Legitimate Home-Based Business Opportunity
As so many people ask questions about and search for a home based business opportunities, a very common question is: is it legitimate? “Legitimate” can mean very different things to different people, but in discussing a legitimate home based business opportunity here, I am using a generally accepted definition of legitimate: in accordance with recognized or accepted standards or principles and the law. So, what are the recognized, generally accepted standards of a home based business opportunity?
Well, it WILL take work. Any business takes work. Promises of being able to sit back and rake in the money are naturally suspect. This should be distinguished, however, from an opportunity that is touted as lucrative. Focused, dedicated work in a home based business CAN produce large returns, and there are legitimate home based business opportunities that can offer six figure incomes over the long term (how long depends on the person and the opportunity — I’m not talking about a get-rich-quick deal, but a “get rich eventually” deal where you continue to benefit from all the time and effort you have put into a business previously).
I also want to qualify what I mean by “work.” I know people with very successful home based businesses who would tell you they never work. They have an aversion to work. They would describe what they do as fun, meaningful activity for which they are financially rewarded. But they are doing the activities that are required for business development. Those of us who have discovered this variety of home based business opportunity are surely blessed.
Of course, hand-in-hand with the work is the requirement of time. It is generally recognized that any business (home based or otherwise) requires an investment of your time and energy. Typically, the more time you can devote, the faster and stronger your business will grow. Just like work, time does not have to be a constant variable in a home based business opportunity. In other words, many home entrepreneurs invest more time at the beginning of their businesses, and can sustain a successful enterprise eventually without having to commit as much time.
Another recognized standard of a home based business opportunity is that it will require start-up capital. I am always amazed at the ads, blog comments, and questions that ask for a work at home job that does not require you to pay anything to get started. Well, maybe I shouldn’t be so amazed. A work at home job is different than a work from home business opportunity. But if you want to work in a home based business opportunity, you have to expect some start-up costs. I mean, what business can you think of that doesn’t involve some expenditures to get off the ground? Even flyers to pass around the neighborhood for a teenage lawn mowing services have a cost associated with them (paper, ink, etc.)!
One should certainly be astute in assessing what you will receive for your start-up costs, and determining whether the required investment will yield a sufficient rate of return in the long run. I responded once to an ad to become a book editor working at home, and was asked to send $30 to get started. Much less experienced in this field at the time, I sent off my check, excited at the prospect of being paid for doing something I loved (reading) and was good at (detecting typos and errors on the printed page). What did I get for my money? A book telling me how to become a book editor working from home… a not very helpful book that made it clear there would be a long road to establish myself in this field. The ad to which I responded was obviously NOT a legitimate home based business opportunity, but only because I did not fully investigate what I would get for my $30 (actually there was no way to investigate it… which should have been a sure-tell sign it was not legit.) So, it is true that some required home based business start-up costs are not legit, but don’t let that obscure the reality that if you want a home based business, you will have to invest some money. Good grief, even corporate tax law offers special tax treatment for business start-up costs. They are absolutely a valid part of a home based business opportunity.
This is not an exhaustive list of things to consider in determining whether a home based business opportunity is legitimate, but it is a critical list. There are many a fantastic legitimate home based business opportunity to be had. Good luck!