In the past few months there have been a lot of scam business opportunities out there. Most have been free to join, gain the trust of Moms wanting to start a biz on a low to no budget, get them to order stock, and then not deliver, take the money and run. These are some observations I have made while working online for the past year, and actually looking into some of these "opportunities".

Bad Biz In The Air

For the past couple of months we have had so many problems with wah opportunities!! I myself have as always been concentrating on Stayin' Home and Mia Bella, as those are two that I am a customer of as well, so I KNOW they are safe and legit. However I myself got involved with a few of these recent "scams". Luckily I did not yet order from any of them, However others did and that just makes me feel Aweful!

I will never again promote a business I am not 100% sure of.

First there was a candle company. I was already part of one, for an investment every month, but it was FREE so what the heck!! Hearing rumors I never promoted it either to recruit or sell. This is a good thing because as it turns out the whole company was a complete fraud! Another one I was not so fortunate, but it could have been a lot worse. It was a Bridal supply company and I did promote and recruit. I feel so bad for getting people into a scam!! It could have been much worse...a friend will be getting married next year, and I could have ruined her whole wedding!! She was planning to order from me. Thank God it was outed before that happened.

Another few were great for awhile and I was a customer and had happy customers. My former Chocolate company and my adult "site" both went under and are needing to shell out refunds. I do believe in these cases it was not a deliberate attempt to fraud, but a case where these women bit off more than they could chew. I know I would not be able to handle having my own company with no support and All me!! That's why I work with others!!

A funny (ironic) thing is many people think business opportunities are scams if you need to pay to do it. However each and every one of these former mentioned companies were completely free for me to join!!

Not that there are not scams that are paid to get in, Liberty League comes to mind, which I have heard was shut down recently. There are also some free opportunities that are legit, such as Stuff a Friend. I think of it as a franchise, which it is. If I were to open up a Mc Donalds here, I would need to shell out much more than I am on my home businesses, yet it would be mine, with support of an "upline".

Here are some things I look for when looking for a business, or deciding which ones to promote and which will be profitable.

1. Where is the money that I am supposedly going to make coming from?? No money going in, no money coming out. I don't even look into the ones that say "Completely free.....earn money in your sleep"

If I am not putting money in, and no one else is either, and there is no product or service to do or offer..Hello where is the money going to come from??? This is a good way to determine how profitable your business will be too, and if you will be able to truly hope to replace an income from home. If you have a company where you are to order each month and invest and others do as well...there is the money. Therefore the harder you work at helping others, the more you will make. Companies that have No required orders you may make money from sales occasionally. However you will need to start from $0 every month and you will not have a Steady residual income. Stayin' Home and Lovin' It, Mia Bella and Jerky Direct are all residual Consistant income makers, and can reasonably be expected to eventually replace a full time income.

2. What is the "word on the street"?? Shortly after signing up with the before mentioned candle company, I started to hear rumors such as "No Products", "Owner not able to be contacted" Now this is a double edged sword, even if a biz has been around forever, there will always be disgruntled former reps somewhere. However if something has just started, there should not be much said yet at least not negative.

3. Who is your upline? I mean all the way up. Could you e-mail and call them? Would they know who you are or at least have some idea? Are they accessable by phone? Jerky Direct calls YOU to see how you are! Stayin' Home And Lovin' It has enrollment support, services support and customer service available at least during all business hours. If the only thing you have for your companies owner is an e-mail, that would be a red flag to me.

Basically most legitimate business opportunites are going to have it where you get out of it what you put into it. Free opps can be legit to get you sales here and there. I recently joined Dogyums, and it is new and was free the month I joined, however I know the owner well and am comfortable trusting her! Be careful out there, do your research. Know where, why and how you get paid. Know where to go and that you Can get a live person if you have issues for you Or a customer or partner!!

Be safe, Be careful and have a Happy And Prosperous Holiday Season!