in now, and is very popular.)

I even tried selling Avon and Tupperware. Now I personally know several people, including my grandmother, who do very well selling these products, but apparently I am not the saleswoman that they are.

Then, along came the internet. Again, I was very excited. Maybe my dream could still come true. So, I started searching online for a good work at home opportunity. What I found was a lot of work at home programs promising $1000s of dollars for doing almost nothing. They sounded good… too good to be true. But I was determined, so I kept searching. I tried several different things, but with not much luck.

I tried several affiliate programs and those never made any money for me. I tried at lot of different programs ranging in cost from free to $100. (My husband was only making about $10,000 a year at this time, so I wasn’t willing to spend any more than that on one program.) I even made one exception and spent a whopping $200 for a website with my name on it. All I had to do is promote it and I would make all the money off everyone visiting my site and ordering the product. Well, I promoted my heart out on every site I could find. I had a few people email me with questions, but never had any orders. What I figured out was that I had bought into a cookie cutter program where the only product being sold was the same one I had ordered. I had been scammed! And when I asked for a refund, the owner of the program could not be found.

Note: The programs listed above may have done very well for other people. There are legitimate companies that deal in these types of products. I am not putting down these programs in any way. Nor am I discouraging anyone from trying them out for themselves. I am only stating my personal results. Please do not take my opinions or results as fact. Check them out for yourself.

Now, I consider myself a pretty intelligent person, but each time I tried and failed on one of these programs, I felt gullible, stupid, and angry with myself. I felt like I had let my family down. I had failed again. I was ready to give up.

After a while, I realized I did not want to ‘just give up’. Maybe I’m just stubborn, but I still felt there was money to be made in a home based business. So I started thinking about the different programs I had bought and my approach to them. I realized that my mistake had been that I jumped in feet first without taking time to research the opportunity fully. I took their word on it. I didn’t ask questions or try to find out as many details as I could first. So before searching for yet another work at home business opportunity, I decided to put some more thought into it.

I thought about how I could research the programs more carefully. There are very legitimate companies out there that will make you a profit. But, there are also companies that will lie through their teeth to get your hard earned money! The internet is so vast; it is hard to know where to begin and what to believe.

After much thought on the subject, I had a few ideas. I came up with a 7 step screening process that I use when searching for a business opportunity. I have listed these steps in detail.

Trust your first instinct.

This one is easy. If something sounds too good too be true, it usually (but not always!) is. When looking at an opportunity, ask yourself:

Does this company sound legit?

Is what they are offering a sound product or service?

Would you be comfortable selling this product or providing this service?

Does what it promises sound to good to be true?

Do they have testimonials from satisfied customers on their site?

Do they have any credentials listed?

Do they offer a money back guarantee?

As stated in the heading, trust your first instinct. It is always best to go on your gut reaction. If you’re not sure, ask someone you trust to take a look at the program and give his or her opinion.

That first rush is always great. Reading through some of these opportunities can be very exciting. The money they promise you will get your heart pounding. But ask yourself, “Does this sound right”?

I advise you to think on the opportunity for a day or two and then go back and read it again. This will allow time for the initial excitement to die down and allow you to put some serious thought into pursuing this particular program.

Make sure they offer a money back guarantee!

I listed this in the first step, but it deserves its own heading. This may be the most important rule.

If the company does not offer any kind of guarantee, they are most likely not a reputable company. There should be a minimum 30 day guarantee. Of course, 60 or 90 days is better, but no less than 30 is acceptable.

A guarantee shows that a company stands behind its product. If there is not a guarantee, the product will probably not be very good.

Don’t be taken in by one time offers or timers!

On some business opportunity sites, you will see a limited offer, such as “This offer only available until date below.” And more often than not, it will be whatever date you are viewing the site. Don’t be fooled by this. It is a tactic to get you to buy now without asking any questions or putting any thought into your purchase. You should not be rushed into buying anything. Especially not something that you are hoping will provide at least part, if not all, of your family’s income.

Another tactic is a timer on the site. It will state that you must order before the timer runs out or the product will no longer be available. Again, they hope to get you excited and that you will ‘buy now before its too late’. But have you ever watched those timers? I have. They do not run out. They appear to be counting down, but they never get below a preset number.

Note: I am not stating that if a company uses these tactics they are not legit. They are using aggressive sales tactics, but they may still be a reputable company. If you feel it is a good opportunity to research, continue with the steps.

Sometimes when you are reading a companies pitch page, you might find something missing. They only give a vague idea of what you would be selling or doing if you order their program.

And that falls under my next heading…

Ask Questions!

Never be afraid to ask questions. If the company is legit, they will not mind answering your inquiries. Search through the site to find their contact information. A phone number is best, but an email address will do.

Make a list of questions. Think carefully of what you need to ask. This is your hard earned money they are wanting. You have every right to ask for more information.

You would do the same if …

* you were applying for a job. You would want to know exactly what you would be doing, how often you would be paid, and what benefits you would receive.

* you were buying a product at a store. You would ask the salesperson details on the product, such as, how it works, and how will it benefit you.

Sample questions you would ask might include:

a. What type of product or service will I be offering?

b. Does this program involve advertising or marketing for it to work?

c. If so, do they provide promotional tools?

d. How will I be paid and how often?

e. Will there be support? Do they sell you the program and cut you loose or will they help you out with getting started?

f. Will I have to spend additional money after ordering the program? (i.e. monthly fees, additional information, or tools?)

g. Will a website be required and if so, will they provide it?

h. Ask them about their guarantee and refund policy. Even if this info was listed on their site, it would not hurt to ask and have it reiterated.

