Today I want to address a problem I have been seeing and I am pretty sure it has been around for as long as snake oil has and before.
It’s the promise of “start working from home tomorrow!” or “I made $34,893 last month and so can you” or “I went from homeless to making $11,346 last month!”
Promises of wealth.
Promises to fulfill dreams.
If you just click on the advertisement and then sign up to sell or buy you too can make so much money you can work anywhere in the world.
What is wrong with this scenario?
They never really give you the actually HOW to do all this. Of course not, only the guys at the top know how to make the big money- off of you.
They also make money because moms get desperate. And make irrational decisions.
This was from a forum for moms.
I am by no means saying that these companies are fraudulent or scams. I do know of moms that have cars because they had the most sales in the Western Region or actually pay mortgages with the income they created as a blogger.
I am saying these companies don’t take into consideration that most people that sign up KNOW LITTLE ABOUT BUSINESS. Or do they, hmm? (I think they do.)
Enough About the Companies, This is About You
But this is not a post about these companies. This is a plea to moms out there to do 2 things for me before you decide to earn from home, start a business from home or worse, click those ads.
1. Just because it says “home” business, does not mean it is not a business.
Learn how businesses are run. Where you have your business doesn’t matter (well to the city you live in it does) but to you, it shouldn’t. Whether you have an office downtown, a storefront or a corner in your kitchen, it is all business and should be treated that way.
2. Don’t fall for any hype, do your homework. And don’t be desperate.
Ask the representatives of these company’s questions. Ask questions on forums. Search online to find out any information you can about these companies.
Start with where, what, how, when, and who.
Ask how long it took them to make a part-time or full-time living?
Ask how much your commission is?
Ask tax related questions.
Ask who the competition is.
Where can I get help to learn how to make sales?
Is there training? Free training?
Those just touch the surface. Learn all you can about the venture you are getting into.
I’m Not Discouraging You
The moms I mentioned above, with the car and home, worked VERY HARD to get where they are. They learned that you need to network, work late nights and weekends, follow up on every lead, advertise, hire needed professionals and plain out run a serious business (from home).
They may have taken years to get where they are. I can guarantee that they did not sit on their beds with their laptops leisurely drinking latte, waking up at noon once a week for 2 hours to make $34,893 in one month. (Who makes that anyway? [Yes, I know Pat Flynn does. And he works his butt off.] Most WAHMs that have a thriving business make way less than that.) Keep this in mind when you sign up or start your home business.
Stay focused.
Be serious.
Do your research.
Be home with your kids.
“Know what you are getting into. All of the women we spoke to advised that before deciding to launch a business, you know what you are getting into.” ~Girl’s Guide to Starting Your Own Business
More Great Reading
Would Love Some Input
Do you own your own business from home or online? What advise can you give aspiring WAHMs?
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Welcome! I'm Allie. I help WAHMs get their businesses noticed online. Feel free to look around. New here? Check out 
This drives me crazy too. This kind of “snake oil” also makes mothers really skeptical so they decide not to try anything at all. They start believing that no one really makes money by starting an online business either and it’s just not true. Building an online business is soooo possible, but it becomes tied with the “snake oil” so no one even tries. It’s definitely a hot topic in my book.
Renae created this awesome post: 50 Ways to Get New Facebook Fans
Renae,
Very true. They give up before even starting or trying.
What is really annoying is people that do make money online are labeled as scammers or liars. People believe that online business entrepreneurs are part of the whole get-rich-quick scam and it is sad. Sure, many are, that is why we do our homework and research before jumping in.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Desperate WAHM: Don’t be Fooled, Working from Home Is a Business
Working from home can be one of the hardest jobs since there is no time off and the blurs between “work” and housework get intertwined. No one should enter into it thinking it be easy
They should do because they really love it.
Lisa created this awesome post: Have Your Facebook Likes Fallen Away Like The Fall Leaves?
Lisa,
Yes, they need to love it.
Last night I was exhausted. I was tired because we had just come back from vacation and having too much fun. I was laying in bed thinking to myself that I didn’t want to get up Monday and work online. It isn’t as profitable as I hoped and maybe I should quit. I put the thought behind me as a I feel asleep.
