Well, I have! I have been the primary breadwinner all my life. I raised my kids as a single parent with barely any child support. I do not know how NOT to work! That is one reason why my pool game never elevated as high as it could have been. I was always with my kids or working. But I'm not sorry, I got the best of both worlds.
With downsizing and the scary economy, and with my advancing age, I have put more thought into this process of working and making money and allowing for security in my old age. Even after I hit retirement age, I think I would still be doing SOMETHING!
But I gotta tell you, I have always dreamed and dreamed big. I have some great ideas that would make someone a lot of money and could be franchised. One of them would be a specialty mall that would solve many of society's problems, but obviously that would require tons of money.
I have done quite well in some home businesses, and some I did well, but the company folded, but I have always prowled and investigated the good, the bad and the ugly in home businesses.
I do know that you won't get rich off of only your own efforts. Having residual income, or money that comes in after you do the work once but get paid over and over again on that work is important, so that you are not only paid up front, but for many years down the road, which means security.
Another consideration is the cost of getting into a business and the cost to sustain it through advertising.
Many of them required product and a certain quota and stocking of products, not to mention $80 - $100/month on autoship of products.
So I answered an ad on Craigslist for an opportunity that sounded intriguing. Basically, I would promote a benefits package that would save the end user on everything from health (surgery, prescriptions, and even pet insurance and pet meds) to things we buy every day anyway, from stores like Walmart and Target, and restaurants like Applebee's, KFC, Apple iTunes, Movie Theatres, Walgreen's, Riteaid, Sears, Toys R' Us, and Tiger Direct, just to name a few.
Not only do they have associations with these companies so that you save money upfront with discounts, but you can also get cashback for shopping there, so it is like double dipping.
There's even a few esoteric benefits like an animal whisperer, dance lessons, trading on the Forex market, software for paying off your mortgage early and doing taxes, an MD that gives daily updates on health, an event planner for weddings or other shindigs, an illusionist, etc.
This benefits package would only cost a 1-time out of pocket expense of $27. If you share this package with 2 other people who enroll, then you start making money. You also make money from anyone who is buying the package from over 61 countries Wow! Who can't afford $27 to own their own business?
So, show me the money! The benefits are great, but it was the money that intrigued me, lol. There are people in the 4-month old company that are making 40K-80K PER MONTH!
Why is it going gang-busters in these 61 countries? Because you get a great deal and people love and need to save money today. Because they have the chance to make fantastic money. Because they have the chance to help and enrich other people's lives. And because it only costs $27. Who can't come up with 27 bucks? Even a bad pool player is going to win that in one of their weekly tournaments, lol.
Another question is, is this MLM? The answer, no, but it is direct marketing. Direct marketing simply means that if someone liked your shoes, you would tell them where you got them and how to get there. Same thing here. Someone expresses an interest in what you have and you tell them how to get it. You also mentor others to do just what you did, but unlike other direct marketing companies, you don't hold their hand forever. This thing is so simple, you don't need to!
MLM has gotten a bad rap, because of the pyramid scheme, which were BAD! But a pyramid has one guy or group of guys sitting at the top and the flunkies on the rest of the levels support the ones at the top above them. If the underlings drop out, the whole thing collapses.
In this business, everyone is responsible for their own success. You can surpass anyone that started before you at any time. The method is not multilevel, but circular. There is a cycle, that goes around, then starts at the beginning and you re-cycle over and over again. So you can always say you recycle, lol.
Another consideration is, Do I have to bug my friends and family about this? Absolutely not! The way they want you to advertise is on all the free sites anyway, so there is no out of pocket costs. It can be done in any country and if you are in the US, you may have a whole book of business in Europe or Asia, and vice-versa. This is just exploding, because they have Walmarts and McDonald's over there too.
My feeling is to share with those I love the nearest and dearest to my heart, though. Because I WANT them to succeed and save money and be successful and find what I have found. This is the easiest way to make 6 figures in your pajamas than any other company I have found!
I do want to point out that this is a Christian-based business. I don't care about the false Christians who get all the negative publicity, but the everyday ones like myself who try to abide by rules set by a higher power, to live with love and giving and honesty and integrity. They also have one of the most trusted attorneys on board (if you can equate attorneys and trust together, lol).
Go visit at
www.HelpingFamiliesWorldwide.com/LindaCZ , or www.MyTeamFamily.com/LindaCZWell, I just got a call from an old pool-playing pal, Karina (that looks like Megan Fox!) and I will be involved in her businesses as well. She is launching 4 unique businesses that are going to make a bundle. Karina is just awesome and knows how to make money. She has been featured in several magazines and earns 6 figures now, but is going for 7. All of her 4 businesses have been around a long time, but also have some ground-breaking products out. Take a look at
www.mindyourownbusinessgirls.com It might be fun to follow my journey from here, where I will be doing ppts, forums, blogs, and newsletters for MYOBG.