The Biggest Home Based Business Mistake

There is one big mistake that many new home based business builders, network marketers, direct sellers, and other work from home entrepreneurs make. It isn’t always the most obvious mistake, but it’s the one that can doom your business if you let it.

That mistake is taking a short term view of your business. Especially if you start a network marketing or direct selling business, the cost of getting started is low and the actual commitment can be minimal. Ongoing expenses for promotion are usually not that great.

It is really easy, six months down the road, to discard whatever you started and begin something new, in hopes of finally finding that magic bullet and hitting that lucky break.

The reality is, your home based business is possibly the best opportunity you’ll ever have to make money and achieve the true success you desire. Think about it from a longer term perspective. In network marketing, the general rule of thumb is to choose one good opportunity, give it your all, and stick with it for 3-5 years. Low entry cost, moderate expenses along the way, and the potential for financial freedom in a relatively short time.

Contrast that with the typical job career path. You might spend four years in college preparing for your career. Figure the dollars that adds up to. Then you can begin a career in the field that you studied for. This is a strong commitment, and once you’ve completed college and started your career, you know you’ve put in the time and sacrificed to get there.

Think about another option – starting a traditional small business. Perhaps you’ve been through college and put in some time in the traditional workplace. You’ve invested your money wisely and have some cash you can invest in a business. So, you choose a franchise and open your own retail storefront in a strip right down from the mall.

With your franchise, you’re working hard and enjoying the satisfaction of owning your own business and being your own boss. You’re probably also working your tail off, long hours, and sometime wondering if you did the right thing. But the bottom line is, you make a strong commitment of cash and worked hard to get your small business up and running, and you’re not about to quit. You’re going to hang in there and do you best to guide your business to prosperity no matter what.

In either path, the college/career option or the collect/career option first then opening your own franchise, you’ve put in the time and are going to stick it out.

So how about that little network marketing business that only costs $450 to get started and then maybe $150 a month for advertising and promotional expenses? With that small investment, you have a home based business that can develop into a residual income that gives you freedom. You won’t be tied down to specific hours, and you won’t be a slave to a demanding small business franchise that probably gives you less freedom than a regular job would.

Would it make sense, then, to treat that network marketing or direct selling home based business seriously and give it the same dedication and long term focus that you would give your career or traditional small business? For the potential of gaining not only a much greater income but also time and financial freedom? I sure would.

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