Home Business Information:
Don't Believe A Word

Decent home business information is difficult, if not impossible, to come by. That is why this project was started. We all want good information before starting any new venture or idea - learning from others' mistakes and thereby saving ourselves time and usually money, as well as increasing the chances of a positive outcome. It is a sensible strategy yet unfortunately in the home based business industry it is a flawed strategy.

There is a whole arsenal of tricks under the guise of home business information used to deceive and dupe people, these are looked at in the following 3 'Tricks of the Trade' articles.

Buyer Beware - An Overview

This expression has never been more applicable than when trying to find decent home business information.

In the dictionary description of home businesses it says ‘sale or lease’, i.e. you give someone else money to enable you to begin a business.

But will your purchase actually help you make money?

One thing is for sure if the person selling hasn’t consulted you personally, then they cannot say if their system, software or seminar will help you. There is NO one size fits all, and this is where the theory and practice falls apart.

So who is actually selling these home businesses?

The types of people promoting range hugely in quality.

There are certainly honest genuine professionals who have valid track records and products or services, and who sell their know-how as genuine second income streams.

There are also numerous amateurs advertising in order to gain a commission, relying on belief or trust in others, rather than knowledge or experience.

However the majority are people or companies who derive their main income from their sales. These may be systems or tools, which may or may not be used profitably as it depends on who is using them.

Many sellers are totally aware that the majority of buyers are wasting their money.

At the bottom end and more numerous online than offline are the dregs... unethical, dishonest and fraudulent. Those that fall within the last two paragraphs I label Shovel sellers.

The Shovel Sellers

During the various gold rushes of the 19th and 20th centuries, tens of thousands of gold prospectors were attracted to the idea of striking a gold vein and becoming wealthy.

The astute businessmen of the time soon realised the easiest way to make money was not by digging but by selling supplies to the prospectors, in particular maps, picks and shovels.

In the 21st Century we have the same scenario, there is an entire industry catering for modern gold prospectors and they are only too willing to sell them modern shovels in various forms.

This is not to belittle those who are trying to better their lives, quite the opposite, trying a business is a sign of a potential entrepreneur.

Home businesses by and large are looked at by people wanting or needing more money, they form a constant market for the shovel sellers.

The people looking not only want more money… in many cases they also want a system that has been made for them. They know that there are resources such as software, ready-made businesses, dealerships or sets of contacts that have up to this point eluded them and which others are using to make money.

The hope is that by finding one of these solutions they will be able to do likewise… it is certainly a logical idea.

Supplying this solution can be a profitable business.

30 people in a £3,500 ($6,000) ‘How To’ home business information seminar is £105,000 ($190,000) in a day… a handy income stream.

A months box advert in a UK Sunday national paper is going to set a Seller back just over £1000 ($1,800). Common sense dictates they are not going to do this unless they were to make a profit.

The Sellers primary motivation is for you to give them money. In order to do that they have to make an attractive proposition… your gain, your profit... but is it?

If you have a look at any national paper the adverts are tailored to sound like they have something that will enable you to make a profit.

In reality they know the identified problem: insufficient money, they then provide a solution: a ‘system or opportunity’ to make money.

It is the job of the advertisers to convince prospects of ‘what’s in it for them’. To appease their concerns and doubts and talk them into believing that by handing over some cash, their lives will be improved.

This process is termed Copywriting, and is the cause of millions of pounds/dollars of wasted money, that is why it is worth your while to have a whistle-stop look at this emotive and dubious type of home business information AKA sales tool. Click here for Tricks of the Trade 2

The differing sources of home business information are not all out to rip you off... just most of them ...be it in an obvious or subtle way.

There ARE some great home business information resources such as the Digital Point and the Warrior forums... these are certainly worth your time to learn from, though it can be a very time-consuming experience.

The following pages show you the more subtle methods, many of which are employed as trickery. For more on review sites and other information sources, click here for Tricks of the Trade 3

How relevant are all the self help books and seminars to home business success?