Is It All Just a Scam?

I have seen many, many postings throughout the Internet, on message boards and what not, where someone is looking for advice on what options are available in terms of work at home or through Internet type opportunities. And as I scroll down through the responses given it amazes me as to how many people will claim that everything and anything on the Internet & related to the work at home industry is a scam. I wonder what exactly their experience has been in regards to this issue?

Regardless of whether or not anyone was to take my word for it, I understand that I am just another person of whom you may not know personally, and how are you suppose to believe anything I say, right? But seriously, if everything is a scam, then how is it so many people are able to work from home.

This is what I mean, even if someone has tried to find something and they were unsuccessful in doing so, does that mean that it’s not possible? Or is it just that with the vast array of “stuff” available they simply didn’t look hard enough or long enough to find what worked?

I know what it’s like to lose money, and a lot of it, due to untruthful & somewhat evil beings who are only out to make a dime. I don’t understand how their mental processes work exactly because I would think that it’s harder and more work to have to constantly find new people to swindle just to make a few bucks. If they were to spend that time & effort on something legit and something that made it possible for others to succeed in, then they wouldn’t have to work nearly as hard to make a living. It just doesn’t make sense??

That being said, I know that not everything is a scam. Even some of the things I tried, and paid money to do, and never made a dime doing so, that doesn’t mean it was a scam exactly. It did work for some people, just wasn’t something that I could do. (It was products that I could care less about and didn’t want to sell, which made it dreadful to get up and do anything at all, which leads to no money.) It wasn’t the fault of the company, they had actually been in business for 20 years, so there had to be something that was working right. But I was the one who had no idea what I was suppose to look for, what was out there, I was young and when I saw the flashy cars and the income potential I was like sign me up. We are all allowed to make mistakes like this, just accept the fact that the blame relies on yourself, not the industry or the individual company or rep.

So, how do you know if something is a scam or not? There is no one simple answer to this. Use common sense, do your research and find out all that you can from many different resources. Don’t take any one persons opinion as the simple truth, it is just that, their opinion or experience.

Here is a link as to the Definition of Scam: http://www.consumerfraudreporting.org/definitions.php

You can also find other great information and tips as to common scams and what to look for and questions to ask.

Hopefully you will find this helpful. This is one thing that I have a great deal of passion for because of the many people who do benefit from working at home, many of which may not have had any other options available, myself included. So I can’t stand when someone makes false assumptions without knowing actual facts, or without having been there personally.

I would love for others to share their thoughts & opinions on this issue. However, I would like it if you plan to be exceptionally rude and distasteful that you restrain from commenting, but feel free to send me an email if it would make you feel better.

A Meme & 7 Things About Me

I was meme’d by Liz Fuller over at More Than We Know, a wonderful site she has created for Women Entrepreneurs. I had no idea what this meant exactly, but after a little bit of research, I found that it is simply being tagged by another. I have to admit it feels great knowing that I must be doing a little something right for others to notice me.

Now there are a few rules in regards to this meme…

1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know they have been tagged and comment on their blog.

Doesn’t sound too difficult, or does it? Seven things about myself…that’s a hard one. It did take me a few days to ponder my thoughts and try and come up with things that others may want to know about me. And well I have no idea what may interest all of you about me, but I will give it a go…

1.) I was a terrible teenager. I ran away from home, skipped school, did everything and anything possible as long as it was the exact opposite of what my mother allowed or wanted me to do. I knew exactly what I was doing and I knew it wasn’t good for me, yet I continued to do it until I was finally forced to live with my father. That was in my junior year of high school, and even though I had skipped a good 16 months of school since 8th grade, I was still able to graduate as normal at the age of 17.

2.) I can’t remember the last time I paid full price, or retail, for anything. I am a huge clearance rack shopper. I purchase all of the kids’ clothes, shoes, toys, pretty much everything when it’s on sale.

