No one grew up saying, ?I hope I can work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year for 40 years and have little to nothing to show for it at retirement.? Yet, that is the sad state of affairs for many people, and the picture is only getting worse. According to Michael Clouse in Future Choice, Fortune 500 companies eliminated 9 million jobs in the last decade. AT&T, IBM and General Motors, companies that were the pillars of the job market, are getting rid of middle-level management and employees by the tens of thousands.



Most people rely on three things to provide economic security: a private pension, Social Security and savings. We've all read the papers that tell of the tragic situation people find themselves in when the company no longer honors giving their loyal employees the pension they counted on. The median private pension for married men is $8,400 a year, or less than $162 a week; for married women it is $4,365 a year, or just $84 a week (Clause). Equally as frightening is the Social Security issue; it's hardly secure at all. And savings are a thing of the past. Most Americans live from paycheck to paycheck.

How can the American people get out of this quagmire? The answer is becoming an entrepreneur; being an independent business owner is the American Dream in action; it always has been. Our history is based on people who had a vision and made that vision a reality. Not only have our forefathers lived this dream, bold people of our own time have faced the challenge and made it work. It is the dream that many people have acted on: Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Mrs. Fields? Cookies, Domino's Pizza, Nike and Walt Disney Productions all started as home-based business. Each of these multi-million dollar companies started as a person's dream.

You may be saying, ?OK, I'm ready; all I need is a business, and I'm on my way to financial freedom and living the best life possible!? While I applaud your enthusiasm, I have a few words of advice. Keep in mind a few things when you consider starting a home-based business. A successful business will meet these four criteria:

1. There must be an expanding market for your product.

2. The product must be consumable

3. Timing and Trends are very important

4. You must be able to leverage your time

Expanding Market: Who will your target market be? If your products will meet the needs and desires of the Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 to 1964 that's a plus for you. This population controls 65% of the expendable income. There are over 1 billion baby boomers worldwide. These people had an impact on the economy from the time they were born. In the 50s 1.8 billion jars of baby food was sold. In the late 50s, it was necessary to build schools for them. Jump to the 80s and see an explosion in the housing market. The 90s was a banner year for personal computers and technology. In 2000s these people are trying to hold on to the glory years. They want to look as good as they can and live the best life for as long as they can. Welcome to Botox and supplements. If you have the Fountain of Youth and a way for them to make money, you're destined to be bigger than Donald Trump and Bill Gates rolled into one.

Consumable Products: You must have a quality product that can be trusted. Selling something once may put some money in your pocket, but if you want money in the bank, have something that people are going to want over and over again. If your products meet many different needs like anti-aging, weight loss, nutritional supplements, personal care, etc., you've got something for everyone.

Timing and Trends: You already know that this is the best time to consider a home-based business that is multi-level marketing in design. Only 4% of the American population makes more than $100,000/year. Each day, 3,100 jobs are lost and 33% of the American work force has a second job. Being an entrepreneur with the opportunity of offering these same people a chance to become financially independent helps them and you. Multi-level marketing is the alternative to the above scenario.

Leveraging Your Time: J. Paul Getty said it well: ?I would rather have 1% of 100 people's effort than 100% of my own?? When you work in a multi-level market industry, you work with a team. When you help these people to be successful, you are helping yourself. In the corporate world, this would be unheard of. The traditional method of being paid is trading hours for dollars. With multi-level marketing, you get paid on the efforts of your team down to the fourth, fifth and subsequent levels of participation. This phenomenon is called the ?exponential success path.? Do not mistake this as a sit back and make money off the hard work of others. A reputable company will make sure that this kind of thing never happens. The great news is the sky is the limit. You control how much you want to make and how many hours you are willing to work.

You are absolutely in the right place at the right time. The choice to live the best life possible is within reach. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. See you at the top!!

The fact that you're investigating the home-based business industry is a sign that you still have dreams and trust in those dreams.