Learn how to evaluate any home-based opportunity

Learn abut the 12 success factors you can use to evaluate a home based business.  Look before you leap! www.OnlineMomTeam.com

MLMs Don’t Work

I have had so many people come to me asking me if MLM’s work. My short answer. No, definitely not long term.

Now, hear me out. I’m not saying Home Businesses don’t work. I’m saying any business that has an MLM business model will not work long term.

Question: Is there an MLM company that started in the USA in the past 30 years, that grew to 300 million in annual sales, and then continued to grow for each of the following 3 years?

Hmmmm? Interestesting question isn’t it. I have yet to find one MLM that meets that criteria.

Why? My theory: MLM’s have a poor business model yet hundreds of new ones pop up every day. (To replace the old ones that have gone under.)Some people will be successful. No question about that. But they are making serious money at the expense of thousands who do not and who will get hurt.

Another Question: If you are currently in an MLM, how many people are you willing to hurt to make money? Some of you may not even realize that you are involved in something that will hurt people and their families financially.

Most leaders that are in MLM companies have come from another and will eventually join another. Again, at the expense of hurting people for their own personal gain.Now there are some MLM’s that have a product(s) like candles, skin care, Knick Knacks, Kitchen tools etc…and some have great products. However…can you build a long term residual income where you have a customer base that consistently shops month after month?

Then there are MLM’s where it seems just too good. Seriously, you’ve seen the emails and facebook posts right?

Enough already! Below I’ve listed “some” MLM companies that are either closed, bankrupt, or on their way out. What MLM is going to be next? It’s just a matter of time. In my humble opinion, the business model does not work long term.

