Think of the appeal of owning your own business and working from home….

* You are the CEO

* You schedule your own hours

* You can work in your pajamas ( if that’s your thing!)

* You control your work-life balance, not someone else

* You do what you want, when you want

There are, of course, responsibilities that come with all of those things….you have to actually DO the work! Sometimes its just the idea of having a home-based business that is sexy, not actually running one. If you are serious about finding a home-based business, it can be downright confusing. A Google search for home-based businesses will reveal an endless procession of opportunities for you to make millions. They all sound soooooooo good and so easy. Which is the right business for you?

If making that leap from sexy idea to real-life decision is in front of you, here are seven extremely useful questions to get answered before you make the investment of time, money and effort necessary to make ANY home-based business thrive.

1. Can I get excited and be proud about the product I will represent?

Only YOU can answer this question. You should not have to be sold on the product/service offering to make your choice. It will be your authentic passion and belief in the product/service you will be representing that will sustain you through the more challenging hours, days and weeks ahead of you. Can you become a product of the product? If you can….if you truly believe that the product or service has outstanding value to others, then it will come through in your voice as you share the opportunity with others. So make sure the product/service is right for you before you try making it right for others.

2. What is the potential market for this business?

Even the (seemingly) greatest product in the world will fail if there is nobody interested in buying it. Take a very realistic look at the market for the opportunity you are considering for your home-based business. Is it growing or staying the same…..or shrinking? Who are all the possible users? Are you trying to sell ice cubes to Eskimos???

3. Who competes with this business?

Who truly competes with this opportunity?? Take into account all aspects of the home-based business opportunity and ask yourself What can match or exceed this offering based on the overall value it provides? Are there many, many competitors in this arena?? How much will I have to try to differentiate myself from the competition to get my message across? The stronger the message of value, the fewer the competitors, the better off you will be.

4. What guarantee does the business offer?

If the company doesnt believe in the value of its offering, why should you? Do they offer any sort of satisfaction or money-back guarantee? If so, how much? And how long is this guarantee available to the end customer? And who is responsible for refunding the end customers money….you or the company? It is great to have the confidence that the company you represent stands 100% behind their product and behind you.

5. Is there training available on the product/service and how to market it?

Its not enough to have a love of the product. Its not enough to have all the motivation in the world to market or sell that product. If you dont have a “how to” manual, you will end up like the majority of home-based business entrepreneurs..losing money. So check out the quality and quantity of the training that you will receive. Be sure to ask about how to market the business opportunity to others and if that is included in the training.

6. Once your new business is up and running, what king of on-going support is available?

Look hard at the opportunity and get this question answered! If you are on your own after any initial training, your path to success will be much more difficult. Who can you turn to for support and to get questions answered? Who can you connect with to gain additional ideas and strategies? How long will this type of support be offered? Be sure to look for some type of forum or genuine community you can tap into once the start up phase of your new home-based business is over.

7. How much investment is needed to enjoy true success?

Depending on the business, some opportunities will have minimal start-up costs while others are much higher. You must consider not only what you are willing to invest, but how quickly you will be paid and how much you will need to sell in order to recover your initial investment. Look to the on-going costs as well as the start up costs as these can add up and make what initially looks like a small investment into something much larger over time. You will also want to factor in any inventory you must carry to run your business successfully.

This list of “must ask” questions may not be the only questions you ask in your search for a home-based business. Getting the answers to these questions and then comparing those answers for all of the home-based businesses you are considering will lead you to the one that is best…..for you!

Looking to find real, authentic information about home-based business, then visit www.authenticpartners.com to find some great home-based business resources.

Comments are closed.