3.) My dream job when I grew up was to be a Bounty Hunter, or even just a Private Investigator. And even though I am a little embarrassed to admit it, I spent around $700 & roughly 15 months of my time, with a home-study type course in order to follow my dream.

4.) Organization is not a natural strength of mine. In fact, I grew up surrounded by people who never threw anything away. At my dad’s house, we rarely saw the kitchen table as it was constantly covered with “stuff.” I am consistently working towards making my life and my home more organized. In fact, last weekend we went through the kids’ room and got rid of about 4 large trash bags of toys that they don’t use & don’t need, and we took them to a local shelter for homeless & abused women and children. It’s amazing the difference it makes now that the kids’ actually have a place to put the things they do use and are able to find them.

5.) I am terrible when it comes to exercise. I have had a membership at the local women’s fitness place since March of 2006 and only used it for approximately 5 months combined. I signed a contract for 24 months, so I am paying my fees every single month, yet I still don’t make myself get up and just go.

6.) I love learning new things. In fact, almost to a fault sometimes. I have a horrible habit of putting things off until the very last minute. This is also partly due to the fact that I constantly doubt myself a little bit and want to make sure I do the best that I can.

7.) Overall I am a very laid-back, easy going person. I don’t usually yell & get upset. In fact, I do all I can to avoid confrontation & arguments. Most often people are going to believe what they choose to, regardless of what anyone else says, so why bother trying to change their minds. As long as I know that what I am doing is right, then that’s all that matters.

So there you have it, 7 things about me. Now the next part of the meme is to choose 7 other people randomly and link to their blogs. I will simply choose some of my favorites, in no specific order.

1. Table4Five
2. Single WAHM
3. Notes from a Wannabe WAHM
4. Marketing Curve
5. It’s a Woman’s World
6. Super WAHM
7. Busy Mom

I suggest you take a look at each of these blogs. Each one of them has their own special qualities and wisdom included. I have gained a ton of knowledge through each of them.

So there you have it. Now all I have left to do is let my poor victims know that they have been meme’d and hope for the best.

Dealing with the Holidays and your Business

The Holiday season is usually pretty crazy for most people. We go straight from Thanksgiving into Christmas and then New Years. We have family gatherings to attend, finals in school, end of the year catch up, and don’t forget about the shopping. (That in itself gets me.) It’s like we are running a marathon for 2 months straight. With so much to do, it’s important to stay consistent with your business as well.

Being consistent means just that, you must be consistent at all times. Any time you take a step back, or take a “break” from building your business and marketing, it’s going to take you that much more time later to get your pipeline filled back up again. And I know personally that no matter how much you feel like you need that break right between Thanksgiving & Christmas, it is best to keep pushing forward just a while longer. Why is that? You don’t want to reach the holidays, knowing that there is no way you are expected to or should even be working because that is the time you are meant to be enjoying your families…only to have the guilt lingering in the back of your mind that you really haven’t done much with your business and you can see it starting to dwindle. How can you enjoy your time then?

And it’s not only your own fatigue that can get you down or discouraged during the holidays. Depending on what you do from home, what sort of product or service you have to offer, there are probably quite a few people that have told you that they will have to wait until after the holidays to do anything. This could be due to the fact that cash tends to be tight for most families after the gift giving and traveling that comes at this time of year. Or if you are speaking to people who are considering your business, they may think that it be best to get started after the busy schedules sort of subside in mid January or so, when they will be able to focus on learning something new.

When I start to feel the need for that little break right before the Holidays I simply tell myself that by sticking with it just a while longer, I won’t feel guilty when I do take the time off to be with my family. And by continuing to build that pipeline, you will find that many of those that you have spoke with will in fact be calling you back shortly after the new year begins and the traditional new year’s resolutions are in peak force.

Requesting your help…

I have a question that I would like to ask of all of you and if you could be kind enough, share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Are you living to work or working to live?

