Certainly, everyone seeking a network marketing business opportunity wants to be a part of a company that is relatively new. They all want to get in on the ground floor because they believe that they have a greater chance of achieving success. Network marketers know this and that's exactly why so many of them promote this as a key selling point.

So what really makes a company a ground floor business opportunity?

Well, according to Dr. Charles King from the University of Illinois companies usually go through four phases of growth. Those four phases are Formation, Concentration, Momentum and Stability.

Formation is when a company is just getting started and it does about $1 million in monthly sales.

Concentration happens when a company transitions to about $5 million in monthly sales.

Momentum occurs when a company expands into new territories and countries or it introduces a new product and it experiences vertical (or straight upward) growth. Momentum can last for about 3 years and that is when most of the top money earners are made.

Stability happens when a company has gone through momentum. However, companies can extend their momentum or even go into another stage of momentum with the offering of new products or expanding into new markets, as previously stated.

So, with that being said, the next time someone tells you that their business is a ground floor opportunity, you can now asks specific questions or do a little research to find out for sure.

Once a network marketing company has gone through momentum, the chance to experience life-style changing income is not as likely as it may have been in the beginning. Nevertheless, you should not take that to mean that the opportunity is not still a good one. It simply means that most likely you will not earn as much as those who joined and stayed the course from the beginning. The bottom line is that you still can earn a good income. It just may take you a little longer to do it.