How many times have you kicked yourself because you had the chance to get involved with a new business opportunity, and you passed it up because you just didn't want to take a chance? Well, you don't have to leave your success to chance. There are clues that the next billion-dollar companies give you.



There are some very specific indicators that a company is destined for greatness. The purpose of this article is to help take a little of the guesswork out of determining the potential of an investment opportunity in the network marketing industry, or any industry for that matter. Your time and your hard earned money are precious commodities. However, life is too short to pass up on the real opportunities that, on the average, come around about once every ten years. These indicators apply to any company in any industry, but are especially true when evaluating a network marketing company.

Be first to market with a new product, new market, or an innovation to an existing product or market.

The luggage industry is the perfect example. Everyone has luggage. It was a large, but stagnate, market for many years. Then, someone put wheels on those heavy suitcases. Do you ever see anyone carrying a suitcase now? An existing market redefined by innovation!

How about redefining a market? Music has always been around. However, every time an innovation is made, fortunes are made. Vinyl records begat eight-track tapes which begat cassette tapes. Then came CD's and now iPods. Get the idea? The drivers of those innovations enjoy huge financial success.

History shows that the company that is first to market with such innovations always maintains the lion's share of the business. Can copycat companies be successful? Absolutely. Look at all of the "me too" juice companies out there. However, if you are looking for the billion-dollar opportunity, go with the first to market!

The company must be in a high-growth market.

If the market a company is in doesn't exceed a billion dollars, it is going to be impossible for one company in that market to do a billion dollars by itself. Look for industries that are being driven by the baby boomers. They are by far the largest consumer group, and they are spending money! They are going to define much about our economy for the next twenty years.

In network marketing, consumption is key.

For a network marketing company to survive the long haul, marketing consumable products is a must. Network marketing is driven by volume, and volume only increases through new customers and/or increased consumption. Eventually new customers become hard to get. However, repeat consumption can drive a business for a long, long time.

If a company wants to expand they have two options. The first is increasing the number of customers. The second is increasing the amount of volume being sold. Therefore, a company that only has one product to offer handicaps themselves because they are primarily relying on increasing their number of customers month after month year after year. This becomes very difficult in a relatively short period of time. It is not a good choice for the person looking for long time residual income.

A company that has developed a loyal consumer base can increase volume by introducing new products to existing satisfied customers. Do not underestimate the importance of this difference.

Cash flow is king no matter what the business or industry.

Many great ideas die a painful death at the hands of debt and depleted capital. Look for companies that are profitable quickly. Financing its own growth gives a company huge advantages over their competitors and allows it to survive the "bumps in the road" without so much as a hiccup.

The experience and expertise of key management is a real clue to long-term viability.

A company can have all the right ingredients, but if the management team doesn't have the correct recipe for success it is all for naught. Look for years of experience in the industry. Look for management personnel with experience in taking other companies to the billion-dollar mark, international expansion experience and large operations and customer service experience are a few important areas.

Finally, take a hard look at field leadership.

Who is out in the trenches training the troops? Have they had success in the past? Do they have a good reputation within the network marketing industry? This is where the rubber meets the road. The foundation of network marketing is "word of mouth advertising." The distributors ultimately determine the success of the company. So, how well they are developed and trained is paramount. Look at this aspect of a company very carefully.

In summary, can you make money with companies that don't meet all of these criteria? Sure you can. However, if you are looking for an opportunity that is going to give you the best shot at achieving long-term residual income and financial freedom, I would locate a company with these characteristics, secure a place in their organization as quickly as possible and be one of the reasons for their success!