Finding the Right Business for You - 6 Key Criteria
by Hamish Hayward
Published on this site: August 3rd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
It seems that more and more people are interested in setting
up their own small or homebased business these days. Current
figures indicate that, in the USA alone, there are over 25,000,000
people operating a home based business. And just in case you
think that many of these businesses are run as hobbies, the
figures show that over 5,000,000 of them have turnovers in
excess of $100,000.
Not all of these businesses are internet based of course
but, if you are doing business on the web, then the world's
your oyster and you can multiply those US numbers many times.
It's also worth considering that those numbers represent people
who are currently involved in their own homebased business.
For each of those who already have their business up and running
there will be another 4 or 5 who are "thinking about
it" - just looking for the right opportunity.
So given the huge number of people who want to run their
own business, and given the phenomenal power of the internet
as a communications/advertising medium, it's hardly surprising
that you are continually presented with business opportunities
as you surf the net - is it?
Websites, pop-ups and pop-unders advertising your road-to-riches
abound - not to mention all those email messages that somehow
manage to squirm past your spam filter with monotonous regularity.
Of course, a lot of these so called opportunities are complete
nonsense. Some of them are fanciful notions conceived by people
with no real idea about business. Some of them are out and
out scams. Some are completely illegal. Others are genuine
business opportunities which, although they would work well
for others, just aren't right for you.
However, hidden in amongst the hype, the lies and the incredible
dreams, there are some very genuine opportunities that could
truly change your life. You just need to know what to look
for.
There is absolutely no point investing in a business opportunity
just because it has a nice, professional looking website,
or because the sales letters/emails are well written. Both
of these might stimulate you to investigate further, but they're
not enough on their own.
You certainly shouldn't get involved with something just
because some guru tells you it's the next big thing - no matter
how successful or famous the guru may be.
There are 6 key criteria to be used when assessing a potential
business opportunity. Apply these rigorously and you will
avoid nasty surprises - and you may very well find the perfect
business for you.
- The company.
You need to be working with people who can be trusted, and
who will be around to pay you in the future.
- The product.
A good product is essential. Ask yourself if would you buy
it if you weren't a distributor.
- The payment or commission scheme.
What do you get paid for? When do you get paid? How do you
get paid?
- The sales method.
Are you comfortable with the sales method? can you produce
your own adverts?
- The level of admin required.
This should be low. You don't want to waste your time on
paperwork do you?
- The cost - both startup and running.
Is it affordable? Will others be prepared to invest when
it comes time to build your own team?
Evaluate the above points dispassionately before you commit
yourself to anything. If you find it difficult to get enough
information to make an assessment then that tells you all
you need to know. Avoid any opportunity that won't give you
the facts up front.
Hamish Hayward, this article is the first in a series
of 7. Read the rest to discover the importance of the individual
criteria by clicking here: http://www.perfectsystem.co.uk
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