Choosing a Home-based Business

How Do You Pick a Good Home-Based Business?

I started out the second half of my life wondering what I was going to do to make money. Here I am, fully responsible for generating the income I need to cover my expenses, as well as live the lifestyle I dream about (which is a pretty nice one!). On top of that, I want to continue to donate to worthy causes and keep investing in my own self-improvement. Additionally, I wanted to work from home, so I can be my own boss and set my own schedule.

Also, I like to think and do BIG – I knew this would enable me to associate with intelligent, positive, energetic, like-minded people. I was definitely not looking for a low-budget existence. So, how was I going to get where I am going?

Look, Look, Look

I knew I was going to have to do a lot of careful looking. In fact, I did at least six months of almost full-time research during which I looked into dozens of home-based businesses and income-making opportunities. I joined quite a few along the way, until I found the perfect one for me.

What I was Looking For

I set stringent rules for what I would be willing to get involved in:

• It had to be an ethical business (no get-rich-quick or pyramid schemes).
• There had to be a valuable product and/or service provided by the company that I felt really good about sharing with others.
• I had to trust the company. That meant checking into the owners/executives and into any possible complaints against the company. (And that included being smart enough to ignore unfounded criticism from the loud-mouth types who complain about everything just because they aren’t bright or diligent enough to follow instructions and make anything work).
• It also had to be a company whose vision addressed the state of today’s economy and the fact that many people need to find jobs and save money – whether that meant substantial cash back, coupons, discounts or something similar.
• It had to be something that any intelligent, hard-working person could do if he was willing to invest a little bit of time and money in himself.
• The compensation plan had to be good with the possibility of generating a 6-digit annual income within a year or so, if I really put my heart and soul into it. I wanted to meet and talk to people who had actually accomplished this.
• I wanted to work with a team of people who supported and helped each other succeed.
• I also wanted a company that provided training for its members so that I could learn the ropes quickly and know that anyone I brought into the business could likewise get trained and succeed.

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Update: as of May 2010, I have now tested several MLMs, none of which I have been happy with, so I have upped my list of qualifications to eliminate those that sounded great but didn't quite make the mark.

Stay tuned for the result……………

– Debbie