I have always been on the lookout for a home-based business opportunity that people consider as legit. For a couple of years, I have worked with different companies and obviously, worked with several bosses who impose regulations that are most of the time difficult to deal with. And through the years, I realized that I want to be my own boss in such a way that I have the capability to make my own decisions and work only for myself rather than for somebody who does not even thank me for a job well done.You are now probably aware of what happened. That realization made me quit my job immediately and searched for a home-based business opportunity instead. I’m sure there are lots of people out there who are in search for real home-based business opportunities and while looking for those, it is very essential that you ask yourself the following questions:Is the home-based business opportunity you are interested in desirable and popular to many? Home business is such a wonderful idea, but without a great service or product, the thought of having prospective buyers will be stressful and impossible.How much capital is needed to start the business? Are the funds available or do you still have to borrow money from someone else? When do you think is the business going to start generating profits? How much do you think is the maintenance cost for your business’ daily operation? How much money is needed for advertising the business?Is the business you are fascinated with something that you are educated in? If the answer is no, are there training materials obtainable to assist you throughout your learning process? Assistance is very crucial in all successful businesses, particularly if you are not that knowledgeable about it. Mentors can give you advice, teaching and assistance when it comes to making your business grow and successful.Do you love the home-based business opportunity that you are interested in? Remember that it is not all about the money; you have to have enthusiasm for it as well, unless you want to suffer exhaustion at the end of each day. Having no interest in the business will make it really hard for you to succeed. You should have the willpower and enthusiasm – these two make a perfect pair!

Enjoying time freedom and having control of income is a goal that motivates many. The ability to remain focused and on track to what you want out of life requires a couple of skills that I have found essential in building my own home based business and stay at home lifestyle.Motivation and effective goal setting are easy when you know how, but it’s important to keep in mind that those who complain and moan about life being tough (which it can be at times, can be organised and directed to a happier way of living), is not the ideal mindset to work from home as your own boss, setting your own schedule or days when you will work. In reality it takes effort and dedication to succeed as the owner of your own business. True entrepreneurship is alive and well for those who love a challenge and have a vision for a better way of living.Are You Going On Holiday?Setting the scene for a home based business is like planning a holiday. You’ll need to know where you want to go on holiday, so with a home based business you need to be clear about why you prefer to work for yourself rather than in a job. Next you’ll have to decide the number of days you want to be on vacation, similarly with working from home you’ll decide which days of the week you’ll work your business. Then that 60 million dollar question, how are you going to get to your holiday destination. Well, it’s easy when you know how and just like buying a package holiday, or an all inclusive vacation, a cruise or an adventure holiday or just a flight and hire car you can choose to join a business opportunity that’s already up and running, has a marketing plan with a sensible marketing funnel, products that are useful and affordable and most importantly a good paying compensation plan. In other words a network marketing direct sales company is the ideal choice to start a home based business.What Is The Second skill You Need For Working From Home?That second skill you’ll need after ‘motivation’ is effective goal setting. It really doesn’t matter which network marketing company you choose to represent; health and nutrition products, make up and skincare, house hold and kitchen products, travel clubs, dating clubs, or like me 100% on-line web based products that fit both C2C and B2B (consumer to consumer and business to business). What is important is knowing your goals (short, medium and long term goals in all areas of your life) and understanding the strategy to achieve your goals regardless of your environment that you currently live in or your level of home based business marketing skills. What you need is an open mind to take on personal development and move forward step-by-step building a business that gives you financial reward, is fun to operate and satisfies your dreams of now and your vision for the future.Write It DownUsually writing down your goals is the process most people adopt, I go a step further by creating mini-steps that fit in with my daily activities which allows me to establish positive and productive actions towards living my life by my design and as a consequence designing a business that suits what I want to do and how I want to do it, rather than be tied to a job and a boss who really doesn’t appreciate my lifestyle and my needs.With goal setting the trick is being clear on what you want to have in your life, which leads to what you need to change to create a better lifestyle for yourself. This tactic will give you the clarity to move forward on a daily basis.R&D Has Outstayed Its TimeThe 21st century working model has changed, the economy is currently in a R&D recession/depression mode that has effected ordinary people in a seriously hard way, however, the good news is that entrepreneurialism is alive and well and is thriving in today’s working market, so I encourage you to look at your dreams, decide upon your goals, get your goals set, work on them daily and go live your life by design.If you have enjoyed this article then by all means share it with your network, all I ask it that you acknowledge myself PaTrisha-Anne Todd as the author.Moving forward… ask PaTrisha-AnneEmpowering others to Live Life by Design Coaching Leads To Success

