Discover The 12 Rules You Need To Follow For Selecting A Successful Business Opportunity

Author: Mark Schwartz

How to start a successful online business has until now been something that has evaded me, but not because of lack of effort. My past efforts to launch a successful business have failed (not counting the two eCommerce startups I worked on) primarily due to a lack of focus, plus the fact that I floated from system to system and from this hot internet marketing scheme to another.

The result of my lack of focus was that I ended up with a hodgepodge of approaches, spent thousands of dollars on the latest fad internet marketing gimmick and ended up with nothing but some piddling Google Adsense and Commission Junction money to show for it.

Quite frankly, I have been disappointed with my previous lack of results. But, Who's to Blame? Me of course. I was the one without focus, without a plan, without a system.

So I decided to forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future. This meant starting all over again and throwing away all of my misguided past attempts. This time my I was going to have FOCUS and clear all the noise out of my life so that I could focus. I unsubscribed to all the zillions of "Make a Billion $ in 2 Hours" newsletters and offers that were flooding my email (and that I was wasting time reading).

This time I was going to find the right business model, settle on ONE system and concentrate on it. Period.

I started my planning and searching for a new way of doing business by combing through a hundred of different opportunities posed on the internet. When I started to look at the internet business opportunities available online, it quickly became overwhelming. I found thousands upon thousands of moneymaking opportunities and hundreds of millions of websites dedicated to the subject.

I found every thing from online gambling, paid to read email, paid to complete surveys, affiliate marketing programs, freelancing opportunities, multi-level marketing (MLM) programs – on and on and on. I also found thousands of websites promoting online business schemes that promised great riches, all you had to do is sign up, pay the sign up fee and then sit back and rake in millions in profits while bikini clad babes waited on you. Of course the majority of these are scams with ridiculous come-ons.

Whenever I saw a business promoter bragging about their ClickBank or Google earnings (with photocopies of their big checks) or they guaranteed a profit I quickly ruled them out. I believe that the more the hype, the less trustworthy the source. It was disappointing to find that the majority of business opportunities out there are from self professed gurus that are only willing to take your money but offer no benefit or real service in return.

Most seemed to offer a snatch, grab and run approach.

In conducting my due diligence and research one thing that amused me was the so called independent product/business reviews. I found so many postings claiming to be an independent review of a business it amazed me. Of course, they were really disguises meant to get you to sign up to a new Internet Marketing system, or some other program, using their affiliate links buried somewhere in their "independent review".

All in all, I'd guess that 99% of the opportunities I reviewed were pure, adulterated crap!

I am pleased to say though, that there are real business systems out there, sponsored by people that really do want to help you succeed online. Of course they would gain by you signing up for their "system", but that's really a good thing if you think about it. The best business model is one where your sponsor has a vested interest in your success. There's a lot to be said for someone that is vested in your success, because if you make money, he/she makes money. Now that's a good thing - you succeed, they succeed.

During my search for a business opportunity I realized I had to set some guiding principles or rules to guide my decision making process. I wanted to end up with a winner. Picking a winner has to be a business decision with no guesswork involved.

You can come up with your own rules for picking a business. The important thing is that you have some, you stick to them and that they fit your personality, goals and your business plan. You do have a business plan, don't you?

So here are the rules that I established to guide my decision in picking a home based internet business opportunity. These are just some guidelines - please add your own criteria to fit your situation.

1. It must be a business where I can help others succeed. The more people that I can help to succeed, the more I succeed. It must embrace a culture of "enthusiasm about the success of others".
2. It must be based on a System that offers a proven roadmap that has already been tried and proven to work. The roadmap should be something that anyone, regardless of expertise can follow and master. Anyone who wants to succeed can succeed as long as they put in the effort.
3. It should be a business that can be done part time. The majority of people that want to start a home business need to do so on a part time basis.
4. The sponsors of the system must already have a good record of success and be vested in my success. If you want to succeed, hang around with successful people. The really successful people in life have learned that helping others is a key to success.
5. It must offer a person with a small budget the opportunity to join in, succeed and profit. By eliminating the cost of joining the business, more people can join in, become successful, and realize their dreams.
6. Residual income is critical in order to building a recurring stream of income. Wealth is built on recurring income, not on one-shot sales.
7. It must offer multiple streams or ways of generating income and not be reliant on just one approach or product.
8. Staying power and lifespan are important in that a business being built today will still be a viable business model in the future. It cannot rely on the latest Internet fad or a single strategy as the primary way of making a profit.
9. It needs to be something that any potential business owner can do regardless of technical or business expertise. The vast majority of potential business owners have limited technical expertise and/or they have never run a business of their own before. 10. Training and/or mentoring are critical components of the program. Business owners need to know they will have access to an outstanding training program, be supported and that there is always someone available to help them ANYTIME they need it.
10. The business must be replicable - if I can do it, anyone can do it.
11. And perhaps the most important to me is that the business needs to offer its owners/participants a sense of community and foster involvement, success and a giving attitude. Working with others is a far better way of ensuring success than working in solitude.

There you have it, my 12 guiding principles for selecting an Internet Business Opportunity that will be a winner. Perhaps 1 in a 1000 businesses - be they the brick and mortar type or a home based Internet business will be able to meet these requirements.

But, I am happy to say I have found one and you can check it out at GensPlan, which has merged with Rags2Riches.net.

It's time to move ahead and take action.

About the Author:

Mark is the founder of Megarich - - GensPlan Success Systems. GensPlan is a Complete, Fully Loaded, Fully Automated, Ready to Run, Internet Business

System that is Revolutionizing the Home Based and Internet Business Industry. Mark provides entrepreneurs with the necessary internet tools, products,
training, teamwork and coaching required to build a profitable Internet based business system. His techniques emphasize building a successful business on a

small budget.

