There are plenty of ways to do business on the Internet, but they can be basically divided into 2 groups:

1. Go out and do the research, find the resources, bring them altogether and then build a business from scratch

or

2. Start a turn key business that has everything you need to get started in one place including training, support, products and websites.

This article refers to business group number 2.

Believe me when I say not all work at home business opportunities are created equal. I learned the hard way. Like an over excited greenhorn with dollar signs in his eyes I started a total of 5 Internet work at home businesses all within 1 week of discovering they even existed. That was equal to about $250/month in subscription fees!

I was basically a textbook example of what not to do.

Save yourself the expense and effort (not to mention the embarrassment of having to tell people about it later) by making sure any business you are interested in checks out for the following points:

Most important - does the company sell a product or service that is good quality, people want to buy and you would be proud to represent? Boom industries include health (e.g. vitamins, alternative medicine), communications (e.g. cell phone subscriptions), Internet marketing resources (leads, info products, articles and recordings from experts about building a business) and Internet technology (e.g. web building tools, face to face video conferencing). There is more but they are a good place to start.

Does the business look professional? - you can easily get a "vibe" for a business by its presentation. Is the web site beautiful? Does it load easily? Is the spelling and grammar correct? While presentation is not the only thing to look for in a business it can be all you need to decide whether to look further.

Is the earnings structure fair? - usually the payment plans in work at home business opportunities are confusing at best. But what you want to be sure of is that you are going to be fairly rewarded for your efforts. Typically you will be expected to either sell product or get new members to join your business before you make money. The latter is the preferable method because then you have other people making you money as well. You should start earning once you have 3 to 4 people in your team. Be sure you know exactly how it works because there are companies around that expect you to have a team of 12 members before you see a cent; too hard for a beginner.

What does it cost to get started? - just because a business costs a lot to get started doesn't mean its a bad thing or a good thing. But I'm guessing that you are like I was and don't have thousands on hand ready to plunge into your first work at home business. It's probably better to dirty your hands with something a little smaller at first and take it from there. Up to $100-150/month is reasonable. My favorite for beginners is about $30/month (No.1 work from home business opportunity). Special note: Remember that with any business you will also have advertising expenses.

How old is the company? - a company that is completely new is susceptible to disappearing from the radar. Be cautious of businesses claiming to be in pre-launch for 2 reasons. 1. that means they are new and may have no idea what they are doing and 2. these companies always claim to be in pre-launch even though they launched (started doing business) months ago. Of course every great company was new once so there are times when a new company can be a great opportunity. Check to see what the word is, do some searches and try to find out what people are saying about the company and about the leaders. If the leadership is good than you maybe onto a good thing.

How experienced is the leadership? - once or twice a year a new company will come on the scene and people will be climbing over each other to come on board. The reason is usually because it is another brain child of a team with a proven record of success. They have the experience to get it right from the start.

Does the company provide training? - two pages about how to post free classifieds is not training (that was the extent of it on one of the earliest companies I joined). Training should be comprehensive, covering how to advertise, where to advertise, what to say in your advertisement, where to find business, how to talk to people, how to stay motivated, how to increase your business, how to train new team members and more. Very importantly it should include at least weekly phone conferences from company experts and leaders for you to learn how they do it and have your questions answered.

Will you get adequate support? - if you have questions or concerns it's nice to know that there is someone to answer them. The top notch businesses will actually have a support department available to answer any questions you may have.

If you find a business meeting all these criteria then you are off to a good start. But remember this is only the first step in a longer haul. You must have persistence if you are going to make it.

Keep learning, keep at it and don't give up.

Written by Murray Hughes 007WorkFromHome.com

http://www.007workfromhome.com/how-to-choose-work-at-home-busines s.php

About the author: Learn how to easily build your own Internet marketing business from the ground up from a long-time marketer giving away his experience for nothing. A Warehouse of Internet Marketing Knowledge at no cost, EVER! http://www.007WorkFromHome.com