1Network.com
1st Family
1Voice Worldwide
A Better Chance PTY
A1 Internet Service
Accelerated Internet Income Strategies
Acheivers Unlimited
Act II Jewelry – Lady Remington
Active Business Solutions
Adora LLC
AdSavers
Advantage Neutraceuticals
Affordable Luxuries
Albert Konder Collection
AlpineV
AMERICA’S TEAM
American Freeway 100
AmeriKare International
AmeriLat
AmeriTalks
Annasa
ART & SOUL, INC.
Artistic Impressions, Inc
ASN (dba) AMERICAN SHOPPERS NETWORK
Assured Nutrition Plus
ATG TECHNOLOGIES
ATI (dba) ALLIANCE TECHNOLOGY INT’L
ATN
AWARENESS
B & F SYSTEM, INC.
BigSmart
BIMINI ESSENTIALS
Blessed Hope Communications
BODY ELECTRIC
BRIDAL ACCENTS, LTD.
BROAD POINT COMMUNICATIONS
BULLETIN BOARD
Call the Planet ( CTP )
CALLS FOR KIDZ
CAMBRIDGE
CAROLINA FINE COOKIES
CDBN (dba) CONSUMERS DIRECT BUYERS NETWORK
Celestial Harvest
Chantal B – Paris
CharityFirst
Chef Selections
Chef Specialties Company
Cherish Designs
Claudia Jean Collection
Claytime Inc.
ClickIncomes.com
ClubDepot.com
CoffeeFair
COLESCE COUTURE DBA: CAMEO
COOKIE LIFE
CouponsMan
Custom Corner
Cutting Edge Vitamins
CYBERGOLD, INC.
Darswinkle’s Delights
Dashyn Delights
DEBT FREE PUBLISHING, INC. / DBA: DEBT ZAPPER
Denali Health Sciences
DIAMOND CLUB OF AMERICA
DIRECT HOME SHOPPING CLUB (DHSC)
DK FAMILY LEARNING EDUCATIONAL PRODUCTS
Dynasty of Diamonds
E-EXCELL INTERNATIONAL
E-ZINE LIBRARY.COM
EARTH SAFE & WELLNESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
EASY MARKETING, INC.
EASY WAY INTERNATIONAL
EMPOWER NET
English Collectables
Entertain with Ease!
ENVION
Environmental Nutrition Network
EonDeck.com
EPIC Network International
ePlanetParadise
ESA-STAR TOUCH INTERNATIONAL
ESSENTIALS BLUE LINE COSMETICS LTD.
Etherea Aromatics
EverydayWealth
Excel Communications
Extreme Research Corp
F.A.I.T.H. Company
FAMILY INTEGRITY BUYLINE, INCL (FIBI)
FAMILY SOLUTION (THE)
Fantasy Inc
FAX BOX NETWORK
Finest Accessories Inc. (The)
FIRST STEP (THE)
FOR YOU, INC.
Fortune21
Fragrant Lemon Peel (the) TFLP
Free Card Matrix
FREE NETWORK (THE)
FREEDOMSTAR COMMUNICATIONS
FuelZone
Fun For Life Club International
FUTURE CITY.COM
FUTURE WORLD
GCMI LONG DISTANCE
Gemcap Equity Management
Geminet
Global Cause
Global Nutrition Network
GLOBAL VILLAGE MARKET
GLOBION
GMT (Get Moving Today)
Gold Entertainment
Golden Neo-Life Diamite International
GOLDEN NEO-LIFE-DIAMITE
GOLDEN NUTRITION
Good Books & Company
Good Nature Company
Great American – The Wholefood Farmacy
GREAT LIFE PRODUCTS
Greeting Cake Company (The)
GULF COAST NUTRITIONAL INC. (dba) NOAH’S ARK
HAND TECHNOLOGIES
HARVEST HOME CANDLES
Harvesting America
HEALTH & NUTRITION NETWORK
HEALTH DYNAMICS RESEARCH
Heart Warming Creations, Inc.
Heart Warming Goodness
HIGHER IDEALS
Highlights-Jigsaw Toy Factory
Holbrook Cottage, Inc
Holiday Magic
Hsin Ten Enterprise USA
I Deal In Travel
I-LINK WORLDWIDE, LLC
IDEA CONCEPTS
IDEAL HEALTH INTERNATIONAL
IDEAL SOLUTIONS INT’L
IDN-NU SKIN INTERNATIONAL
IEXALT FAMILY
IMOGEN CONCEPTS, INC.
INCOMNET COM (SIMPLE2 NET)
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES CORP OF AMERICA
Integrated Synergy
INTELLIGENT NUTRITION SYSTEMS, INC
International Team Works
INTERNET 4 FAMILIES (I4F)
IONX RESOURCE
iPowerBiz
IT’S LIFE
JAPAN LIFE AMERICA CORP.
JET SET LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Jewel Way
Joielle
JS Homestyle
Just Add Guests
Kanosis
KAREMORE INTERNATIONAL
KASEY’S COUPONS
Kat’s Coffees
KIDZ BOULEVARD
KINETIC RESOURCE INTERNATIONAL
KINGS CHOICE
KINGSWAY, INC.
Kitchen Fair (Regal Ware)
KM.net 1/1/2005
L.E.A.P. (LIFE, EDUCATION & PROSPERITY, INC.)
Ladybug Garden Parties
Laga Designs
LAMETCO
Le Club Prive
LE NATUREL
Let’s Do Tea LLC
Lexli MD, Inc.
LIFE DYNAMICS INTERNATIONAL
LIFE LINK, LTC.
LIFE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