I have my own thoughts on the subject, but I am interested to hear what others think first. Also, if you could, let us know if you currently work from home, in an office, or what your situation work wise is.

I thank you in advance for taking the time to do this.

Why Do You Work From Home?

This is a little something that I have not yet done here on this blog yet. Another blogger, SuperWahm, is running a contest. But it’s not necessarily the contest that interests me the most, it’s what the contest is about. She is asking people to share why they work at home, or why they would want to work from home. As I have stated before, knowing your “why” makes all the difference. When you have a strong reason why you are doing something, anything, you work harder and stronger so that you can get it done.

It’s also fun to see what, or more so, why others work from home also. Check it out at http://superwahm.net/2007/10/14/ready-for-a-contest.aspx

Are Network Marketing and Direct Sales Hard?

I found the following article in some files on my hard drive. I’m not sure how I came to get it, but felt as though it makes for a great testimonial as to why so many of us do what we do, whether it be direct sales, network marketing or mlm.

The following article is an excerpt from a speech given by a direct seller at a local meeting. We are told she was asked to speak on how direct sales compares to working a “regular” job. It was submitted to us, and although the original author is unknown, we wish to thank her for her thoughts and insights.

Lately, I have heard so many people say how difficult direct sales is. “Its hard.” “I can’t get bookings.” “This just isn’t for me.” “I didn’t know how difficult it would be.”

Well, I am a single mom of three who, before joining the direct sales family, held
down two jobs. I would get up at 4:00 in the morning and not get to bed until midnight most nights, after returning from my part-time retail job, packing lunches, checking homework and relieving my mother, who helped out with the kids.

That, my friends, is difficult. It is difficult always having to lower your dreams to meet your means. It is difficult to miss your son’s football game because you have to work. It is difficult knowing the rust bucket you call a car is eating you alive in maintenance, but you can’t afford a new one. It is difficult to realize that someone else is going to watch your daughter take her first step or have your son say mama to the preschool teacher. It is difficult knowing that you have spent 40 years of your life working for someone else, only to realize that you will be retiring on one-third of what you can live on today. Or, worse yet, it is difficult knowing that you have diligently worked all your life, only to be given an early retirement and replaced by someone younger, more capable.

I will tell you what is difficult. It is difficult waking up one morning and realizing that your children, the most precious things imaginable, no longer need bottles, diapers, have tea parties, or are shorter than the baseball bat they are trying to swing. It is difficult realizing it is too late and that the time frittered away can never be retrieved. It slips through our fingers one second at a time. It is also difficult watching the spark in your partner’s eyes fade because both of you realize the house you have been wanting is just a dream because someone else is controlling your finances.

We have nasty habits about rationalizing, procrastination and skirting important things, rather than facing the issues. Too often we allow others who do not pay our bills, who do not share our dreams, to direct our futures. As children we have absolutely no freedom; we rebel in our teens and scream for freedom. We reach adulthood and are finally free, only to relinquish that freedom because we think it is too difficult. We do not want to take responsibility. We do not want to make a wrong decision, so we obligingly give that awesome power to someone else. We wake up too late. We hear ourselves uttering phrases like: “I wish I had only . .” and “If I could do it over again.” You have no one but yourself to blame. You had the chance. Perhaps the opportunity was presented many times and each time you elevated the trivial to a higher priority than yourself. Let me ask you: Is direct sales really difficult?

Is it so traumatic to show someone an exciting product or idea? Is it so difficult to understand that if you work this marketing idea for three to five years, you just might finally be able to send your children to a college chosen by excellence, rather than one chosen by price? That you could finally put your family in the home of their dreams?

Would you work really hard for eight to ten years, so you could mold a lifestyle of your choosing, so your family could live a lifestyle of their dreams, rather than trying to live how someone else thinks you should live? How difficult is it to pick up the phone and call your hostess? How difficult is it to pack up your kit and meet some new friends?

