Work from Home: Sound Advice for People Starting a Home-Based Business in Internet Marketing

If you are one of the over 25 million people now choosing to work from your home, the following tips can save you time, money and frustration.

• Only engage in legitimate work-at-home programs. Carefully investigate any business before you sign on and get everything in writing, including earnings information claims.

• If possible, start your business on the side while employed for someone else. This will allow you to retain your income while you grow your business to a profitable stage.

• Become an expert in your service or product. Study everything you can find on your subject and then practice it.

• If you have no experience in running a business, find a successful businessperson to teach you the business side of operating a company or take courses from someone who has trained others. For instance, Tom Antion has helped many entrepreneurs achieve success and his practical methods are now available through his online Internet Marketing Training Center at https://imtcva.org/about.

• Set reasonable expectations and goals for yourself. Working at home is still work. On average, people who work from home work 37.7 hours a week, though many work longer hours as they become engrossed in their business. As with any job, the more time and effort you invest, the bigger the payoff. Success does not happen overnight. You have to work at it, even if you are sitting in an easy chair with your feet propped up. It’s a balancing act; you need to have good time management skills, as well as the discipline to push yourself to work when you would rather be playing tennis.

• Educate yourself about work-from-home frauds.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns of many scoundrels ready to dupe you into their work-at-home schemes. The FTC cautions, “The scam artists lure would-be entrepreneurs with false promises of big earnings for little effort. They pitch their fraudulent offerings on the Web; in e-mail solicitations; through infomercials, classified ads and newspaper and magazine “advertorials”; and in flyers, telemarketing pitches, seminars and direct-mail solicitations.” The commission adds, “Promises of a big income for work from home, especially when the ‘opportunity’ involves an up-front fee or divulging your credit card information, should make you very suspicious. The con artists peddling them may get you to pay for starter kits or certifications that are useless, and may even charge your credit card without permission.”