Posted on: 28 November, 2001
Author: Elena Fawkner
If you're looking for a way to make money from home ... been online for any length of time you will have ... aware of the ... of business ... and ads for many an If you're looking for a way to make money from home andyou've been online for any length of time you will have quicklybecome aware of the preponderance of business opportunitysites and ads for many and varied business opportunities.In particular, you've probably been bowled over by all thepromises of the fabulous internet riches that can be yours,if you only join so-and-so's innovative new groundflooropportunity that everybody who is anybody wants in on.This week I received an email from a subscriber asking formy opinion on a particular business opportunity. She wasasking what I "really thought" about it because she hadbeen "burned so many times in the past I just don't knowwho to trust". Sound familiar?I've received several emails like this over recent months frompeople who have been dudded by the charlatans who seem tocome out of the woodwork at the mere whiff of a victim, er ...prospect. This latest one though got me wondering exactly whyit is that so many people seem to be looking to make a profitfrom promoting or participating in someone else's businessopportunity or product rather than creating their own, using theirown ingenuity. And this applies not only to scams but tolegitimate business opportunities (yes, they DO exist). Afterall, no matter how legitimate the opportunity, at least some ofyour hard work and effort is going to benefit someone else.Now, admittedly, promoting someone else's product (such asby way of affiliate programs) is a good way to get started in youronline career, but it's not going to make you really seriousmoney. By "serious" I mean sufficient money to represent aworthwhile return on the investment of time and effort you mustexpend to earn significant commission income. By spending thesame amount of time and effort promoting your OWN business,your return must necessarily be much greater. After all, you keep100% of the profits for the same work!Why is it that some people, let alone those who have alreadybeen burned, keep looking for someone else to deliver theanswer to their prayers rather than creating it for themselves?Or worse, give up entirely? I'd be willing to bet that, for a goodlyproportion, the answer is "I don't have any products of my ownto sell" or "I don't have any good ideas" or "I don't know whereto start".Now, it may be that you're just dabbling with the idea of an onlinebusiness and, for you, promoting a few affiliate programs while yougradually get more involved is a good place for you to be right now.Many of us started out doing exactly that. But for those of youwho are ready to get into this in a serious way, have you thoughtabout doing it for yourself? Why not let go of the idea there isa perfect opportunity out there with your name on it if only youcan find it, and instead devote your time and your energy tocreating it using your own brainpower?I believe, absolutely and without equivocation, that ANYONE canmake money with their own business. The key is to make sure thatwhat you choose for your business is something you are passionateabout. If you are passionate about what you do, your naturalenthusiasm and motivation will lead you to develop ways to exploitthat passion in a way that can generate income.Let's say one of your absolutely favorite things in the whole world isgardening. You've always loved to garden, you have ever since youfirst got your own place and you do it every chance you get. Thinkabout how you might translate that natural interest into a profitablebusiness endeavor.Here's just one suggestion how you can turn your green thumb toyour financial advantage: start a gourmet herb business! You couldindulge your passion for gardening by planting a herb garden in yourbackyard, drying and packaging the herbs you grow and marketingthem to a niche market. Your niche may be the gourmet market,for example. You might decide to experiment with variouscombinations of herbs to come up with some exotic gourmet herbblends that are truly original.You would need to invest in a small greenhouse perhaps and learnabout how to dry herbs and all the other facets of a herb business.But once you've mastered that, and experimented with variousblends to create a unique product, it's simply a matter of packagingthem attractively for your market.As far as marketing's concerned, this would take place both onlineand offline. You will, of course, have your own website from which youoffer your exotic herb blends for sale. Your website would contain aprofile of all the various herbs, what they are good for, recipes andother resources that your site visitors would be interested in. In time,you may even expand into producing herbs for the homeopathicmarket! You could supplement your website by publishing a weeklyor monthly newsletter devoted to all things herbal, including hints andtips for your subscribers wanting to grow their own herbs or whoare interested in the health benefits of herbs.Offline, you could approach local businesses in your area to stockyour products and attend weekend markets to build your profile.By placing advertisements in local newspapers and taking an activerole in your local Chamber of Commerce you would make thecontacts that you need to become known within your local community.Other ways to indulge your passion for gardening while at the sametime operating a profitable business venture include: growing your ownvegetables to produce gourmet pasta sauces; starting a packagedseeds business or a garden design consultancy service. It doesn'tmatter. Just make sure it has something to do with what you aretruly passionate about.Gardening is, of course, just one example. Perhaps yourpassion is sewing, needlecraft, woodworking, computers, sports,parenting, travel, automobiles, leadlighting or any one of a millionother things. There is absolutely no reason in the world why youcannot take that passion and convert it into a money-makingenterprise, particularly with the internet as a marketing medium.So, for those of you looking for the right business opportunity "outthere" somewhere ... STOP. Let go of the coat-tails, reach insideyourself and grab the one thing you are TRULY passionate aboutabove all others. It is your ticket to a profitable, home business ofyour very own. And best of all, it's 100% all yours. Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com