LIFE STYLES USA
LifeMist Home Products
LifesMiracle
LifeSpan International
LIFETEK CORPORATION
LIGHTHOUSE AMERICA
Longevity Network
LUXELLE INTERNATIONAL
LYC INTERNATIONAL
Magnus Enterprises
MARK I OF NORTH AMERICA
MARKET PLACE INTERNATIONAL
MARKET TO SUCCESS
MAXXIS 2000
Mayberry America
MIRACLE MAIL.COM
MLM BANNER EXCHANGE
MLM COMMUNITY.COM
MLM SEARCH.COM
MLM World News Today
MOUNTAIN GOURMET
Movie Club Plus
Muscle Dynamics Fitness Network
My Tax Man
N.A.T.A.L.
NANCI CORPORATION
NATIONAL BENEFITS & SERVICES
National Bodycare
NATIONAL CALLING CARD ASSOCIATES
National Companies
NATIONAL SAFETY ASSOCIATES (NSA)
Natural Air Products
NATURAL BODY LINES
Natural Health Trends Corp
Nature’s Gold International
NATURE’S HEALING AROMATHERAPY, INC.
NATURE’S VERY BEST
NATURES BODYCARE
NATURES WEALTH
NaturScience
NetmarkAid
NEURO-HEALTH (BECALM’D)
New Century Life
NEW LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
New Quest International
NEW RESOLUTION, INC. (NRI)
NSA
NTA (dba) NATIONAL TELECOM ASSOCIATION, INC.
NU BOTANIC INTERNATIONAL
Nutrition For Life
Oasis Lifesciences
OC Rebates
OceanCity Network
October Trading
ONE Group
ONE SOURCE WORLDWIDE NETWORK
ONE WORLD ONLINE
ORIGINAL SOLUTIONS INC.
Our Family Favorites
OXFORD SAVINGS CLUB
P.S. I Love You, Inc
PAINT BOX COMPANY (THE)
Pamper My Baby
Patchwork & Preserves
PetShop.biz
PetsParty
Phoenix Cookes
PixMeUp 1/1/2005
PlantMakers
Platinum Travel Club
Pola USA
Popular Club, Inc.
Power of Nature
PremierNet Plus
PriceNetUSA
Primebuy International
Pro-Ma Systems
PROFIT CENTRAL, INC.
prowealthSOLUTIONS
PTI
Purchase Plus Buyers
PurchasePro
Quiet Place for You
Quorum
R GARDEN INTERNATIONAL
RACHAEL INTERNATIONAL
REAL LIFE SOLUTIONS, INC.
ReferralWare International
RENAISSANCE FOR LIFE
Retire on Spending
RICH PLAN OF FLORIDA
RMC Group, Inc.
ROSEMARIE COLLECTIONS
Savory Naturals
SCRIPTURES
Sea Alive
Seaborne, LLC
SeAcai
SECURE INDEPENDENCE
Self Indulgence
SERENITY
Shades of Color
Shoppers Central
ShrimpUSA
SILVER BUYERS CLUB (THE)
SMART RESPONDER.COM
smartmall.biz
Solutions Immunity Enhancement
Sound Cafe.com
SOUND TRAVELS (div SOUNDS EXCITING)
SOUTHERN HERITAGE, INC.
Southwestern Company (THE)
SPRINGBOARD
SPRINGWELLNESS
STEAK BUYERS CLUB
Stella -n- Dot
Stoxrus
SUNRISE DIRECT
SUPRA/LIFE SOARING EAGLE VENTURES, INC.
Surfing2Cash
Sweet Berry Designs
Sweet Prairie Soap Company
T-Shirts with a Personal Touch
TALISMAN
TapCity
Taste D-Vine
TBN – The Benefits Network
Team Effort International
TEL-A-NATION
TERAFORMA HEALTH
Terra Mezzo
The Furnished Garden
The Topline
Total Life Changes (TLC)
TOTAL SUCCESS SOLUTIONS, INC.
Totally Tropical Interiors
TRADE EXCHANGE NETWORK
Traditions, Inc
TRAFFIC DIRECTORY.COM
Travel Legacy
Travel Promotions International
Travel Reaction
TravelMax International
Travelogia
Treasure Traders International
TRENDMARK INTERNATIONAL
Trilogy International
TruDynamics (Travel Dynamics)
UCS (dba) AMERICANS FOR CONSTITUTIONAL ACTION
UltimateMatch
Uni-Body International
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES, INC.
UNITED SUPER ACCOUNT PROGRAM
Universal Lifestyles
US DIAL1
US Health Advisors
USTELETRICITY NETWORK
VIRTUALLY FREE INTERNET
VISION QUEST WORLDWIDE, INC.
Vita Genesis
Vitacube
Vitagenex
VITALITY LABS
VITALITY LIFE CHOICE
VIVA MARKETING
Viva Toxic Free
Viviane Woodward
VOYAGER GROUP, INC. (THE)
WACHTER’S ORGANIC SEA PRODUCTS
WESTERN MARKETING
wfhTravel
WICKER PLUS, LTD.
WORLD GOLF CORP
WORLD NET INTERNATIONAL, INC.
World Wide Alliance Corp (WWA USA)
WORLD WIDE INTERNET MARKETING
WORLD WIDE LINK, INC. (dba) THEWWWLINK
WORLD X CHANGE COMMUNICATIONS
WORLDWIDE
WORLDWIDE NETWORK INCORPORATED (BETA SOURCE)
XPI Online
XtremeHealth Formulas
YOUNGER LIVING, INC.
Your Family First
YourNetPlus.Com
YouthFlow
ZeBlooms
ZENITH 4 THE PLANET 

