The benefits of working from home on the internet are clear: the ability to have quality family time, to be available for your children and spouse, the flexibility to arrange and re-arrange schedules, not to mention the savings from commuting and daycare which will no longer be necessary.



Any Internet business opportunity worth pursuing should have the following seven characteristics: Accept the consequences if you choose to ignore these.

1. Genuine/lawful. If you are to consider a business opportunity, it must be legitimate and legal. A number of supposed "business opportunities" exist on the internet which are not either one. The best ways to check out the legitimacy of any offer is to both check with the Better Business Bureau as well as your State Attorney General.

2. Proven. While publications concerning some type of new fad may make the related business opportunity look golden, you should stay clear of uncharted waters. Others' successes in this type of business are proof that it is possible to succeed. If it is an unprecedented kind of industry and no one has yet to prove success in it, how can you be sure that success in this field is a viable possibility?

3. High Demand. For maximum success, any business opportunity that you consider should be in very high demand. Regardless of the goods or services being offered, your chances of succeeding will be enhanced if the goods or services are very desired in the market.

4. The upfront costs are low. Business is an inherently risky thing. The higher the start up costs, the more you have at risk. You should avoid businesses with high upfront costs, unless you have the experience and capital needed for success. Financial losses would be much less if the start up capital is than a thousand dollar for a failed company compared to a bigger start up capital of over $250,000.

5. The time to reach profitability is minimal. In business, it seems that everything takes longer than it should. This will likely include the time that is required to develop your business to the point that it is earning a profit. Your chances of success will be greater if you choose a business opportunity that has the potential to become profitable quickly.

6. Potentially long-lasting. Do Cabbage-Patch Dolls and Beanie-Babies sound familiar to you? Although it may be possible for you to earn a bit of quick money by plunging into the most recent gimmick, in fact, conducting business is a laborious task. Choose a business opportunity that you reasonably believe will still offer excellent potential 29 years from now. It would be tragic to spend a year or more building your business on a fad only to have the fad wither away just as your business is becoming profitable.

7. Opportunity for scaled growth. The dream of nearly every person who starts a small business is freedom; freedom from both time and monetary pressures. It is necessary to grow your business in order for your opportunity to provide you with the freedom that you are seeking. Employees will have to be hired. At some point a manager should be hired. The longer term goal is a well-run business that requires little, if any, of your time, hired employees take care of and manage every aspect of your business. The business opportunity that you choose must be able to be expanded to a larger scale if you truly want the freedom that comes with owning your own business.