Choosing Your Business 7

I’d like to start a little business my spouse could run while I'm at work. What would be good?

The only good business for your spouse to run while you are at work is one that he or she wants to start. Remember, it takes commitment, dedication, and time to start and run a business. If your spouse doesn't have the time or interest to research a business, he or she is unlikely to be very happy or successful running one you start. (The same is true for starting businesses for your children to take over.) If the business is something you'll do as a joint venture, talk it out together. See what he or she likes to do or might like to do and how that matches up with what you could do after work or on weekends. One team-up situation that works well for some couples is for the at-home spouse to be the marketing and customer service end of the business (drumming up business, taking service calls or orders during the day) while the work-away-from-home spouse becomes the one responsible for doing the work or making the product that was ordered.

An acquaintance has asked me to come to her home this weekend to learn how I could make money in my spare time, but she wouldn't tell me any more than that. Should I go?

That tactic is commonly used to get people to go to meetings to recruit distributors for "network marketing" or multilevel marketing (MLM) organizations. What you will probably hear is that you can make money by being a distributor for the company. As a distributor, one of your main tasks will be to build a "downline," which is to bring more distributors into the organization under you. Your distributors will be encouraged to bring in still more distributors, and so on.

If you attend the meeting be aware that while some people make money in these ventures, many spend far more on sample kits, motivational tapes, and leaflets than they ever make in profits. Furthermore, certain MLM operations are prohibited in some states. Others that pop up from time to time are outright scams. If you decide to get involved, move cautiously and learn as much as you can about the organization. If you have any doubts about a group's legitimacy, check them out with the state or county district attorney's office and/or with the Better Business Bureau. Internet users can also get information about MLM organizations by searching the Web,

How can I tell the difference between a real business opportunity and a scam?

Memorize this phrase: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. There is no quick and easy way to make money, no way to make megabucks for stuffing or opening envelopes, and no secret method to go from near bankruptcy to Mercedes ownership overnight. Neither is it very likely that you will "start making money right away on the Internet in your spare time" as one infomercial boasts. There are people who make considerable money with a part-time business, but usually they command high fees because they have become experts at something or because they have gradually accumulated a list of repeat customers.

Remember, the only true opportunity is one that will let you make a profit selling a product or service at a price that people want to buy. If you will have to wheedle, cajole, use high-pressure sales tactics, or stretch or hide the truth to win customers, your business will be short-lived and your profits nonexistent.

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