Wondering how you can make a transition from a corporate job to a home-based business or telecommuting position?  You've probably considered some of the work-at-home "opportunities" that you've seen in magazines, newspapers, or online.  I've noticed plenty of them on blog ads and the like as well.  But how on earth do you sort through them all? 

Audrey Okaneko has worked at home for decades and has some great suggestions for starting to cull the crud from the real stuff.  Take a look at her article about the matter (reprinted by permission) and compare her thoughts and warnings to some of the ads you've seen.  Maybe you'll see the dollar signs in your bank account instead of in the ad$!  *grin*

Sorting Through the Hype of Many Work at Home Ads

Over the last 10 years the amount of people who want to work at home has climbed tremendously. Each year the Direct Sales Association makes public its statistics and every year the amount of people involved in direct sales goes up.

These figures are for direct sales only and do not include all of those who sell on ebay, sell through wholesalers, offer a service or telecommute.

The fact is folks would rather work at home if there is a way to earn the same amount a part time job would pay them.

So what are the things to watch for when reading the many ads out there?

1. Any ad that tells you that you don’t have to work is not telling you the truth. Sometimes I’ve seen these ads say “earn while you sleep”. Other times I’ve seen these ads say “we’ll do all the work for you”. If you just step back and recognize that we have a terrible poverty problem here in the U.S., you’ll realize that if folks truly could make money doing nothing and with someone else doing all the work, there would be no more poverty or unemployment.

2. A home business with no sales. I see these types of ads daily. A business sells either a product or a service. When you think of all of the businesses in YOUR town, you’ll see that each one sells either a product or a service. A home business is the same. In order to make money you’ll need to either sell a product or a service.

3. Look at the ad itself. Are the words spelled correctly? Does the ad writer use way too many question marks and exclamation marks? One is plenty. Six or seven is a bit excessive. Does the ad writer use the dollar sign instead of the letter “S”? For example “Join my bu$$ine$$” I always chuckle when I see the dollar sign substituted for a letter. Is the ad written in all capital letters?

4. What is the website in the ad? Is it a free website, or does the ad writer have their own domain? I am always very leery of those who use free websites for business. I’ve had a geocities website for many years that I use to play with. My business site has always had its own domain. Today, a domain can be purchased for under $10 and web hosting can be found for well under $10 per month. So, for under $150 a year, a domain can be bought and hosted. Why is this person claiming you can earn millions using a free site?

5. Who wrote the ad? Does the person who wrote the ad let you know how to reach them? Is there a real person’s name? Does the person have a free email address or a paid email address? Remember, this ad spoke of earning millions. Certainly the ad write can afford their own email address.

6. Finally, where does the website they provided lead you? Is there information on a company? Is there information on products or services being offered? What is on the website when you do click?

By following the above tips, you should be able to sort through the hype and toss out those “too good to be true” offers.

Article by:

Audrey Okaneko has worked at home since 1983. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at www.recipe-barn.com