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Home-Based Businesses
Starting a home-based business has many attractive
features, such as no commuting, flexible
hours, and extra time with family, especially
your children.
Rather than starting your own
business entirely
from scratch, it may be worthwhile
exploring
"turnkey" opportunities
offered
to you by existing businesses.
These may
include:
- Taking phone calls as a customer service
or reservations agent.
- Answering e-mails.
- Conducting research over the Internet.
- Tabulating information, constructing databases,
and preparing spreadsheets.
- Computer programming.
- Selling products out of your home.
- Assembling products or printed materials.
- Remote secretarial services
When evaluating offers from businesses
that
promise to get you started as
a home-based
entrepreneur, some factors to
consider are:
- The business's reputation. Determine how
long the business has been in operation and
whether it has complaints filed against it
with the Federal Trade Commission, Better
Business Bureaus and state regulatory agencies.
- Find a business that offers a quality product
or service; avoid those that depend on gimmicks
such as multi-level marketing, where you
have to convince others to join. Determine
exactly how you will be paid. Be sure that
you cannot be denied pay for capricious reasons.
- Be wary if you are being asked for upfront
money or to pay for materials that you will
assemble at home. Understand ahead of time
what expenses, if any, you are expected to
absorb and what will be reimbursed by the
company.
- Get all terms and conditions, especially
those related to pay and expenses, in writing.
If the business sounds "too good to
be true," it probably is. Instead, you
are better off with a business that will
reward you based on how hard you work and
how successful you are. |
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