EnTrends

"It's lousy that there is nothing for Moms
out there that are willing to work hard, but
just need a legitimate opportunity to

stay home with their kids."

This was a post on a message board that
I frequent. The entire discussion among
the participants was devoted to
bemoaning the scarcity, perhaps even the
non-existence, of sound "business

opportunities."

THEY TOOK THE BAIT

I could very easily veer off into
philosophy or politics here, but I'll fight
the temptation. Instead I'll make a
statement that is hard to contradict, at
least in the United States. It is becoming
rare indeed for an individual to take
personal responsibility for his or her life.
This is evident in the increased reliance
on government, on the commonplace
desire to blame someone else for one's
troubles in life AND on the need to base
one's financial and personal freedom on
what another person has developed and
is marketing.

Just as the government

would have us believe that they know
better than we do how to use our money,
just as unscrupulous attorneys tell
criminals to blame the "system" for their
woes, some business opportunity

creators have set a trap that is lined with
the notion that only a privileged few have
the brains to create a worthwhile

business and all the rest of us can do if
we want to be financially independent is
go along with their ideas. None of the rest
of us could possibly think up our own
business. Sadly, far too many of us have
swallowed their bait whole and we are

ensnared in the jaws of their trap as
evidenced by our jumping from one pre-
packaged business to another in search
the one that "really does work."

WHOA! LIGHTEN UP THERE!

After re-reading that previous paragraph, I
feel I should make it clear that I am not
against all businesses that would be

labeled business opportunities. There are
some fine ones in existence. Please don't
consider this a broad sweeping

denunciation. It's just that the statement
that "there is nothing out there" is so one-
dimensional. It is looking ONLY at what
someone else has to offer instead of
looking at what ONE'S OWN SELF has to
offer.

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Some of you are at this very moment
looking for a way to earn an income from
home. What have you been reading? The
chances are great that you have been
poring over brochures from company

after company or scanning page after page
of websites in search of that one pre-
packaged business that is just right for
you. Before you read another word of
these materials, ask yourself, "Have I sat
down and made a list of my skills? Have I
thought about how I could market these
skills?" In other words, read the story of
your life first. What have you done? What
would you like to do? What business,
either one already in existence or one you
create yourself, will allow you to make the
most of your skills and professional
desires?

Perhaps after doing this self-analysis you
will find that your skills fit perfectly with a
sound "business opportunity." If so, that's
great. Then if you choose to join that
company you'll at least realize that your
success in that business is dependent
upon you (provided, of course, that it IS a

legitimate company) and you won't be
blaming the company if you don't achieve
the expectations you had when you got

involved in that particular business.

On the other hand, perhaps your self-
analysis will prompt you to stop and say
to yourself, "Wait a minute, I know what
I can do. I have this particular set of
skills and I believe that with some effort I
can market these skills and make a nice

living from home."

Do you see where I'm going with this?
Instead of crying that there is nothing
you can do from home because all of the

opportunities out there are scams, you
can take control of your life and go into
business from home because YOU
KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE
AND WHAT YOU WANT! Now, you
may not want to read this, but you could
even discover that you DON'T have
what it takes to be in business for
yourself from home. If that's the case,�
wouldn't it be better to find out now
rather than after you have spent years
and countless dollars on promises from
opportunities that were never right for
you in the first place?

TAKE CHARGE TODAY

Are there legitimate pre-packaged
business opportunities? Yes. Do they
offer the ONLY way to make a living from
home? NO. If you really want your own
business from home, then it's time for
you to take charge by looking at yourself
first and then go searching for that
which best suits you; a business already
in existence or your own business that
you start from scratch.

Michael Gifford has operated successful home
businesses for over 20 years. He currently
supports himself full-time from home. He is
the owner of http://www.nobizlikehomebiz.com
- an unbiased, "business opportunity free" site
dedicated to helping people succeed in business
from home. He can be reached at

expectgreatness@nobizlikehomebiz.com or

by calling 770-606-9195.