Each and every day thousands of people turn to the internet in hopes of finding a “perfect” Online Business opportunity either to replace or supplement current income.
The problem is there are so many options to choose from, so many biased reviews, so many false promises… after a while everything can easily become a huge blur and despite the research you do you’re often left more confused that when you started!
I also know from first hand experience the thoughts that cross the minds of a ‘newbie’ to the industry: As you surf around the web part of you is filled with excitement, and hope as you imagine the possibilities, but there’s always those ‘other’ thoughts and questions you ask yourself… such as: “I wonder if all these stories of healthy earnings are true’ and “I wonder if I could succeed with no experience and knowing nothing about the industry”.
Whilst it’s perfectly logical (and even recommended) to be cautious … and to even have a little self doubt, based on personal experience, I know that regardless of who you are, prior experience, age, or tech savvy, you have the exact same chance of achieving success as anybody else. You just have to be sensible and think things through.
Knowing what I know now, (with over four years into this industry) I have come to learn that often you never will find the “perfect” online business opportunity, but depending on how you use it or what you’re willing to turn it into, it can often be tailored to be an excellent fit for you and serve you very well for as long as you wish.
Of course there are a few things to keep in mind which I will share below before you dive into anything, but I will also share a few considerations to ponder in hopes that might find it easier to make a decision to at least get started moving in the right direction with some form of clarity.
When choosing any business opportunity these are essential considerations:
Ensure the business is absolutely solid and legitimate.
It is essential you perform due diligence on any online business opportunity (or ‘offline for that matter). Make sure the business has a solid foundation, talk to others involved if possible and preferably investigate the age, location and track record of the company itself.
Never sign up for anything unless you have spoken with someone (verbally) to get your questions answered. What I mean is, don’t be sucked into these fancy pages you come across with images of mansions, Porsches and money flying at you urging you to join and start earning right away. I can guarantee you that if you fell for such claims, you could wave goodbye to your hard earned cash the minute you press “submit”.
Secondly, (and this might be solely my opinion… even though I’m sure there are many who would agree) there should be real benefits both personally and financially and it’s helpful if the general theme of the business is something that interests you.
I’ll explain my second point so you clearly understand what I’m saying:
The business opportunity should benefit you personally:
As you might already know, there are so many business opportunities to choose from; some are Multi Level Marketing endeavours, others might be Direct Sales. Whilst I don’t want to get too much into which is better (because that’s personal choice) … I do feel that whatever you decided to promote should provide life enhancing benefits in addition to compensating your fairly.
For example, if you are considering marketing a health and wellness product line or a personal development business opportunity as I do, I feel it’s imperative that regardless of ‘what’ it is, it provides real value to the end user.
I can’t even begin to tell you the number of things I’ve tried over the years that had absolutely no improvement on my life whatsoever, yet managed to drain my bank account sufficiently that I was irritated beyond words.
I’ve marketed health products, juices, and other programs that despite my effort to convince myself I either ‘felt’ or ‘thought’ different… the truth is, at the end of the day many of them didn’t make a scrap of difference except to the weight of my wallet! L
Because many people have had similar experiences, which is why so many are ‘turned off’ it’s particularly important to take note of reviews and talk to people about results.
Now of course there are always ‘caveats’ to this rule as you should also bear in mind there are some people will make trouble in Heaven.
Lets say for instance you spoke to someone who really didn’t care about the ‘quality’ of product they chose to market, and only joined for the “financial gain” but did nothing to work at building their business; you’ll likely find ‘these’ types will pick holes in the business, products and anyone marketing the business based on their own lack of work ethic and instead look for anything or anyone to blame other than themselves.
The bottom line is, you’ll have to turn on your own filters and use some common sense.
Is the Business Opportunity affordable?
The last thing I would ever do is recommend someone joins any business opportunity that they cannot afford.
Again, there are a plethora of choices when it comes to selecting the perfect business opportunity and many have varying levels of entry.
There are some that have multiple investment points; in fact even the business opportunity I enjoy has three investment levels ranging from very affordable to (in my humble opinion) ridiculously inflated!
The main consideration to keep in mind is to choose the one that will suit your budget and regardless of what anybody says, NEVER invest more than you can afford.
Never be sucked in by focusing on the higher commission level associated with the higher entry point. Start small and build from there. I am living proof that healthy incomes can be earned (providing you’re willing to work it) by sharing lower priced products or ventures. I mean, Heavens, there are people earning excellent incomes by g selling paperclips aren’t there?? (Literally).
Does the Biz Opp. offer trial period or a money back guarantee?
Whilst I never recommend joining a business opportunity or even purchasing things based “solely” on the fact there is an easy way out, I do feel that providing you set an intention to do your absolute best and put the “pedal the to metal” to work towards your goals, it can be comforting to know there is a “safety net” in place just in case you can’t seem to wrap your heart around it.
