If you are one of those people interested in starting a home-based business but do not have a skill as an artisan or background in things like accounting, financial planning, etc., one of the possibilities you may be considering is a network marketing opportunity.

Once you open up to network marketing as a possible answer to fill your home-based business desire, how do you choose between the many opportunities available?

Use this list of eight key questions as you consider the different network marketing opportunities:

• Is the company participating in growth markets?
  • Make sure the company’s products align with the major growth markets including health and wellness, green products, anti-aging, etc.
• Is the company financially stable?
  • Many start-up network marketing companies fail within the first few years of existence.  Make sure the companies you are evaluating are stable and can weather the current economic conditions.
• What is the company’s reputation in their marketplace?
  • Check out the company’s reputation and history in the network marketing industry and whether they have had product, service or issues with distributors either today or in the past.
• Can you make a legitimate initial and residual income?
  • Evaluate the compensation plan and be sure the bonus plan provides for a potential income both in the near-term as well as long-term residual income.  Many older compensation plans were structured to focus on the long-term residuals and provided little or no early bonus structure meaning it takes longer to build a positive cash flow.
• Does the company produce a viable, consumable product?
  • Another way to phrase this question is …. Are the company’s products in demand and readily consumed?  This is important to maintain repeat sales from satisfied customers as you build your distribution base.
• Is their credible research and QA/QC conducted on the products and ingredients?
  • As you evaluate the company and its products, make sure they both conduct in-house and support external research on the products. You also want to check to insure the company conducts their own in-house QA/QC tests on ingredients used to manufacture the products as well as the end products (think about what happened with lead in toys!).
• Does the company introduce new and revolutionary products on a continuing basis?
  • As you undertake your research, check to see if the company actually researches and produces new and innovative products on a regular basis to enhance growth and keep renewing their product lines.
• Do the company and team under consideration provide training on realistic business building methods along with the products and opportunities?
  • Check to be sure the company and the distribution team you are considering offers training beyond the products and compensation plan. They should also offer training on variety of business and marketing topics including up to date prospecting methods (traditional, social networking, using Internet) and delivery techniques (teleconferences, webinars, multi-media presentations, along with traditional live events).

Careful consideration of each question will greatly assist you in during your evaluation process.  Take the time to gather your facts; gain a realistic understanding of your selected opportunity; and what it actually takes to build the business will help set a firm foundation enabling you to be successful.

Would you like to see how these questions can be used during your evaluation process of different network marketing opportunities?

Enter your contact information into the form below for a personal consultation and evaluation tour one team’s approach to address each of the questions:

Being a “baby boomer” and looking out to the future towards retirement, evaluating options to protect my income has been steadily on my mind.

Given the economic upheaval of the last few years, many of us have been faced with this very question.  As last year’s election cycle wound down, even the politicians were finally admitting we were indeed in a recession.  Although recessions are not uncommon, this one is the worst in decades resulting in substantial impacts to a large portion of our society.

Further evidence of continuing economic strife was signaled in a Business Week article indicating:

• Retail sales decreased in July compared to June and
• Unemployment claims rose in the second week of August compared with the first.

So how does anyone better prepare to avoid a financial heart-ache and make your income recession proof?

Many people are starting to look very seriously at ways to lessen impacts from job loss or income reductions by evaluating home-based business opportunities.

Thoughts of service-based businesses (home repair, accounting, financial planning, specialty retail shops, etc.) often come to mind when thinking about home-based businesses since they are commonly operated from home.

But this my friend is the information age meaning a whole new and bold world of home-based business opportunities awaits on the horizon.  Those opportunities wait for anyone willing to use even simple computer skills (already possessed or readily learned with the proper coach) to tap into the power of the Internet.

Why is the Internet so powerful?

Mainly through a combination of ever growing number Internet users (~360,000,000 in 2000 rising to almost 1,600,000,000 by 3/31/09) and the amazing social resources including open social media sites like blogs, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Every person willing to connect with the right team, find the right home-based business opportunity and work to develop their business can literally have the “world” at their fingertips!

Taking the proper steps will help protect and recession proof your income which is something everyone (baby boomers, genx and millennials) should be considering.

Now the big question is ….. Where to begin?

One of my business associates and online marketing mentors, McKay Earl recently produced a two-part video series “Recession Proof Your Life”.  Through these videos he provides a wealth of information about the different ways to tap into the power of the Internet as part of numerous home-based businesses.

Complete the form below to gain complimentary access to this awesome, information-packed video series and begin to unravel the secrets of using the Internet to identify and grow potential home-based business opportunities!

You’ll be glad you did ….