Starting a home business has become a wonderful and attractive alternative
for parents across the country. With the advent of the Internet, email and
cell phones, working at home has been a very viable option. No other
alternative allows parents the opportunity to create their own hours and
work around their children's schedules while earning an income. But before
investing in any home business opportunity, it is wise to take appropriate
steps to research the opportunity and the company. Unfortunately, there are
deceitful businesses ready to take advantage of parent's deep desire to be
at home with their children. These steps will help you to avoid potential
problems:
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1. Research the company and always check them out with the Better
Business Bureau(http://search.bbb.org/search.html\) located in their city.
2. Ask for at least three references of people they have worked with.
Call each person and ask about his or her experiences with the company.
3. Be cautious of any company that asks for money for a work-at-home job
4. Don't be fooled by ads claiming you can make large amounts of money in
short periods of time. And be cautious of companies that require you to sign
up immediately. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
5. Avoid those Type from home scams that claim you can earn $40,000.00 a
year typing from home. As Diana Ennen, author of Virtual Assistant ~ the
Series, Become a Highly Successful Sought After VA (http://www.VA-TheSeries.com\)
states, These are usually scams. They promise you a listing of companies
looking for home-based typist and normally these companies aren t even aware
they are on the list and seldom need help. Starting a secretarial business
at home is a great work-at-home opportunity. However, you need to do it
right and start one on your own. Our site offers suggestions at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com.
6. Get specific information in writing from the company such as how long
they have been in business, where they are located (not just a P.O. Box),
how many customers they have, what their refund policy is (read it
thoroughly); how long it takes to get paid and if there are any restrictions
on payments, etc.
7. If you do invest in a business opportunity, use your credit card
instead of cash. It may be easier to dispute the charges with your credit
card company rather than trying to get your money back from a fraudulent
company.
8. Research current scams on web sites such as ScamBusters at: http://www.scambusters.com.
Report any scams or fraudulent companies to the Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov, your state's Attorney General and the National Fraud
Information Center, PO Box 65868, Washington, DC 20035, (800) 876-7060.
9. Call the National Fraud Information Center at (800) 876-7060 for
information or visit their web site at: http://www.fraud.org.
10. Don't invest in any opportunity that you are not sure about. Instead,
find something that you are interested in and will enjoy doing. (Do what you
love, and the money will follow.)
About the Author:
Lesley Spencer is founder and president of the HBWM.com, Inc. Network which
includes: http://www.HomeBasedWorkingMoms.com, http://www.WorkAtHomeKit.com,
http://www.edirectoryofhomebasedcareers.com, http://www.momsworkathomesite.com,
http://www.HBWMconferences.com, http://www.HBWMcanada.com and http://www.HireMyMom.com
(coming soon!). She has a Master's Degree in Public Relations and has been
featured in numerous media outlets including CBS News, Forbes, Business
Week, Parents, Wall Street Journal and USA Today. She has been working from
home for over 10 years and has two children whom she absolutely adores!
May 6, 2005