There are a handful of businesses opportunities I’ve investigated over the years who will offer a trial period or a money back promise providing you commit to giving it your best shot within a designated period of time.
To me, it doesn’t get anymore ‘fair’ than that and shows the company has enough faith in their products / services / support, etc., that they are willing to be open and allow you time to have a fair ‘test run’. This is always an option for the ‘nervous Nelly’ types!
Is support, coaching and mentoring provided to help you learn to market your business opportunity?
Many companies these days will provide a certain level of support however when it comes right down to it, most of this support will be the responsibility of the person you join. (i.e.: sponsor).
When looking for the perfect sponsor, ask the hard questions such as “how will you help me?” or “what type of coaching do you provide?”, then at least you will know what to expect and know what is expected from you as well!
Based on personal experience, as well as hearing the same stories from others, there are many times you’ll start a business venture and sign up under people who virtually disappear once they’ve got you on board, so taking the above steps and choosing your sponsor or mentor carefully will give you a better idea as to what you can expect and something to refer to if you feel they are not upholding their end of the bargain!
Now… with this said, again, there is a caveat… and that is that you cannot expect your coach or mentor to hold your hand forever, but they should at least help you build a solid foundation and be there to answer questions or help you through any challenges you may face for a minimum of a couple to three months. (My own opinion).
It’s a fact that everyone at some point has to be willing to roll up their sleeves and take responsibility for their own results after a certain period of time, but again we’re all privy to the same set of chances as the next person for achieving success if we put the effort into learning skills that work for us.
I personally have always kept in touch with my partners, at least the ones who have not lost interest and I find our close relationships make for great masterminding sessions every so often.
So, at the end of the day, what is a “perfect” Online Business Opportunity then?
At the end of the day, the truth is, what’s right for some people may not be ‘right’ for others, but again, we do live in a time where there are so many options that I do believe there is something for everyone!
If you can choose something that will provide benefit, it resonates with you, it’s affordable and you can get the help you need when you need it, the only thing holding anyone back is you.
I’m of the firm opinion that providing the business opportunity is legitimate everything is what YOU make it.
I started with my business at a time I knew nothing more than how to send and receive emails and on a good day I could send an attachment.
At the time I made the choice to start where I was, use what I had and continue learning and working it to make it work for me.
Since that time, the growth has been an awesome experience and I’ve managed to build on my initial starting point to branch out in many directions.
Because I made a solid commitment and firm decision to consistently work toward clear goals, have I have added additional sidelines such as coaching, life coaching and even incorporated and learned to market a few affiliate products to compliment my initial income stream all as a result of making the decision to get started.
Regardless of how many people you see around the World Wide Web screaming out loud that their business opportunity is better than the next one, always bear in mind it has to be something you are comfortable with.
If you keep an open mind and you’re willing to learn and follow direction the world can be your oyster and eventually you will be able to go modify and tweak anything you choose to be the “perfect” online business opportunity for you.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Jayne: There are tons distractions around the web. It seems as if I turn left, I see a distraction and if I turn right, there is another distraction.
In the end, I realize that I work for more than my own satisfaction. I also work too hard for any amount of money.
What a detailed post Jayne and boy can I relate to a lot of what you’ve shared here.
When you said there were a lot of opportunities you joined that didn’t benefit you at all and drained your bank account I think a lot of us can relate to that I’m afraid.
I recently changed opportunities again and this has definitely been a great lesson for me. For those that say it’s just about people joining people, although that may be the case, it’s not always the smartest move. All these factors you’ve mentioned here need to be in place as well.
I know this post can really help a lot of people know what’s involved and what they should look out for. Big wake up call for me.
Thanks Jayne and welcome back!
~Adrienne
Hi Jayne,
I have seen a lot of promoted business opportunity geared towards “scam”, especially those promoted via advertorial style (i.e. work from home mum earn xxxxx in xx hours from Google….).
When I evaluate a course or an opportunity, most often I will go to check out some forum review (not the blog review with affiliate link). Most of the time, I will know if the members are experienced or purely newbie based on their number of posts and thanks received, etc… Also, check out the author to see if his past products are decent.
By reading the sales page correctly will help us to decide as well. If a product is truly a breakthrough, like it will generate a lot of buzz, with real user reviews. Else, it will be too good to be true.
Cheers,
Ming
If you want to start your own business or start on the ground floor with a home business opportunity, then you might want to do some research before you get started. Not every business opportunity is legitimate, so you must look up the company and use other little investigative techniques.
If you’ve decided to start an Internet business, there are some very important things to consider first. Cyberspace is a universe unto itself and your business can get lost if it isn’t filling a need or easily found..
“The bottom line is, you’ll have to turn on your own filters and use some common sense.” – love this, so true…