Mark's experience includes over 20 years an Information Systems Technology professional in software product development, product launches, marketing and

strategic business planning. His specialty and passion is showing companies and individuals how to use technology to succeed in business.

To find out more about his proven business system please visit Rags2Riches Success Systems

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Discover The 12 Rules You Need To Follow For Selecting A Successful Business Opportunity

It's the dream of billions of internet marketers worldwide to run a home business opportunity online completely on autopilot. What easier way to make money than to set up an online business, put it on cruise control, and put your feet up while the cash rolls in?

Many salespeople make claims that if you join their home business opportunity online, then you will earn the big bucks on autopilot. But c'mon! Get real! Is that really possible?

We'd like to think so, so many of us will jump into these opportunities without a thought. Others will do some careful research first, and then jump into it. How are any of us really going to know for sure if we don't try the home business opportunity online out for ourselves?

Well after I jumped in and became an online business owner for a couple of years now, I realized that the autopilot income from the home business opportunity online was not going to come easy. Thing is, it does eventually come!

The trick to making money with your home business opportunity online is to work hard, and put the time, energy, and effort into building an online presence. You need to take the time to build relationships with your customers, and establish yourself respectfully in the online business world.

How much time, energy, and effort do you have to expend to get to the autopilot profits? It depends how much you want to make online and what your goals are. If you want to work a home business opportunity online as a stream of part-time income in addition to your regular full-time job, then you don't have to put so much into it.

Earning income part-time from your online business is a great way to start out. This way, you won't get overwhelmed and discouraged. In my experience, I would suggest putting at least one solid year of hard effort and time into your home business opportunity online. No less than one year!

This will help you get your feet off the ground and be established as an internet marketing survivor, as there are very few who start a home business opportunity online, and make it past their first year in business without quitting.

After the one-year mark, you will start to make a profit, and into your next year, you should see a gradual rise in your monthly income. Running a home business opportunity online can be done on autopilot after this initial hard effort. I know, because I'm doing it!

As time goes on, it will only get easier for you, and the more initial work you put into it, the more it will pay off down the road. Do you have to continue the same hard effort throughout the life of your business to succeed?

The answer is yes, you do have to maintain some consistency of time and effort that you put into your home business opportunity online if you expect to see results. But the amount you put in will be less and less the longer you are in business.

In order to get to the autopilot status with your home business opportunity online, there are a few things you should do.

The best method that has gotten me to this status is by writing and submitting articles to the article directories and publishers across the net using researched keywords and keyword phrases within your articles that will be picked up by the search engines. This method is key at getting links pointing back to your site.

This is what you want for your home business opportunity online if you expect to make sales: Links, links, and more links pointing back to your sites, blogs, and sales pages.

In addition to writing articles, you can make frequent blog posts, comment on other people's blogs, submit your links to link directories, circulate lead capture pages in traffic exchanges, and contribute to the discussions happening in discussion forums in your home business niche.

These are really the only methods I use to earn a monthly autopilot income from my home business opportunity online. Can you really run a business on autopilot? The answer is yes, you can put your feet up and earn money online while you sleep! Just remember that you have to work hard for over a year, and not totally neglect your business after that.

Liane Bate owns a Plug-in Profit Site web business, and is author of 115+ articles related to online business and internet marketing. Create an autopilot Home Business Opportunity Online.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Liane_Bate


Has all the spam about a home Internet based business opportunity been filling your e-mail box? Do you wonder if such things actually exist? Is the possibility of a legitimate work from home business opportunity too much for you to pass up? Then keep reading to find out which opportunities are real and which are nothing more than a scam.

Learn to Spot the Scams
It should be no surprise that many scams start out the same way and have the same phrasings. If you see one of these you know to run. Here are a few red flags for any business.

Start your own business with no money down- Technically it is possible to start a business with no money down, but just about every business will have some upfront cost. This is especially true on the Internet. While you can find some free hosting sites and free blogging sites, this is never a long term solution. You want to be in control of the money you make and don't want it wiped out on a whim by a free service provider.

Make thousands working one hour a day- Again it is possible to make a thousand dollars by working only an hour a day, however it is misleading in the time frame. It could take months or years to build those kinds of residual sales to the point where you need only work one hour a day. In the beginning it will be slow hard and tedious work that makes your business grow. It is only with time that you can expect enough residual income each week or even in a day so that you can live off of that minimal effort.

How to Spot a Legitimate Opportunity
Legitimate opportunities try to attract serious entrepreneurs only. They want to target entrepreneurs which are ready and willing to work hard to make money online now.

The serious entrepreneurial opportunities offer training, education and mentorship. They know not everyone is qualified and ready to make money online, and therefore they tell the truth upfront and only accept individuals who are willing to put forth the effort to make their business succeed and last.

They will offer:
• Webinars
• Forums
• E-mail discussions
• Live chats
• Personal development programs

A Good Coach Brings It Home
All good teams rely on a coach; to lead them to success, to keep them focused, and to provide accountability. When you look for a coach/mentor, search for someone who can offer all these things. They need to be able to tell you what software works, what software you should avoid, and which software you can put off tell later. Your coach will keep you on track with your goals and prevent you from being side tracked by all the shiny new toys.

Additionally, your mentor gives you some accountability. When you work 9 to 5, if you don't show up you don't get paid. If you don't show up enough your fired. This is not how it works when running your own business. A mentor will make sure your home internet based business opportunity is a success.

After running a contractor business for years, Paul Clifton was left without work when the economy took a nosedive. He turned to the Internet for a solution. Now he has a home internet based business opportunity and offers entrepreneur training to anyone looking for a serious home based business opportunity. Learn more about his training at http://www.exclusivewealthjourney.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_J_Clifton

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