When people head to the internet to find ways of making money, they are often surprised by what they find. While many of them are looking for traditional work at home jobs, such as telecommuting positions, what they often get are online business opportunities.
Many of these online business opportunities try to pass themselves off as “jobs,” since they know that is what many people are looking for. Others, however, try to convince you that being your own boss is a dream come true, and for many people, it may be.
Starting your own online business can be difficult, especially if you make this choice on a whim due to a convincing business opportunity sales page. Instead, take a look at the top three most popular online business systems, and see if one works for you.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the most popular form of online business. The job of an affiliate marketer is to promote the products or services of a partner company by using internet links. If your links result in sales for that company, you will receive a percentage of that sale.
Affiliate marketing, or internet marketing, can manifest in many different ways, from sending emails to a list of customers recommending a service or product, to creating a website that promotes these products and services.
This is often the most profitable of online business systems, but it does require a lot of time and effort, especially in the beginning stages. Affiliate marketing thrives on your ability to find potential customers, i.e. getting web traffic, and this is probably the most difficult thing to achieve online.
Network Marketing
Network marketing, or multi-level marketing, is the oldest and most established form of online business. Network marketing is when you join a company as an associate and earn money not only by selling their products but also by recruiting new company associates into your own personal downline.
Network marketing clearly predates the internet by decades – consider Mary Kay, Avon, or Amway. However these companies are really profiting from making use of the internet for both recruiting and sales purposes.
Network marketing business opportunities are often called a scam, due to their low percentage of associates that are actually able to make a decent yearly salary.
But the truth is that while network marketing is clearly not for everyone, those with a knack for salesmanship may discover that this opportunity is right up their alley.
Blogging
Blogging is a bit trickier to categorize as an online business system, since it be used as a form of affiliate marketing if you choose to directly promote products within your blog posts. However, that is not the only way to make money while blogging.
The most popular way of making money with your blog is simply by advertising. Allowing programs like Google AdSense to post the ads of other companies on your blog is free and can add up to big bucks over time.
This is the most popular online business system for people looking for a “unique” way to make money online, because you can precisely tailor your blog to your interests and expertise, even if that happens to be something as specific as growing exotic orchids. In fact, the more specific your blog is, the higher its chance of success.
The Bottom Line
Whenever you are considering a specific type of online business systems, reviews will be your best friend. Someone somewhere has already tried that business and has documented their experiences, positive and negative, somewhere online. Take advantage of these reviews, and learn from their mistakes.
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Now, for those who are serious about becoming an entrepreneur and DONT have this attitude I got to make a lump-sum cash immediately to change my life then bail, then welcome. First, Herbalife is a great business with superb quality products. If you have no passion with the products yourself, then you are up for failures and you won't get distributors trusting you and your retail will sink. If you want to see Royalty checks or increased volume points, show confidence that Herbalife worked for you and influence that person, don't try to push and hard sell them. Let the product and results sell itself. As you build up distributors and they start gathering distributors as well, then you will start seeing the income come in, but this takes time. The first thing to start is ask yourself, am I committed in time and some small capital investment? is the health and nutrition industry for me? what can I benefit with Herbalife? do I have any health improvements to be made? do I have enough capital to help me stay consistent? Can I lead others? Am I patient and confident? What do I need to do to improve myself in daily life? Do I have a positive attitude?
Cut the middlemen meaning if you are not comfortable with OBS then go directly with Herbalife. If your mentor is not up to your standards then ax him or her. This is a business so let's be fair before writing negative reviews. I should be doing other productive things then to write this, but after reading all these posts it's quite unique. Good luck to all of you!
The one update I wanted to give is that there is a book I read that gave me some insight into why so many business present them selves the way they do.
It's been really interesting learning the business side of an internet business, after having been a consumer/ user for so long.
The book is Ready, Fire, Aim. It's not about internet businesses specifically. but it is about launching a business or improving an existing one. I am sure that there are many other out there, too. Hopefully I find them!
So everything is going well in my OBS, and I will post any negatives or positives as they come. I've only had two extremely negative experiences with people and I resolved them by just crediting their 10 bucks back. One still badmouthed us to the internet. Oh well. ;(
I have had 27 positive experiences between retailing, recruiting and offering Herbalife products and OBS coaching and systems!
Good luck everyone whether it's for you or not! Let's do something good for ourselves because Wall Street and the Fed aren't willing to give us the help we need yet, are they?
I feel the coach that is mentoring me is wonderful, patient and extremely knowledgeable.
Don't know how well I will do, but do have determination and staying ability so long as the costs don't go to high.
Look forward to improving our situation with hard work and joy in the products .
Was sad to see the negative responses, hope those individuals find what they are searching for.
i will return this package tomorrow
Maybe your Coach can do the same? It's worth a shot.
Just don't get on the internet after someone does you a solid and bad mouth them like the lady from my experience. I would give her the 10 bucks again all over again even after that. It was interesting how she lost nothing, but still bit the hand that went out of it's way to help her. What can I do? (rhetorical question)
Prospects and Representatives alike share one important commonality. They are people. Remember that.
BTW, I never liked Hannity. I don't trust anyone who gives paid endorsements. However, as an aspiring businessman I would hire them because they do work. It's up to me to have integrity when I deal with the prospects I get.
Hannity is a businessman too even though he doesn't portray that as a radio personality. If OBS was riping thousands of people off he would drop his endorsement, believe me.
Don't confront. Inquire. If someone is trying to trick you then take the appropriate, ethical, legal measures.
Definition
"Scam: a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle."
In other words scams are illegal.
You had money back guarantees and every opportunity to opt out after you decided it wasn't for you.
The only crime OBS committed against you was not meeting your expectations. Do they share the whole fault there? How come you are not accusing Coca Cola of not giving a "Pause that Refreshes." I don't feel refreshed, in fact I get a sugar crash after drinking one. Certainly not refreshing by any means (except with a burger, maybe). :) I am not running around the internet warning people of the dangers of a COKE scam. I know I am trying to be funny but c'mon!
It was a waste of time and money FOR YOU, not for me or many others.
Please stop using the word scam unless it is really a scam. For example, the Nigerian email scams, or the payday loan debt collection scams.