The most important piece of advise that I am probably going to give you this year is to do your due diligence when you are looking for a home-based business. Due diligence is essentially a thorough research of the home based business of which you are interested in joining. During my years as a financial advisor, I assisted my clients in doing their due diligence regarding their stock and mutual fund investment selections. Any partnership made with any entity other than yourself requires a thorough examination of the entity’s track record. This research does not have to take an excessive amount of time. You just want to have enough information to make an informed decision so that you are not like the home based business junkie, whom everyone runs from like the plague. To assist you in keeping your credibility in tact, here is a simple, yet powerful three-pronged approach to researching a home based business prospect.Rule#1: Find out how long the company has been in existence, as well as its track record for creating winners within the organization. This is very important. A company who focuses on creating winners will have a rock solid training program, along with a bullet proof compensation plan for its distributors. You do not want to jump into a business solely on unproven hype, only to find out that you have to recruit the one million man march or sale massive volume like Walmart just to eake out puny commissions. This is completely not the reason you want to be involved in a home based business.Rule#2: Find out who are the leaders and their track record in building successful organizations. One of the best ways to research company leaders is to find out what other companies they have built in the past and were they successful? The previous company’s track record is a striking indication for what to expect with the “new” company. Leaders who are inventive and pioneering usually have the best track records, because they are constantly focusing on improving the functionality of their business, as well as the business of their distributors.Rule#3: Make sure the sponsor you partner with is seasoned in the home based business industry. The absolute worst possible situation to be in is partnered up with someone who is either too busy to teach you the business or just does not care about your success. In the world of sports, there are many coaches; however, there are only a few of them that can motivate and coach their team to back to back championships. A great home based business coach is going to have a proven track record themselves. Documentation always beats conversation. There are many people who talk a good game, but there are only a few that actually play a good game. Usually, when you partner up with a “bad” sponsor, you end up an orphaned distributor. Do not let this be your case.

