Saturday, September 1, 2007

Work at Home JOB or Home BUSINESS? - There's the DIFFERENCE!

I recently joined an online Moms forum and notice a group for Moms who want to work work at home and joined. Afterall, I am a Mom who works from home. I didn't post right away but just scanned through some of the posts.

I was amazed by how many people just posted 'their deal' – just going on about how wonderful their comp. plan is, or product is - how well they are doing, etc. In addition, there were other moms who were blasting network marketing as a scam or 'pyramid scheme'.

The problem is some of these ladies are looking for a work at home J.O.B. and some are looking, or are in, a work at home BUSINESS. The two are very different and that is where some of the confusion, frustration and hostility was coming from.

You need to find what is a good fit for YOU.

Network marketing is a legitimate way of building a business and has been around for 40 years or more. A pyramid scheme is illegal. If no one is selling a product or service, it is a pyramid scheme and it will be shut down. Arbonne, Avon, SendOutCards, Isagenix, Shaklee, etc. are not pyramid schemes. However, they may or may not be what you are looking for. Also you need to find a product or service you see is of VALUE. If you don't believe you have something of great value, how can you possible market it effectively? No matter what some of you may have been told EVERYONE is not a potential prospect!

About 6 or 7 years ago I was a full-time art teacher, but wanted to stay home with my kids. I looked at work at home JOBS but after a lot of research found that there was nothing out there in which I could earn enough money to support my family, and still give me time with my kids, if I worked for someone else. My income was 2/3 of our family income. Now many of these ladies may just need to make some extra money and a work at home job may be great for them. That was not the case for me.

I began researching network marketing and saw that this was a way to leverage my time, help others and build a full-time income working part-time. However, it does take time and consistent effort. The unfortunate thing is there is so much hype out there – “you don't need any sales skills”, “you can make a gillion dollars in 3 months”, “this product sells itself!” and so on. This is just nonsense. For most people it takes 2-5 years to reach a full-time income, depending on the time they invest, skill development, etc.

The problem is that, often times, you are dealing with the 'blind leading the blind'. Certainly there are plenty of scams and scammers out there, but even worse - there are people just passing along bad marketing information because they don't know what they are doing either. “Just keep doing more of it” If what they are telling you to do is not working, do you think doing more is going to help?? So it is important not only to find the right company or product/service, but also the right PEOPLE to work with.

I was fortunate that I had a very big reason to make working at home work for me. I figured out was worked and what didn't, often the hard way. What I soon discovered is that even though I had many, many challenges, I loved the freedom of working for myself. I don't think I could ever go back to working for someone else. As long as I have my laptop, I can work my business anywhere. When my kids and I were in Scotland last fall, clients and business associates could call a NY state number and reach me on my laptop!

One of the things I would recommend anyone wanting a home business is to work toward developing multiple streams of income. You need to learn what you are doing first of course, but keep that in mind as you progress. For those who like helping other people and want their own business, network marketing may be a good fit. If you don't want the responsibility of helping a downline, affiliate marketing may be a better option. I integrate both into my business.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation as these Moms, I have a lot of information and resources on my website - home business options, what to look for, home business education, etc. There is also free material you can request. including a free ebook, The 7 Great Lies of Network Marketing, which explain the major myths that people believe and tell others.

I also offer a complimentary consultation, so if you are looking for a home business or already have a business but need some help getting it going, feel free to contact me or complete a request form on the site:
www.ahomebusinessworks.com

Wendy Mills
Certified Marketing Consultant & Success Coach
716-514-8858 / 716-740-0777
wendy@ahomebusinessworks.com

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