Our mailboxes are flooded with direct mail “hype”. We get phone calls promising us “simple” proven home based business opportunities. The internet is full of promises to make us “millionaires”. How do you sort it all out? Who can you believe?

What we really want is a realistic way to make extra money and eventually say goodbye to our “job” and be boss free. You can sort through all the hype. Here are 7 steps to find your own home based business opportunity.

1. The Why- To start to sift through all the offers available, you must know… the why? Write down your top 25 reasons for starting a home based business or wanting to work from home. Find out what you really want your life to be like. What do you expect?

2. The What- review your reasons why. The list should give you an idea of the direction you want to go towards. Do you want to make something like jewelry or soy candles? Provide a service like catering or house keeping? Maybe sell a product or become an affiliate for some info product? Possibly set up a website or a storefront. You will find some areas that are yeses, maybes, and definitely not interested.

3. The How- Armed with a list of your whats you can now search for the how. Use the search engines and review your options. Take your time searching until you find home based businesses that interest you. Don’t rush this step… explore a lot of options.

4. The Promise- There is a lot of “hype” surrounding the “promise” of “easy money”… make $100,000 to $200,000 your first year”… “earn $1000 a day”. I believe the old adage “If it sounds to be good to be true… It Is!”

There are a few resources you can use to find out what other people have experienced with the product or program. The best is ripoffreport.com. It has real world feedback and rebuttals on programs etc. Another good online resource with a lot of information is Internet Fraud. The Better Business Bureau may provide some information but, they are usually local or state organizations. They often don’t have much information on the national programs. Another way to get more knowledge is to do a search on the business,the person,or subject and find relevant comments. Be careful of the online “reviews” as a lot of them are affiliate marketers wanting a commission for the sale of the product. You can usually tell if there is an active link to a sales page in the “review”.

5. The Investment- All home based businesses require some money to get started. You may need cleaning supplies, brochures, a website, a product to sell, or a storefront. Write down a list of everything you can think of that you may need. When you talk to the representative of the company their “enthusiasm” can distract you from finding out the “hidden fees”. There may be a monthly maintenance fee, a website charge or upfront or backend money that will be due. Refer to your list when the sales pitch is over to see if your questions were answered.

6. The Commitment- There is a commitment for any new business. How much time can you devote daily or weekly? You will also have to “learn the ropes” of your business. Will you start off part time until you can replace you “job’s” income? Or can you financially afford to make this business a full time adventure? Energy and enthusiasm are the easy parts.

7. The Decision- You now have enough information on some home based business opportunities. Which business appeals to you the most? Which one do you see yourself enjoying doing? Remember you don’t want it to seem like a “job” down the road. Now… go ahead and get started!

You now know the 7 Steps to find your own home based business opportunity. Mixed with your new enthusiasm there is an element of fear. Don’t worry! You can learn anything you put your mind to. You will get better at your business each and every day. Join the 50,000,000 independent business owners in the United States. If they can do it… so can you!Our mailboxes are flooded with direct mail “hype”. We get phone calls promising us “simple” proven home based business opportunities. The internet is full of promises to make us “millionaires”. How do you sort it all out? Who can you believe?

What we really want is a realistic way to make extra money and eventually say goodbye to our “job” and be boss free. You can sort through all the hype. Here are 7 steps to find your own home based business opportunity.

1. The Why- To start to sift through all the offers available, you must know… the why? Write down your top 25 reasons for starting a home based business or wanting to work from home. Find out what you really want your life to be like. What do you expect?

2. The What- review your reasons why. The list should give you an idea of the direction you want to go towards. Do you want to make something like jewelry or soy candles? Provide a service like catering or house keeping? Maybe sell a product or become an affiliate for some info product? Possibly set up a website or a storefront. You will find some areas that are yeses, maybes, and definitely not interested.

3. The How- Armed with a list of your whats you can now search for the how. Use the search engines and review your options. Take your time searching until you find home based businesses that interest you. Don’t rush this step… explore a lot of options.

4. The Promise- There is a lot of “hype” surrounding the “promise” of “easy money”… make $100,000 to $200,000 your first year”… “earn $1000 a day”. I believe the old adage “If it sounds to be good to be true… It Is!”

As you begin to venture into home based business it is important to have a mission statement. Businesses at all levels from simple mom and pop stores to large fortune 500 companies all have a mission statement and you should not be any different. A mission statement is defined as a brief one or two sentence statement of the fundamental purpose of your business, or put another way why does your business exist. In the home based business arena people have the tendency to not view their business like a real business and that is a mistake. Having a mission statement can have a dramatic impact not just on the type of business but also in the way you conduct your business as well. Here are 3 other things a mission statement will do for your home business:1. It defines your why – Have you ever asked yourself why do I want a home based business? Identifying this one thing is critical to your motivation to continue. Running a business from home takes time, commitment and effort for it to work. It comes with frustrations and successes. Sometimes when you are first starting out there are more frustrations than successes. Knowing why you are in business can keep you focused on the prize you are trying to grasp while you are learning and growing your home business.2. It defines your values – All businesses have some type of business culture which is driven by the values of the company. Your values in essence tell who you are. They are ultimately the way you will choose to operate your home business. They will dictate how you treat your customers and how you build your team. If you are building a network marketing team your values can become a critical selling point as to why someone should join your team. They will speak volumes to your character and your integrity. Your values should flow directly out of the reason why you are in business. Remember you are not just running a business but you are creating a culture and your values will help shape that culture.3. It keeps you on track – One of the biggest problems especially in this internet age is distractions. If you search online there are thousands of home business opportunities out there. Knowing what your mission statement is will allow you to only consider opportunities that line up with your purpose and what you want to accomplish. In fact before you even consider a business you should write your mission statement and only find businesses that correspond with that. Imagine the power you will now have because now you can’t be sold into just any home business because now you’re not just looking for any opportunity. Opportunities you consider must now meet your criteria and not the other way around. By the way every successful business person looks at opportunities this way.Your mission statement is critical to your why, how and way you will do business. Not knowing these things can damage your home based business before it ever gets off the ground. Take some time and identify these things. It will change the opportunities you consider and it will make a huge difference in your home business.