Okay, so you have decided that an online business is for you. While there are a number of possibilities available to you at this point, I am writing this article from the premise that you are looking for an opportunity. From this very starting point, people find out very quickly that there must be a gazillion people peddling some type of scheme, plan, formula, program, or system that is going to make them fabulously wealthy in 30 days or less. If there's a cure-all potion for your financial ills coupled with a life-changing opportunity that will fulfill your every dream, the Internet has it.

It is an unfortunate paradox that you are confronted, simultaneously, with some very legitimate opportunities utilizing a medium with such vast potential alongside a very noisy crowd of scammers who have absolutely nothing of value. Don't let this dissuade you; it isn't so difficult to determine the bogus from the bona fide, especially since you have the benefit of the experience of those of us who have blazed this trail before you. The scammers are just as adept at advertising as the skilled marketers, so their ads can come across as very convincing, but the warning signs are there.

As you start looking into business opportunities, keep the following points in mind---they will save you a lot of grief:

Cardinal rule number one---this is an old adage that holds a lot of truth---if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Leave it alone and run from it. Ridiculous claims of being able to reach exorbitant income levels in a short span of time (make a 6-figure income in 90 days!)---it's pure bull---do not buy into that. Now, it is very possible to make a 6-figure income online---just not in 90 days. That is a goal you can reach with work and determination. ?Our system does 95% of the work for you---you keep all the money.? Hello---who's working for free? Exaggerated income claims and oversimplified plans are red flags---pay attention to them!

While MLM is very glitzy and offers a lot of big promises, it comes with a 98% failure rate and the odds are very high that you are not going to prove that statistic wrong. While a lot of them have good products, they do tend to be over-priced. You normally have to commit to product every month whether or not you want it or need it. Marketing is not easy and certainly not cheap. Steer clear.

Beware of gurus---you will come across them quite frequently and you will find many references to them in very slick ads. Gurus are highly revered as Masters of the Internet---they possess many deep, dark ?Secrets? to Internet marketing success of which only they have sole knowledge, but periodically, they elect to dole out bits and pieces of this highly coveted insider info and make it available to the web masses via a select affiliate marketing network for, not $1000, not $500, but $27---and you have to act fast and grab these golden nuggets of wisdom before the real-value price of $997 goes into effect forever! There is a small number of people who have made it big on the Internet and who are regarded as experts because they either pioneered or came up through the ranks, so to speak, and they know what works and what doesn't. Generally, their Net presence is not one of flamboyance. My issue is with those who think they're know-it-alls and feel that they have to resort to sleazy ad gimmickry selling the next big ?Secrets? discovery that will make you richer than Warren Buffet. Ignore that garbage and do not give them your money. Internet marketing is like anything else---there is a right way and a wrong way to do it---there are no ?Secrets?---so don't buy them---you're wasting your money.

Look for an opportunity that gives people something of value---something that helps them grow as individuals as well as helping them grow their business. You also want something that will build a strong residual monthly income. This is how you're going to be making your living, so a one-time-sale approach will not give you stability. Make sure that there are real people behind the opportunity and that you can reach them should you ever need to. Make sure physical addresses and phone/fax numbers are available for customer support. If it is a legitimate business opportunity, the people managing the opportunity will proudly stand in front of it and make themselves available; if it is not-so-legitimate, they will hide behind it and they will avoid you at all costs.

This is a very bare-bones guide as to what you should consider and what you should avoid when examining online opportunities. Future articles will delve into more detail, but I hope you will find this to be helpful. Wishing you the best in your home-based business endeavors!