Operation Bob

Every day we’re bombarded by outrageous get rich quick schemes masquerading as the opportunity of a lifetime. The sales pitch is so compelling, so convincing that people abandon common sense and whip out there visa card. I wish I could say I never fell for it, but I can’t. There was a time that I was looking for the ’secret’ or the latest ‘ground floor’ opportunity. It took me far too long to figure out no such thing exists. I’m writing this post in hopes of preventing some of you from making the same mistakes.

Don’t get me wrong, you can be your own boss, work from home, make money online, and make a decent living at it. But, those who are on a mission to find the get rich quick scheme are only going to make the guy at the top richer while emptying their own pocketbooks. When you’re looking for a way to make some honest money online or off, here are some things to look out for when you’re looking at an opportunity:

1. Unknown purpose. Is it clear to you how you will be making money. Not how much or how often, but what it is you will be doing to earn your pay? Reputable people and companies make this clear up-front and don’t require you to sign up or provide your e-mail before they tell you what you’re part will be.

2. Hype. If the opportunity is presented on a sales page loaded with pictures of fancy cars and big houses, be weary. They are selling you a lifestyle - there’s a reason they’re not promoting their product directly.

3. Unrealistic Income. The claims may not be legit (big surprise) since it’s very easy to manipulate images these days. Even if the checks are legit, don’t assume you’ll make that much. They won’t give you an average, they’ll just show you the top dog or a few of them. Why not? Because other than the few guys at the top who are making their money selling the program, the other 95% got nowhere after paying their $49.95.

4. Unrealistic Effort. In the old days it was ‘just go to your mailbox and collect the checks’ and now in the internet age it’s more like ‘just login and see how much money you’ve made.’ Either way the implication is that once you pay the fee you get your super-duper-money-making-whatever and then just cash the checks. Sure, there are some ways of making money that are more passive than others, but ALL are going to require some work beyond the initial setup.

5. No product. There’s nothing wrong with affiliate programs or making money from referrals. But if there’s no legitimate useful product or service at the end of the line, don’t do it. Is the product your going to promote something you would use or recommend if you weren’t being paid to? Would you let your mother spend her money on this thing you’ll be presenting? Is the focus out of balance in a way that pushes the sales tactics heavily with little focus on the product? All are signs of things to avoid.