We are not asking that anyone get involved in network marketing and change everything immediately. We are however, suggesting that people consider the addition of the right home-based Network Marketing business starting their journey of financial success in a different direction. Having a home-based business is not a new concept. Network Marketing is not a new concept. Having a home-based Network Marketing business is not a new concept. However, never in the history of our country has the concept been so prevalent and is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception!
The reason is very simple. Our concept is providing American’s with what they want; control of their time and financial opportunities proportionate to their abilities and effort.
With the right home-based Network Marketing business, one has all of the benefits and advantages of a home-based business and unlimited financial opportunity usually associated with a large traditional business.
Employees and Debt Rather than having several employees working with other employees under one roof for the benefit of someone else’s company, with Network Marketing, we have a bunch of home-based business owners, working under their own roof, networking with other home-based business owners, all working for their own companies. This concept provides an incentive and opportunity of multiplication and duplication for each home-based business owner equal to or greater than that of the owners of traditional businesses with multiple employees and locations, with out all the hassles associated with traditional businesses! It requires no debt, no employees and no complicated administrative procedures. With Network Marketing, we work with and for other people and other people work with and for us.
What is Network Marketing? When you purchase a product or service, usually over 50% of the retail cost is associated with marketing! That would be any cost associated with getting someone to buy the product plus any cost incurred once it is produced by the factory. With Network Marketing, the products are shipped directly to the consumer from the factory. Those monies normally associated with marketing are paid to several home-based Network Marketing businesses owners which had previous network marketing or internet marketing influence in the referral of the customer!
Are the products less expensive? Most customers will not buy inferior products and there is limited benefit to paying a little less for a product on the short run. Let’s assume that you sold yourself a product, ordered it from a Network Marketing company and in return the company paid you a 50% commission or rebate. In effect you’ve saved 50% on the products you purchased. That may save you a few dollars. Although saving money is important, the concept of earning money on products that we are already buying is far more exciting.
The concept is to redistribute the marketing dollar!
Imagine having a network of thousands of customers purchasing quality products or services each month where you receive a few dollars per month for each customer! Remember, these are products or services that we are all already buying, or should be, and this is money that is normally paid to others. In essence, the simple process of referring other customers who also refer other customers to a Network Marketing company, presents an opportunity for a redistribution of the wealth to you and I, the consumer!
Traditional Marketing versus Network Marketing A traditional company would typically have a Vice President of Marketing with several regional managers reporting directly to them. Those regional managers would recruit, hire, train and manage several area managers who, in turn, would each recruit, hire, train and manage several sales representatives. The sales representatives are then responsible for selling the company’s products or services.
Plotted on a piece of paper, the shape of the traditional organization would look like a triangle or pyramid. It’s quite obvious that the higher the level the higher the pay and that there is less room at the top for advancement. It is also evident that it is mathematically impossible for each and every sales representative or employee to rise to the top regardless of how good a job they do!
The Difference First and foremost, Network Marketing is different. Each individual starts at exactly the same level – at the top of their own organization, has exactly the same opportunity as everyone else and is compensated in directly proportion to the activity or success that they have had an influence in generating. Secondly, one doesn’t need to be a sales person to reap the level of financial benefits normally associated with company owners, sales managers and marketers. Thirdly, in Network Marketing we work with, when and for whom we choose. And last but not least, different than in a traditional company, we only work for ourselves and those whose activity generates income for us! We may also choose to work with those which we are generating income for, because, in most cases, they don’t make money unless we do.
How does it work? In Network Marketing, there are customers and also independent representatives who operate as a home-based business. The customers may also be independent reps. Independent reps can earn management positions if they so desire. Different than in traditional business, each independent representative is given the opportunity and responsibility of both recruiting customers and other independent representatives. Each independent representative is owner, president, and vice-president of marketing for their own home-based network Marketing business.
Network Marketing is a word of mouth business. By spreading the word, the network marketing marketer identifies others who desire to be customers and or independent representatives (home-based business owners). The independent rep helps those newly recruited independent reps build their own home based business by helping them identify other customers and independent reps who desire to own their own home based network Marketing business. In a mature organization, it is normal for there to be 50-100+ customers for each customer/independent representative that you personally refer! Through this duplication and multiplication process each home based business owner can recruit and sponsor a few customers and/or independent representatives and, as a result, generate a sizable organization of consumers and marketers.
Referring Does this sound like a foreign and awkward activity to you? How many people have you referred to your favorite restaurant or to your favorite movie. How many more have gone because the people you told enjoyed the restaurant or movie and told someone else who went? How much did you get paid? We are all already referring customers everyday! It is just that most of us don’t get paid for it.
The question is not whether we refer customers, the question is whether we are getting paid for the activity!
In network Marketing, customer/independent reps receive an income for “marketing” the products for the company simply by referring other customers! Normally, we receive compensation through 5 – 10 generations of this duplication activity. In addition, there are usually additional performance and leaderships bonus compensation structures! Assuming an association with the right company: Network Marketing is the one of the very few processes I know of where you will earn in network marketing relation to your ability and effort with virtually unlimited potential! Although most people are looking only for a few hundred or few thousand of supplemental monthly income, I personally know, know of, or have met a substantial number of people who earn several tens of thousands of dollars per month from their home-based network Marketing business!
Choosing a Safe Business Opportunity Once it has been determined that a home-based business is appropriate, and further determined that a home-based Network Marketing business is even more appropriate, the real difficulty is in determining which network Marketing opportunities to become involved in. Without experience in the industry, unless you’re extremely lucky, it is next to impossible to pick a winner on the first try! Unfortunately, it seems that experience in the industry is not always sufficient for the proper evaluation of a network Marketing opportunity. As is the case with traditional business, there are good opportunities and bad opportunities. As is the case with traditional business, unfortunately many people let their emotions cloud their rational judgement when it comes to evaluating a network Marketing company and/or business opportunity!
Evaluation Process There are certain criteria which must be used rationally when one does an evaluation. Technically, these could be divided into two categories: absolutely necessary characteristics and desirable characteristics. For me, the desirable characteristics are also necessary, therefore, I will not distinguish between the two and will address them in no particular order.
Competent Company Management Team Normally it is very difficult for us to know any more about the network Marketing company’s management team than what they tell us themselves. The evaluation of the management team only becomes an issue with a new company! If a company has been in business three to five years with a well documented and stable growth record, we really don’t need to waste our time. New network Marketing companies are starting up at a higher rate than ever before. It seems that every person who has ever been successful at network Marketing wants their own company. Surprise, running a network Marketing company is traditional business and new network Marketing companies fail at near the same rate as traditional businesses!
Age of the Company
The most common mistake made by the masses is getting emotionally tied up in the “ground floor opportunity” pitch which caters to our “greed” and the “fear of loss”! If a person is determined to get involved with a new network Marketing company, they should do so because they understand totally the market for the product(s) and the experience of the management team. Being on the ground floor is usually not best because a majority of new companies will fail. Even if the new company does succeed, there will be many adjustments and changes during the initial growth and there usually is a lack of proven marketing procedures, materials, and training support. The attrition rate is usually much higher during those first years because most individuals are not emotionally flexible enough to accept the changes and turmoil. A network Marketing company experiences four basic phases of growth and market penetration. The risk of the company failing during phase one (usually first 3-5 years) is 10-20 time greater than in phase two. Contrary to popular belief, it usually is far better to be involved with a network Marketing company after they’re entered phase two. The risk of their failure is negligible. Their success indicates that their products are acceptable and that their marketing procedures and materials work! Then, either fortunately or unfortunately, our success depends only on ourselves!
Remember, the Vehicle must never be the limiting element in our success!
No Major investment With the right network Marketing opportunity, one should be able to start their own home-based business for hundreds of dollars, rather than the normal thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars usually associated with other traditional businesses which have any serious financial potential!
No Inventory, No Receivables, and No Collections I will not spend time on these. If you have ever experienced them as an owner, they need no explanation.
No Employees Employees require a tremendous obligation from the business owner; mentally, emotionally and financially. With network Marketing, other independent distributors in our organization, while working their own home-based business, supply the same benefit to us as employees would to a traditional business. We have no payroll, no benefit overhead, no space requirement, and no management duties other than a moral obligation to help others in their business just as others will help us.
Residual Income – Persistency Unless you have been a successful network marketer, insurance agent or marketer, author or actor, it is really difficult to understand the tremendous benefit of residual income.
Starting on a part- time basis, a sincere person or couple with desire and persistence can, within a three-to- five year period, build a meaningful residual income to last a lifetime and then some.
Building a residual income is a little like flying a big jet. It takes a significant amount of fuel to get it off the ground, but once it has reached altitude, it can throttle back and fly on a fraction of the fuel needed for takeoffs. The big difference is that a residual income can “fly” seemingly forever with a little refueling along the way. The income stream can be passed from generation to generation.
All the other benefits of network Marketing, such as control, opportunity, and flexibility are important, but Residual Income is the essence of network Marketing!
Experience has taught me that many more people propose to have Desire and Persistence than actually demonstrate it. The purpose for this communique is to identify Individuals who sincerely want more Success in their life but don’t seem to have the right Vehicle for their journey. If you are one of the few, then I invite you to investigate a home-based network Marketing business opportunity which would allow me to work with you and for you, in order that we both achieve our Success goals. If any of this makes any sense to you and you would like more information, use if for your success. If you would like a bio on my experience and qualifications, just ask. Thank you for your time, your most valuable asset!