How difficult is it, really, to share what you love with others? Think about it. Realize the awesome power you have in your hands with direct sales. There are people out there working three jobs. There are people drowning in debt; or agonizing through bankruptcy, realizing they only needed a couple hundred more dollars per month. That is difficult!

This business you have chosen has the ability to change lives. Direct sales cannot do anything. But YOU can change lives with it. You are the one with the life-changing ability. What are you waiting for?

There is difficulty and pain in success, and there is difficulty and pain in failure. Difficulty and pain in success will last a short period of time; but pain in failure lasts a lifetime. Which one is really more difficult? You will pay a price for your actions, and your choices. Which choice will you make?

If it’s Meant to be, It’s up to Me…Take 2

I mentioned the statement above a while back, but feel as though it is one of the most important things we all need to remember, so I am stating it again.

We can go through life wishing that we could catch the next free break, and that maybe just maybe someone would drop a fortune right in front of us, free for the taking. Or we can choose to do more today than we did yesterday and stop waiting for someone else to take control of our lives.

It’s your life to live, no one else’s. We must sow the seeds in order to reap the harvest. If we sit around just waiting for things to happen many great opportunities just simply pass us by. Be willing to do more, try more and live more.
Someone once said, “It’s not how you start the race, It’s how you finish it.”

I’ve been slacking a bit…

It has been quite some time since I last added anything to my blog, and that is just simply unacceptable. I could come up with a hundred different reasons to try to explain myself, but I am not going to do that. I just simply let “life” get in the way, as we all have done at one point or another.
Anyhow, I am back to posting again. And I don’t plan to stop anytime in the near future. There’s too much that we have not yet covered here, so back to work…not so much work as responsibilities.

Working vs. Playing

Summer-time is one of those times when it seems as though you can find anything and everything to be doing besides the one thing you must do, which is continue to build your at-home business. I know because like so many of you, I am a mom of 3 little fish who would much rather be at the pool then stuck at home trying to find something exciting to do.

I have to admit, with the nice warm days of summer sitting there, begging to be taken advantage of, it’s hard not to find every excuse available to just go running outside, putting my work on hold for the time being. But just as I do so, in comes the guilt and the day doesn’t appear to be so much fun anymore. Not only that, but with each hour I push aside until “later,” all I seem to do is continue to build the pile of things that still need to be done until they are a huge, overwhelming mound, of which I must spend the next 3 days catching up on.

That’s why it is key to schedule “work hours” and stick to them, especially in the summer months. By simply setting aside 2-3 hours each day, strictly for the purpose of “working,” you will find that there is plenty of time left to do all the fun stuff, and your business won’t go downhill in the meantime.

To have a successful business from home, you must first and foremost be Consistent and you, and only you, are responsible for your success. It takes effort, but it is definitely worth it, and you will be so glad that you put in that 3 hours each day.

Save Money–Make Money

Previously I posted my answer as to how much money can be made with a work-at-home opportunity. I’d like to go a bit further and ask this…How much can you save by working from home?

Instead of looking at the amount of money each enrollment will get you. Or what percentage you are paid on each product you sell. Ask yourself these questions…

1. How much do you spend commuting to work each week?
   
2. How about paying for daycare?
3. What about lunch?
   
4. And appearance? You have to look nice, get your hair done & nails, and don’t forget about clothes and shoes.
5. If you are sick and can’t work, will you still get paid?
6. And wait, you’re doing all the hard work, but will you continue getting paid for the work you’ve done? Even 5,10, 15 years after you did it?
7. How often do you get a pay raise? Who determines that?

When you look at the big picture, it’s easy to see which is the better choice. We often settle, simply because it’s what we think is the best choice for today. However, which is the better choice when you’re thinking of the future?

Stop making someone else rich while you miss out on priceless moments in life just so you can barely get by. Start getting paid for what your worth and secure your future, you will be so happy that you did.

To your Prosperity!