How To Find the Best Home Business Without Getting Scammed

I admit it. I almost went for a scam. What looked like a reprinted newspaper article appeared on the splash page of my email provider. The article was about people in a town in the southeastern US who were making money at home with an internet business. At the end of the article there was a link for more information. I followed the link, which went to a page with the word "Google" in the title, suggesting that the opportunity was related to Google. Pretty cool, I thought.

As I read down the page, it began to ask for information about me. When it asked for my credit card, I stopped. Something didn't feel right.

It's true, they were only asking a few dollars for an e-book explaining their business. But I didn't know anything about them.

This is where common sense needs to have a stronger pull than the impulse to buy.

I decided to do a little quick research, using Google of course. I first checked to see whether this was indeed a business related to Google. I went to www.google.com and clicked on each of the "Advertising Programs", "Business Solutions" and "About Google" links. I didn't find the home business opportunity in question on any of these pages. I could also have checked Google customer service, but it was clear enough that this was not an authentic Google opportunity.

I did a few Google searches on the title of the opportunity to confirm my suspicions. I further discovered that the opportunity was offshore (in the far east) and that people who had signed up for it, were not able to contact it once they gave their credit card info. They had to cancel their credit cards when unexpected charges were made.

What a relief that I hadn't made that last click!

This is not to say that if you encounter something that calls itself "Google Incredibly Easy Millions," or "Yahoo Money While You Sleep" that it's a scam. (I made both of these up.) But before you click to buy, do a little research. Is it indeed an affiliate program of Google, Yahoo, eBay or anyone else you've heard of? The internet makes it relatively easy to find out.

In my case, I also looked for a phone number or an email address for customer support. Neither could be found. The absence of both of these items is a huge red flag. Fuggedaboudit.

Every day, I see ads for home internet businesses where people claim they're making big money: $20k to $80k per month! They say they've discovered the magic of the internet. If you give them your email, and a fee, they'll tell you how they did it. Sometimes, but not always, the ad is attacking another entrepreneur. I never click on these ads. I'm not even curious.

Why? Because they haven't offered anything first. They haven't given their audience even a little bit of information about the magic they've discovered before asking for money. This bit of information would allow us to assess the quality of their offer. They also haven't told us anything about themselves. So we have no genuine sense of the person behind the offer. Why should we trust someone who hasn't given of himself?

I fully believe that if you give first, you will receive abundance. This is a principle of life, not just a belief. An ad with negative energy or withholding energy, or an ad that violates this principle does not get my attention. Such ads are not necessarily scams. They're just not aligned with my principles.

What attracts me are opportunities where I want to work with the people involved. I'm looking for positive, confident, generous, energetic people. Isn't that what you'd expect from someone who is truly successful?

Let me give you a positive example. Many good trainings emphasize establishing a presence on the internet. In order to do that, one of the most important skills is writing. The copywriter I'm learning the most from is Clayton Makepeace. You can check out his site at www.makepeacetotalpackage.com. On the site are hundreds of articles on copywriting, at no charge. The quality and quantity of material is mind boggling. A total gift. He does sell books and training packages. Like all of us he has to make a living. But he gives you the opportunity to experience him as a teacher, and to learn quite a lot from him, before you buy anything.

If you did nothing, other than study Makepeace's articles and put them into practise, you'd be quite successfully self-employed.

Here's some questions to ask when you are considering a training package or home business. Overall, you want to establish whether they are more giving and revealing vs. more withholding and concealing.

• Is their approach giving or withholding?
  
  
  
  • Have they given you value before asking for something from you? This could be an article, a blog, or some other useful information.
    
  • Does the ad tell you something you didn't know about their business?
    
  • Do you feel like you want to work with them?
    
  • Is their energy generous, confident and positive?
    
  
  
• Is their approach more revealing or concealing?
  
  
  
  • Is there a way to get your questions answered before you make a commitment?
    
  • Are they doing anything to establish trust, such as revealing some of
    their secrets, or revealing who they are and what motivates them?
    
  • Have they told you about their history, or what brought them to this point?
    
  • Is there a way to contact them?
    
  
  

There are plenty of ways to earn money on the internet that are aligned with your principles. You never have to feel that you need a particular home business opportunity. If you're patient with the search process, you'll find what's right for you.

In this lens I discussed ways to spot the best opportunities, and ways to spot scams.

Most of the home business opportunities that I've seen recently are internet based. Because of the technical nature of the internet, they usually have an element of training to them or should have. At the very least, they have to teach you their system. More likely you also need to learn some web-related skills. So you really need to think of these home business opportunities as training programs as much as businesses.

With that in mind, here's a list of questions to ask as you shop for a business with a training program.

1. If they use a high recognition name like Google, Yahoo, or eBay, are they really affiliated with the recognized organization? If they are using the name just to get your attention, be cautious.
   
2. Is there someone to contact for questions or problems? Usually people with legitimate small businesses are branding themselves, so they make a point of letting you know who they are and how to reach them. If there is no contact information, move on.
   
3. Is there a technical support system so you can get help with the product or service after you've made a commitment? Make sure there is one before making a commitment. Better still, is to contact tech support BEFORE purchasing anything. See how they respond to your questions. If you have a good experience before making a commitment, it's likely they'll be good afterward.
   
4. Is some valuable information freely given? The internet business business is very competitive right now. The best opportunities I know offer quite a bit of information free. A business that wants to help you succeed has everything to gain by giving you a sample of their training material. It tells you how effective they are at making you successful. Sample their training materials and ask yourself how you feel about them. If you learned something and you're excited to try more, then you may have found a winner. Pass on anything less.
   
5. Is the overall experience you have with the promotional material an open and revealing experience? Giving you a clear picture of who they are and how they came to this business is critical for winning your trust. The more revealing they are, the more trust they've earned.
   
6. Is the overall experience you have with the promotional material one of concealment and doubt? If all they've done is brag about the incredible, record-breaking system they have, without telling you anything about themselves or their approach, why should you believe them? Why should you believe that even if they've been successful themselves, that they'll share that information with you and help you to become successful as well? There's a well known expression (from Neuro-linguistic Programming), "How you do anything, is how you do everything." If they're concealing in their promotional material, they're likely to be concealing or withholding (of information) after you buy.
   
7. Do you have a friend who has tried this opportunity? Often the strongest reason for a favorable decision is someone you trust who's actually tried the training or opportunity and benefitted by it.
   

I hope you find these suggestions helpful in your search, and you find a great a great way to work from home.

All of the legitimate home business opportunities that I know of require
a fair bit of work. The key is to find an opportunity where you enjoy the work,
and where truly effective training is available. Your success is dependent
on high quality, ongoing training. That's where your decision process
should focus.

My purpose is to help others achieve a better life through creative pursuits and financial independence.