Guest Author - Meg Meyer

So many people are tired of the rat race. You get to a point where you don't want to work for someone else anymore. You know you want to work from home. And you know there is a treasure trove of opportunity on the internet.

But beware! For every legitimate money making opportunity that exists online, there are ten more scams, schemes, and blatant frauds that are waiting to take your money, your identity, and worse - your credibility.

You don't want to be known as the person who is always peddling something. It destroys the credibility and the trust that customers need to feel confident in purchasing from you.

So when you know you want to start your own home business, and you know you don't want to spend a lot of money to start - how do you know how to smell the scams and avoid them? How do you learn which biz ops are legitimate and better yet, the ones that YOU can make money with?

1. Look for contact information. Can you get in touch with a real person on the phone who is in charge of the business? Or is the only opportunity for sending a message attached to the "Buy Now" button? Legitimate businesses want their affiliates to do well and want to be available to aid in their success.

2. Research the name of the company, the company owners, the domain. A bit of research will often uncover complaints, testimonials, parent companies, and the general consumer opinion of the organization.

3. Is the market saturated? Sure some guys are making great money from something. But that doesn't mean you will. You could be jumping on the bandwagon too late, and making money for an up-line without making money for yourself.

4. Would you be proud to announce representing this product or service? If it feels shady or like you'd be embarrassed to tell your family, you might be feeling something important.

5. Does it seem too good to be true? You know the old adage - it probably is.

6. Does the company seem trustworthy? If any part of you feels the answer is "no" - keep looking.

7. Do your skills match the skills needed to make money from that opportunity? Even legitimate work at home businesses and affiliate programs are next to impossible for those that aren't passionate or don't have the right skill-set for the job.

With so many opportunities out there - there are legitimate ones. There are businesses that you will be good at and make money from. But be sure to do your homework. There are too many marketers out there that boast pie-in-the-sky results when really the only one that gets fat off the pie is the originator of the affiliate program.

Be careful and full of intention with where you focus your energy. You can do it, with the right research, the right support and the right guidance - you can start your own business, you can run your own business, and you can be successful and happy in a venture of your own!


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