Since becoming self-employed five years ago, life after a long corporate career changed immensely. The author operates a "portfoio career" now, which essentially means multiple businesses and multiple income streams. This article discusses the merits of being involved in a business that genuinely excites, as opposed to being just another way of making money.
By now there must have been millions of column inches written about how to work from home and make a good living without having to deal with commuting, bosses, office politics, stress, overtime etc.
New opportunities appear at every turn; they come in by email, snail mail and even to my mobile phone. There are also whole shelves of magazines available at the newsagents covering a myriad of money-making topics. Each time a new opportunity presents itself it promises to be The One . The one that will make me so rich I can sack my boss; or will enable me to live on a Caribbean beach with just my laptop for company (to count the money with I guess); or even one that I would have to do nothing for in exchange for a mailbox full of cheques.
Like a lot of people, I became what is known in the trade as an information junkie; someone who spends time and sometimes significant amounts of money on manuals, books, courses and seminars. Most I have found interesting, some I could even envisage making money from if pursued. But while it may be obvious how a business could make money, I now look back and ask myself would I have made money doing that?
Now it has to be said that one or two of the opportunities I have investigated have gone on to make me money. In fact, a property search business that I set up as a result of attending a one-day course is still running 4 years on, and has helped me keep my head above water financially when other aspects of my career were experiencing lean times.
The search business appealed to me on a number of different levels; the people I work with are interesting, the actual business of carrying out searches is often fascinating, and there are people willing to pay for my services. On top of all that I am home-based and write most of my legitimate expenses off against taxes. But what made it really work for me was that I was actually interested in building that business from the start.
Yet I couldnt say that about the majority of the opportunities I was being bombarded with. When confronted with yet another no-brainer of an opportunity, I would sometimes beat myself up for not getting involved; I thought I must be a failure and destined never to be successful at anything as I just wasnt getting it .
With the benefit of hindsight, I can honestly say that if I had been genuinely interested in something, I could have got involved with more energy and commitment than perhaps I otherwise would have done with something that just seemed like a good idea at the time.
A case in point: imagine my excitement when I was presented recently with an opportunity to get involved in something that ticks virtually all the boxes in my qualification checklist. Tick one: a new business being formed with seasoned, trusted and successful owners with vast experience at the helm. Tick two: a software product that I can use myself as it would help me make money in my main hobby of trading the financial markets. Tick three: an incredibly generous compensation plan that would get even the most jaded campaigner off his or her lethargic derriere.
Talk about seeing health and happiness emerging from the generation of wealth!
The combination of a genuinely top-notch product coupled with the opportunity to sell that product and make a great living at the same time is proving irresistible. Here are the essentials:
First of all, a powerful, unique and simple-to-use piece of software that generates special indicators to give traders an edge when opening and closing trades for maximum profit. Even experienced traders are amazed at how the program cuts through the complexities and reduces the situation down to a simple decision about when to trade or not. Full training is provided along with a 7-day free trial. In my opinion the management have got this right from the outset; just giving tips about when to trade (such as in the case of tipster services) lets a man eat for a day, but teaching him how to trade by using the best tools available can set him up for life.
Secondly, if I like the product enough I can become a business agent and make money by attracting new customers. This puts my destiny into my own hands which is a very energising experience once the power of the product and the power of the network are realised.
Finally, my favourite feature of all is the business support provided by the company Head Office. There are so many invaluable tools available that there has to be something for everyone regardless of their approach to building their business. Individually customised websites and a voice mail service are features that feature highly for me. In conclusion, I have found a business that surpasses my expectations of both product value and potential income levels. There is work to be done, there are no silver spoons on offer; but consistent and persistent effort will ensure success in my opinion. If only I knew about this years ago.
