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"A faithful man will be richly
blessed, but one eager
to get rich will not go unpunished.” (Proverbs
28:20)
If you're seeking a Christian home based business, you
no doubt have seen many sites with testimonials of people who made
lots of money in a very short time. Don't fall for it! Here are some
things you need to know:
- Most of these "opportunities" are multi level marketing
(MLM) programs, which means you make money off the people you recruit,
and the people
they recruit, and the the people they recruit...The only people who
make a lot of money are usually the people at the top of the pyramid
(yes, I said pyramid. Click
here for the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Information
page.) With MLM, most people make more money by recruiting people
than by selling the company's product(s) or service(s), thus the
term pyramid. Thus, also, the typical high cost of signing up and
(often) requirement to buy the product(s) or service(s) yourself.
- Most of the "opportunities" are not operated by Christian
companies. Sure, the person whose website you visit might be a Christian
(most likely an independent agent), but
the larger organization is most likely not Christian. This doesn't
mean the company is bad necessarily, but you need to be aware that
you're probably not dealing with Christians. Don't be fooled by the
advertisments for "Christian" businesses.
- Basically, if the "opportunity" implies that you can
get rich quick and easily, it's a good idea to move on. I make a
lot of money on
the Internet with very little effort, but it has taken me years to
accomplish this. I call it my "get rich
slow" plan.
- In my opinion, any "opportunity" that talks about how much
money people made in x number of days, weeks or months is probably
a waste of time. I don't doubt someone, somewhere made money with
the program, but the average person will never make that kind of
money.
- Starting and building a business takes time and effort. No matter
what the opportunity, if you are not willing to invest your time
and effort into it, with income building slower over time, you will
either give up or fail.
- Thoroughly check out any home based business opportunity you are
seriously considering. Find out where the main (corporate) location
is and contact the Better Business Bureau in their area, as well
as the Online Better Business Bureau. Speak with
someone at the company (preferably the main corporate offices, not
some independent agent) and confirm that they are Christian and the
company
is Christian owned
and operated. Do
some Google searches for the company name (again, the main corporate
name,
not the name of some
agent). Search for their name and words like "fraud," "scam," and "complaint"
(In other words enter the company name, plus each of these words
one
at a time, into the Google search box. For
instance: You
would enter "herbal marketing group scam" without the
quotes for one search, and so on.) Here are some sites to check:
- Scambusters.org
- Scam.com
- Federal Trade Commission
- Fraud Bureau
You will have to discern between one or two people who have an
"axe to grind" and a real problem with
a company. There are other sites
like the ones listed, just go to Google and search for the words,
"scam," "fraud," and "ripoff." You
should also find out who the founder(s) of the company is/are and
do the same kind of searches
for his/their name(s) as well. Often these guys will get shut down
and pop up somewhere else with a new company and new products or
services.
I realize I've gotten rather long-winded here, but I'm sick and
tired of seeing all these "get rich quick" schemes advertised as
Christian businesses. Many Christians assume that just because the
word "Christian" appears somewhere that you can trust them. Don't
you believe it!
In conclusion: Be careful. Do your homework before you
spend any money. Pray
about any opportunity you are considering. Have realistic
expectations. Don't expect to "get rich quick."
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” (Luke
12:15a)
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