Online Money - How do you Find the Right Opportunity?

There are a lot of questions to be answered before clicking on the first "work from home and make your millions online" ad you see.  Before we jump into the big question of finding something legitimate, let's look at you.

Do you really want to work from home?  Do you want the responsibility of your own business?  Are you self motivated or do you prefer direction from other sources?  Do you want to supplement income in your spare time?  How do you picture yourself handling the learning curve of a new skill set?  What is the time allowance you are willing to give yourself to start something new?  How passionate are you about what you do? 

After getting honest about your expectations of yourself, it may be time to look at what you are willing to do.  Most online opportunities will advertise with a certain amount of hype, after all, they're trying to hold your attention while you are surfing through endless electronic pages of ads promoting similar potential income claims.  First off, are you willing to look at a page and consider what the post-hype reality of the message there actually is?  I will use three very common opportunity situations to demonstrate my point: 

 Many are promoting a multi-level business structure.  There really are people making incredible lifestyles for themselves using this model of business.  But, to start, do you have an understanding of MLM structure or does the word pyramid resound through your brain as soon as you see those letters?  One resource to answer this particular question is the Network Marketing Business School online. There is a wealth of free information there to gain a better understanding of multi-level marketing as well as a directory of seemingly endless companies using this structure to help individuals grow their own businesses.

 Another popular opportunity being advertised is Forex trading.  There are automated systems that tell you what to do, buy or sell, and when to do it on the Foreign Currency Exchange.  All you have to do is set up an account with a broker and you're off to the races.  One thing I would ask myself here is if I want to be good at this, am I willing to do what it takes to become a proficient trader because in my mind, the automated system is going to have no idea of what is going on in the world that could effect currency pairs.  To start even understanding the lingo, because, what is a pip anyways?  Babypips.com is an educational site that provides an excellent resource for those interested in learning more about this exchange.

 A third very popular method of generating income online is affiliate marketing.  With the number of products and vendors online, it is very easy to become an affiliate of almost any combination of them. After forming your accounts, it's just a matter of building websites to promote whatever you are selling for the vendor and advertising to get people to your websites, in a nutshell.  Affiliatetips.com is one resource that can provide a more in depth look at the world of the affiliate marketer. 

 Many are concerned about the legitimacy of opportunities offered online.  It's actually easier than it seems to sort the legitimate from the not so much through all the headlines that everyone uses to catch your attention.  Remember, everyone wants just enough of your time for you to actually read whatever it is that they have got to say.  Bold and red are fairly vogue and not at all a factor in whether a company is for real.  Six things that jump out for me, when browsing, include the following;

 -         Have there been complaints lodged with the Better Business Bureau?  BBB Online is easy to access to research a company.

-         How easy is it to get in contact with a real representative of the company?

-         How easy is it to get your questions answered?

-         What is available for training?  For example, most successful MLM business people will say that in order to gain success, you must follow the system.  Is the system laid out in a manner for easy duplication?

-         Is there a refund policy?  Is it a reasonable refund policy if you decide, after performing your due diligence, that this is not what you want for you? 

-         Is there support in place?  Perhaps a community experience available and maybe a forum to share in others' experiences? 

Due diligence is due diligence and I would recommend always checking out the company as you would a traditional storefront business franchise before buying into it.

 Many will say that unless an opportunity comes at no cost to you, it is not a legitimate model.  I'm going to put in my rebuttal here by saying again look at what you are expecting for and of yourself.  You certainly would not expect to open a franchise business at no cost to yourself.  You certainly would not expect a degree's worth of training for nothing, (and I would expect a "degree" in whatever company I represent to get my business off the ground) so I'm inclined to say this point of view is bunk.  True, if you are applying for a job you should not have to pay to get hired.  If, on the other hand, you are considering a business opportunity, why would you expect to have no investment?

 Though many opportunities will advertise that you can make astronomical amounts of money in very little time online, and I know many people who have done just that, the real deal in finding the right opportunity for you is still you.  The internet is a wonderful, endless resource and sea of opportunity.  Now that trading online is getting more commonplace, be it advice or commerce related, more and more people are finding that it can actually provide a platform for making an honest living, even during times of global recession.

-Kelowna Lund