Quite the list isn’t it? Sadly, there are more.

I will be writing a follow up article about “True Residual Income” as well as the MLM “Guru’s” who have created ways to get fellow MLM’ers to purchase their training to help them build their MLM business.

Really?? You’re going to help someone become successful in something that is eventually going to fail? Perhaps they do this to earn more money for themselves and so that they have a list of people to promote the next venture they jump in to? 

My personal goal is to educate people on the realities of having a real, lucritive, long term home business and to help to achieve whatever their goals might be.

To your success!

Is Your Email Marketing Campaign Ready for 2011?

From Entrepreneur Magazine, December 30 2010

By Gail Goodman

For email marketers, there only appeared to be one major trend that mattered in 2010. It’s a game changer that presents both opportunities and challenges for businesses to connect with customers. You guessed it: It’s the impact of social media. You can’t just “talk at” customers anymore. They now expect to be part of the conversation and part of your business story. Social media has irrevocably changed the email marketing landscape.

Persuading readers to share the content of your email content is the key here. This is accomplished by providing content that demonstrates you’re in touch with what’s important to customers and you provide information that not only solves their problems, but also entertains them and asks for their feedback and participation.

Email marketing and social media are complementary. While email offers a way to directly contact your customers via their inboxes, social media provides new ways to share your content and engage in conversations with networks of people. One without the other is an incomplete solution to your marketing needs.

As you plan your email marketing campaigns for 2011, take advantage of the opportunities to reach new prospects, revive existing customer relationships and recruit new fans who can spread the word about your business.

Here are five things you can do to create a more social e-mail experience in the new year:

  1. Make every message shareable. Include a Like/Tweet button or a social share bar in every email newsletter. The “Forward to a Friend” feature lets subscribers share your newsletter with another person by email. But by adding social icons at the top of your email, those same people can now share it with their entire Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn networks. That extends your reach to a highly qualified audience of prospects.
  2. Kick-start your social presence using your email marketing list. Invite e-mail subscribers to connect with you on social networks. Include links to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn pages in your e-mail marketing communication. Don’t forget to provide reasons why subscribers should join you on social media destinations — and how that experience will be different from your email communications.
  3. Include a “social call to action” in every email newsletter. Don’t rely solely on social media icons and buttons to get readers to visit your social media outposts. Entice readers with a link to a hot conversation you want to continue on Twitter (or another discussion destination), or to an exclusive contest or survey you’re featuring on Facebook.
  4. Solicit feedback and find newsletter content. Use crowdsourcing on social media sites to find out what topics are trending with your customers. Invite questions and feedback, and join the conversation. Then use the frequently asked questions and the feedback gathered as material for newsletter content. At the same time, spark a conversation and continue it via email and social media. Don’t forget to include and encourage social media feedback in every issue of your newsletter.
  5. Cross-post to all your communication channels. Always post your newsletter content on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep conversations going by re-posting different snippets across social media channels. Even better, fan the discussion flames by sending out a separate email letting readers know about conversations happening on social media and inviting them to participate.

You may find one social media channel works better than others for sharing content and sparking conversation, depending on where your customers spend time. But you won’t find out until you dive in, test the waters and monitor your results.

Mompreneurs Need Quiet Time Too!

Many of you are saying, “wouldn’t that be nice…” with a little bit of a sarcastic tone. Trust me, I know that feeling. As I have mentioned in weeks past, I learned a lot about myself when I went to Dallas a few of weeks ago.

I need more quiet time!

Trust me, as the mother of three boys, ages 3, 5 and 7 there is not much of it flying around. The difference is, I am looking for it now. In the past I would just throw my hands up to the fact I would never get any of it. I have since learned it is out there, you just have to find it…and utilize it.

How do I find it? Again, in the past I would immediately turn on the television the second I had a minute to rest. FYI, that is NOT quiet time. Now, when I have a few minutes to spare I chose to go sit on the back patio next to the pool, read a good book, or maybe even lay on the couch and close my eyes. Maybe I will get a quick cat nap in, maybe I will meditate, go for a walk or read.

No matter what it is I am taking care of myself and filling my cup. The television does not do that for me, especially these days with all the horrible news everywhere. I think we all need a break from that constant bombardment.

What is the best way to utilize it? That is totally up to you. Everybody is different. Personally, I find if something is really bothering me or if I have a very big decision to make, this is one of the best ways for me to find clarity.

I believe there are sayings out there that you already have all the answers. I believe that. You just have to give your mind and body the time and proper surroundings to do it. You will feel refreshed and clear on your path. What more could you ask for?

Bloomberg Report – More Seniors Are Choosing Self-Employment

More Seniors Are Choosing Self-Employment

Entrepreneurial activity is increasing among older Americans and falling among younger generations. Scott Shane examines the data

By Scott Shane

null Incorporated and unincorporated self-employment rate by age group, November 2009. Source: Created from Bureau of Labor Statistics data
Click here to find out more!

If you want to find America’s entrepreneurs, should you be searching places frequented by senior citizens? The answer, from several data sources, appears to be yes.

Contrary to the popular perception that entrepreneurship is a young person’s game, seniors are more likely than young people to operate their own businesses.