These top classes of advertising are sometimes incorrectly termed ‘mail order’ advertising, because this is a contradiction in terms. Mail order is a form of distribution, but direct mail is an advertising medium. Some clarification occurs with new names, such as direct response and telemarketing. Significantly, the mail order exhibition was renamed Direct Marketing. Goods supplied direct, instead of through shops, are advertised in the press, by direct mail, on television, and on the web. However, these top classes are as follows.

Persuasive: It is also known as ‘hard-sell’ advertising. This is most obvious kind which surrounds us in our daily lives, urging us to buy all manner of products and services. Without such sales-promoting advertising it is hard to imagine how modern society could survive, with its mass production and mass consumption. Scathing comments are made about the ‘ad-mass’, but its critics happen to enjoy the plentiful supply of goods which satisfy their economic needs, food, clothes and shelter. Countless pleasures and luxuries are also enjoyed simply because economics of scale can be exploited, thanks to advertising and other aids to distribution to national and international markets. This sort of advertising or hard-selling advertisement has to attract attention, command interest, create desire, inspire conviction, and provoke action provided it is to succeed in its goal.

Informative: Not everything is bought right away. It may have to be thought carefully, and there may be quite a bit of window-shopping and budgeting before the final purchase is made. Or it may be one of those once in a lifetime buys, or a present for some lucky person some day in future. More leisurely and often more expensive purchases can result from a study of helpful and explanatory advertisements over a period of time. Central heating, a new car, kitchen cabinets, a refrigerator, or a sewing machine are typical products of this sort. Mostly, they are ones which are popularly known as consumer durable items. So, here the kind of advertising should be less dramatic and compelling, but nonetheless attractive, interesting and convincing. The pace of appeal is quieter; there is more copy to read, perhaps more pictures to look at, and the object of the ad may be to invite the reader to obtain more detailed information by applying for a brochure or arranging for a demonstration.

Classified: While a great many classifieds are inserted by private individuals, others are placed by commercial firms as will be seen, for instance, in the vacancy columns of both national newspapers and magazines. By classified we mean not only that the advertisements are small and run-on but that they are grouped together under identifying headings, such as ‘House for sale’, ‘Situations Vacant’ and many more.

Retail: With the exception of productive retailers like bakers, florists, hairdressers, most retailers are selling other people’s goods. Their advertising has four objectives. They include selling the stock, establishing the identity or a kind of ‘image’ advertising, identifying the location and attracting personal, telephone or mail order shoppers. Obviously, retail advertising has to work very hard, even harder than a persuasive advertisement.

Industrial: Most industrial advertising offers raw materials, components and services to manufacturers and users who convert these technical things into finished products, which, in turn, are advertised to the end users or financial consumers. A house or an automobile, a computer or a central heating system is an assembly of items made by others. So, the advertisers are sometimes referred to as secondary suppliers. Their promotional activities are called Back-Selling as well. The advertiser has the problem that his product may be seldom or never known to the final customer for support.

There are more classes of advertising also. They are, for example, institutional advertising, financial advertising, co-operative advertising, trade advertising, etc. All of them have different ways and objectives.