Include anything else you can think of depending on the type of program you are looking into. If something is not answered on their site home or FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page, or it is very vague, ask!

Now, you can not expect full disclosure of their program. They would not be in business very long if they gave away all their information for free. But you should expect a little more detailed information than they provided on their site. If you are not satisfied with the answer, ask again in a different way or with questions that are more detailed. Again, if they are an honest company, they will provide answers.

If you send an email and do not get a reply within a day or two, your email may have not gotten through their spam filter, or they may have missed it in their other mail. Send it again, maybe with a different subject line, such as ‘Membership Question’, or ‘A question on your program’. If you still do not receive an answer, they may not be a reputable company. I would not advise ordering from any company that you cannot get a response from. If they cannot be bothered to answer a few questions, they certainly won’t bother to return your money if you are not satisfied.

Don’t take their word for it.

When looking at a company with a business opportunity, you do not have to take their word on it .There is so much information available on the internet. Use it to your advantage.

Check out the company with the BBB Online.

Google it! Do a search on the company name or program.

See what information you can find on this company or product. You might even find posts in forums where someone has actually bought the program and tried it out.

Another good search engine is WebFerret. It searches 10 search engines at once, including Google. You can download this at http://www.ferretsoft.com

If you are a member of a forum or chat room, you can ask if there is anyone who has tried the program. There are chat rooms devoted to this.

Search for review sites that review home based businesses or work at home opportunities. Just make sure the review site is reputable, too. Email them and ask about their experience with the company you are researching.

A very good review site is http://www.consumer-rated.com. If you do not find the company you are researching listed on their reviews, email them and ask if they have reviewed this company or a similar one. If they haven’t, look for another review site that has.

Search until you are at least satisfied that you cannot find anything negative about the company.

Please note that this is an important step. It will not guarantee that you won’t be scammed, but at least you have done your homework and protected yourself as best you can.

Search for similar programs.

Let’s face it. There is not a lot of originality left, even on the internet. The work at home program or business opportunity that you are checking out is probably not the only one of its kind. Search for other company sites that are offering a similar product or program. You may find one that you like even better, depending on information provided and benefits listed.

Remember to take each company your are interested in through the steps listed above.

Here is an example of using all the above steps:

I found a website offering data entry from home. The site was flashy with large, garishly colored fonts, and practically yelled at me to sign up now to earn thousands of dollars a day. I heard the word ‘Scam’ in my head as I read through the pitch. I did not like the sound of this company, but I was intrigued by the idea of data entry from home. So, I started searching for other data entry opportunities.

After reviewing around 20-40 company sites, I decided on one. It was very different than a lot of the other sites I reviewed. The one I chose had a professional looking website. It did not promise a lot of money for nothing. It stated, in a quiet and practical manner, a brief description of the program and what it was possible to earn with a little hard work. This company also offered 7 different data entry programs for the same price that the other sites were selling just one. And they offered a money back guarantee.

I then emailed this company with my list of questions. I received excellent feedback. I searched for everything I could find on this company, and then emailed Consumer-Rated on their experience. I received a great review from them as well.

This company passed all the above steps with flying colors.

I did order this program and have started working on getting everything setup. I am taking it slowly, reading through all the information., and making sure I know exactly how this program works.

This brings me to the final step…

Reviewing your program

Once you have decided on the company and ordered your program, you will then want to review all the information and tools provided. Read through it several times. Then ask yourself…

Is the program informative?

Is it made clear what product you will be selling or service you will be providing?

Does it give you step by step instructions on how to work this program?

Does it provide al the tools necessary to work this program?

Does it state exactly how you will earn money with this program?

Are you comfortable doing what is required?

Does it still sound like a legit program?

If you answered yes to all these questions, then you have probably found yourself a good program. If there is one or two you’re not sure on, don’t despair just yet. If you found a good company, they will offer support. If you are not sure about something in the program, contact your support team and ask. A good company will help you to sort out all the information and answer any questions you have on getting started.

If you do not get the support you require, then you may have been scammed. If you are not able to get help with your questions, then you may also have trouble getting a refund on the program.

If you answer no to all or even 3 or 4 of the above questions, I would seriously consider asking for a refund immediately. Again, trust your gut instinct.

After reviewing the program I ordered, I am quite happy. The program is laid out step by step, and it seems very easy to do. And I also received several bonuses that could bring in additional income. I have not yet made any money, as I have not started yet, but I am sure that I will be able to very quickly. I am happy to take the time to make sure I do it right. Check back again for an update on my progress if you are interested.

Good Luck to you on starting your own home based business. I sincerely hope that this article has been informative and helpful. Remember that if there is money to be made, it will still be there. Just take you time. If done right, you may find an opportunity that exceeds your wildest dreams.

If this article was helpful, feel free to read others listed on my blog. I plan on including some great articles from experts on how they succeeded in their home based business. As of right now, this blog is still currently under construction. Feel free to check back in any time.

Thanks for your interest and again, Good Luck!
Crystal Booth
my-work-at-home-review@yahoo.com
http://www.my-work-at-home-review.blogspot.com

Note: I did not write this article to promote any company in particular, but if you are interested in the data entry program that I ordered you can check it out at: https://paydotcom.com/r/11436/crysbooth/478217/.

You have just read 7 Steps to Finding a Good Home Based Business Oppurtunity

By: Crystal Booth

Posted January 13, 2007