According to a June 2009 report by Dane Stangler of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: “In every single year from 1996 to 2007, Americans between the ages of 55 and 64 had a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than those aged 20 to 34.”

Moreover, the 2008 U.S. Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, released earlier this month, shows that the rate of entrepreneurial activity rose among older Americans but fell among younger ones. From 2007 to 2008, both the total rate of entrepreneurial activity (a measure that combines people actively planning to start businesses and those owning operating businesses less than 42 months of age) and the rate of ownership of established businesses (those more than 42 months old) showed a decline of 8% to 9% for the 18-to-44 age segments and an equal increase in groups aged 45 to 99.

For more current information, I looked at the November 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics data on both unincorporated and incorporated self-employment. (Incorporated self-employed people are those who respond to a follow-up question about their self-employment by indicating that their business is incorporated.) In the figure to the right, I plotted the self-employment rates for different age groups.

incorporation is a better indicator

For unincorporated self-employment, rates rise with age. Those over 75 have the highest rate of self-employment of any age group, a rate 7.5 times higher than that for people aged 20 to 24 and 4 times higher than for people 25 to 34.

Admittedly, overall self-employment rates are an imprecise measure of entrepreneurship. A lot of people who are self-employed might be independent contractors. For tax and benefits reasons, older people might be more likely than younger ones to be employed this way. Therefore, I took a look at incorporated self-employment, too. (Many economists believe that incorporated self-employment is closer to the concept of entrepreneurship than unincorporated self-employment because businesses are more likely to be true companies if people have bothered to incorporate them.)

The BLS data show that incorporated self-employment peaks in the 65-to-69 age group, with those just past retirement age being more likely to be self-employed heads of incorporated businesses than members of any age group under 65. In fact, the incorporated self-employment rate is 4 times higher among those aged 65 to 69 than among those aged 25 to 34—and a whopping 25 times higher than among those aged 20 to 24.

In the past year, we’ve experienced growth in the number of unincorporated self-employment among those over 65 (an increase of 11.1%), but shrinkage in the number of unincorporated self-employed among those 16 to 64 (a decrease of 5.4%). In fact, among those 65 to 69 (leaving out those over 70), the number of unincorporated self-employed went up 15.1% from 2008 to 2009.

The changes are more muddled for incorporated self-employment because of a 4% increase in the number of incorporated self-employed among those 55 to 64. For incorporated self-employment, splitting the population at age 55 instead of 65 reveals an 8.4% decline among those aged 16 to 54 and an increase of 1.7% among those aged at least 55 from 2008 to 2009.

a few key implications

These data do not tell us why entrepreneurial activity is higher and increasing among older Americans. It might be a cohort effect. People who entered the work force back in the 1960s might be more entrepreneurial than people born more recently. Or it might be an age effect. Older people might be more likely to go into business for themselves because they have developed the industry and work experience that research shows enhance entrepreneurial performance.

So what are the implications of the aging of the self-employed? There are probably many, but here are a few.

• Part-time self-employment is becoming more prevalent among older entrepreneurs than among younger ones as older entrepreneurs seek the flexibility of running their businesses on less-than-a-full-time basis.

• Self-employment is becoming more of a second career as older Americans retire or leave jobs to start their own businesses.

• Self-financing is becoming more prevalent as older self-employed use accumulated savings to finance their entrepreneurial efforts.

Whatever the reasons for the graying of the self-employed—and whatever its implications—a university is probably the wrong place for me to work if I want to interact with a lot of Americans starting their own businesses.

Scott Shane is the A. Malachi Mixon III Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University.

Influence – the Holy Grail of Leadership (from LIA Magazine)

Influence – Excerpt from LIA Magazine 

Influence is the “Holy Grail” of all Leadership. Everyone wants and needs it, but few understand it.

The one thing all of us want, and that all of us aspire to is the ability to influence. It is necessary in all walks of life, affects all ages and transcends gender and background.

Perhaps what we should do is narrow our focus. We don’t just want to have influence. We want to be an influence for good. We want to enhance lives. We want to help others. We want “influence” – the verb, not “influence” the noun. 

When our words match our actions, that congruency brings enormous influence until people say of you what they said of Gandhi: What Gandhi thinks, Gandhi says. What Gandhi says, Gandhi does.” Gandhi brought the nation of England to its knees by the power of his own example.

Unless we are willing to build relationships, our influence will be limited. People simply “don’t care what you know until they know how much you care.” This is the principle behind all successful, influential leaders. Their weapon is not their knowledge, but their love, compassion, understanding and willingness to help.

To your success,

Karen Gillighan