I woke up in the morning less tired but with this renewed feeling that I couldn’t wait to get back. I love being online and I think you hit the nail on the head by saying you have to love it.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Desperate WAHM: Don’t be Fooled, Working from Home Is a Business
Desperation makes otherwise rational people do stupid things I find, almost in direct proportion to how desperate they are. I made a living working from home but it was because I applied all the things you said plus I understood my customers, what they needed, what my value was over other people.
The money was good, but don’t underestimate how lonely it can be!!
Roz,
Great points. It took me over a year to realize that I really needed to get into the heads of my readers and customers to make money and make them happy. Now that I feel I have a better grasp, I am happy and so are my readers.
It can be lonely. I am the type of person that likes to be alone to work and sometimes play. I have a friend who always needs someone around, I can’t imagine her working online. She would go nuts! LOL. If one is leaving the workplace where you had friendly coworkers, had lunch with them and generally enjoyed being around others while you work, it would be hard to work alone from home.
Thanks for stopping by!
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Affiliate Marketing with a Twist: WAHM Style
Who can we blame?
No one, actually
Our human desperation and need for money can sometimes cause us to make bad decisions (Without further thinking) and these spammers or scam companies use that desperation to their own advantage to make money (I believe that many of these spammers were also victims at one point of time – or maybe not).
It’s hard to think before we act (and of course, there are many billions of situations we face online that we can undergo without our conscious thinking, but spending money isn’t one of them – unless we have made habits to control it – like keeping a journal on how money is spent etc).
Appreciate the post, Allie
I hope more moms learn about blogging and start their own blogs (I think there is a whole new world out there for mom bloggers – I mean, moms serious know a lot of stuff 
).
Jeevan,
It is very sad that scammers exist. They have for a long time and always will.
I think you made a great point- it is their need for money. The need to secure themselves and family financially that drives them to make horrible decisions. It is surely sad.
Yep, it is a great time to be a mom, so many choices.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Desperate WAHM: Don’t be Fooled, Working from Home Is a Business
Honestly people are blinded with get rich quick scheme. They just want to get rich fast without making any efforts at all. They don’t know that people who are earning money easily online also did it the hard way before they got rich.
Many think that working at home is easy. When in fact it’s not. It’s sometimes boring, there are distractions and the bed is tempting. Sometimes you just want to go Zzzzz…
Jeff created this awesome post: Naruto 606 Spoiler and Prediction: The Spy from Mist Clan
Jeff,
I am so tired today that I had to move downstairs so i was further from my bed, lol. So many distractions. But like Lisa said above, one needs to love this to do it. If you love your work many times work will prevail over distractions. Most of the time, not all.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: Work on the Internet: 7 Ways to Work from Home Online
Allie – I have wondered about those kinds of ads! I’ve always thought that if it were really so wonderful, everyone would be doing a work-from-home career – at a minimum as something to supplement a regular income.
I like that you give some practical suggestions on how to approach a work-at-home business. I don’t have one, but if I ever were to get serious about one, I’d want to follow your guidelines on what are good questions to ask.
Melody created this awesome post: The Starbucks Ristretto Bianco – A beautiful latte (Starbucks Europe and more)
I agree with Melody – if it’s true, where are all the real people who make this kind of money through whatever firm is running the ad? Hmm.
Love the honest advice. It can most definitely be done, but it doesn’t come easy.
Raina created this awesome post: Screen Capture and Screen Recording Software
Melody,
I agree. If it were so easy to make money so quickly and easily more people would be doing it. That should be the first indicator that something is not right with that line of “work”.
And thanks for the nice compliments, it is always great to hear from you.
~Allie
Allie created this awesome post: How to Take a Blogging Break and Get More Traffic
Or in simple terms – if it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is (too good to be true).
Look for the value behind the offer – if there is no real value, then it’s a scam or a pyramid scheme.
Alan | Life’s Too Good created this awesome post: Every Story Is Incomplete… & What To Do About It
I definitely learned a lot from advertisements like these that are all over the web nowadays. When I was just starting, I even encountered someone who promised to pay me after submitting some works but she never contacted me ever again. I never got my pay and from then on, I strove to make my own business.
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