There are probably very, very few people who haven’t at one time or another thought about starting a home based business.
It’s easy to see why it’s so appealing… work from home (heck even work in your PJ’s!), spend more time with your family, fire your boss, make more money…ect.
However when it comes to actually doing something about your dream of working from home most people won’t even get started.
It’s sad to think that so many people are dying to work from home but sadly they probably never will.
In my experience as an Internet marketer I’ve heard a lot of reasons for not getting started but the biggest one by far is simply that they are afraid they are going to get scammed.
It’s not an irrational fear really. There are scams out there after all, and for a lot of people it can be hard to tell the difference.
Some people might even say it’s impossible, but it’s not.
Spotting a home business scam is really very simple if you know what you’re looking for.
#1 Thing To Look For…
Lack of a product. It is 100% illegal to have a business and no product or service.
When you are checking out a home based business for the first time make sure you find out what product or service you will be marketing.
While it’s good to find a product or service you can be passionate about you actually can make money even with a horrible product… lots of people have done it in the past.
The product or service however, does have to exist.
#2 Thing To Look For…
A company’s reputation. Now listen to me when I say that you don’t have to sign up with a company that’s been around for 20 years or more.
There are a lot of really great start up or ground floor companies out there.
However, if you can’t find out anything about the people behind the business, and you can’t find any real people just like you who are actually making money you’re probably dealing with a scam.
Never… ever send money to someone who can’t give you at least a little bit of information about their reputation.
#3 Thing To Look For…
They won’t tell you what you’ll be doing up front. Before you pay any money to someone to start a business you should know 3 things: the product, a little bit about the company itself, and what you are going to be doing to make money.
Will you be selling a product or service?
Will you be bringing other people into the business? Both?
This is the final thing you should find out before becoming involved in a home based business.
Before I end this article here are a few other points to consider.
First of all, just because someone asks for money up front doesn’t make it a scam. All real businesses cost money to start.
After all if you were going to start a traditional business it would take money to get started right? An internet business is no different.
Most home based businesses require that you also get other people involved and help to train them. This is also not the mark of a scam. It’s just a business structure, no more no less.
Finally, just because you hear a few bad reviews about a business doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a scam. People leave companies all the time and sometimes they are angry. It is super easy to write an angry blog post or say something on the internet when you are upset. So make sure you really get your facts and make sure you’re not just listening to a jilted ex-business owner.
Follow these steps and you won’t be fooled by the scammers out there, and hopefully you’ll find an awesome business that can give you the kind of freedom that only working for yourself can provide!
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