Job and Career |

How to Find an Online Business Idea

Do you want to work from home and learn how to begin an internet business? Many people would love to have their own internet business but they aren’t sure where to begin or how to tell if an online business idea is legitimate or not. There are a lot of scams online, however, in spite of this, there are many good quality internet businesses with which you can make a lot of money. To find the internet business that will work well, you will need to do some homework.

While making money on the Internet might be simple, it is not easy. One way that you can find out about Internet business opportunities is to use one of the review sites online that list pre-screened businesses. Sites that review business opportunities are great for this purpose—there are also several sites that have user reviews of different online business opportunities. Besides looking for legitimate work from home options, you will also need to determine what type of job is right for you.

Generally, internet work allows you the choice of working either full or part time, and often with flexible hours. For example, some customer service jobs require that you are available distraction-free for a set number of hours per day to answer phone calls. There are many different types of online business opportunities, such as affiliate and sale programs, virtual assistant or business jobs, customer service jobs and more.

Affiliate programs are a great online business idea if you are a social person and skilled at using the Internet, particularly social networking. Affiliate programs will pay you money to make sales from a site, and you get additional money from getting more people to join in after you. For this reason, if you are good at advertising the site, you can make money 24 hours a day whether you are working or not. If you have business skills, you might consider checking into becoming a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistant positions can involve a variety of tasks including data entry and typing, transcription, writing letters or memos, conducting research and more. Also, many companies will hire customer service representatives who can work from home and answer customer questions, take reservations and that sort of thing. These types of jobs normally require an up to date computer with the latest operating system, as well as a headset and computer based calling program.

Be wary of job opportunities that are really just advertisements for classes in a specific type of business. If you want to take some training, this can be really good, but taking a course does not guarantee work after it is finished. Regardless of what kind of business opportunities you are considering, remember that it is really up to you to become a success.

Any online business idea, be it home-based or not, requires a certain degree of dedication and working from home means that you will have to be self-motivated enough to work without any outside requirements to do so. If you are a person who really wants to succeed, however, you certainly can do well with an Internet business.

Related Business Job Articles

On paper, the prescription for unemployment is rather formulaic: send in résumé, go on interview, be your charming self, get hired.

The frustrating reality isn’t nearly as simple.  Getting an interview alone is an exercise in persistence and patience.

Here are 10 reasons for why you’re not landing that interview and what you can do to reverse the trend.

Your résumé and cover letter are as articulate as Courtney Love’s Web blog. If your application materials contain typos, grammatical errors and irrelevant or inconsistent information, employers will take notice — in a bad way.  Once you’ve looked over your résumé and cover letter to the point of dementia, take this advice from Joyce Gioia of the Herman Group: have three people, for whom English is a first language, review your résumé and cover letter before you send it.

Your cover letter is generic. Make it personal by tailoring it to the particular job and addressing it to a person, not “To Whom It May Concern.”  And include a sentence or two about how you are the right fit for that particular job.  If no contact is listed, take the initiative to find out who the hiring manager is by searching the company’s Web site or calling the reference desk.

Your letter is a CliffsNotes version of your résumé. Instead of simply restating what’s on your résumé, include new information like how you found out about the job, why you want to work there and what you can do for them.  Finally, close with something that will encourage a response, such as a request for an interview.

Your letter exudes self-consciousness, not self-confidence. If you don’t feel qualified for a job, why are you applying for it?  Don’t call attention to your shortcomings in a letter; emphasize your strengths by focusing on your skills, experience and ability.

You cross the line from sounding confident to sounding cocky. Don’t mistake selling yourself with bragging.  Putting “I would be an asset to your company” in your cover letter catches the eye; writing “You would be crazy not to hire me” turns the stomach.

Your MySpace page lists “binge-drinking” as a favorite pastime. Don’t post anything on a publicly accessible Web site that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see.  Not all hiring managers run searches on job candidates, but some do, and it’s better to err on the side of caution.  Google yourself to see what comes up, because recruiters will see the same results.

You assume e-mail is enough. Hitting the send button on an online application is only the first step in landing an interview.  For one thing, not every e-mail is received or read.  Try following up your application by sending a paper résumé and cover letter via snail mail (indicating you’ve already applied online).  After that, call the hiring manager to see that they’ve received your application and check on the status of the job in question.

You assume the Internet is enough. The majority of all employment opportunities aren’t advertised, so be proactive: Contact human resources managers at companies you want to work for inquiring about positions available; register with a job recruitment agency; attend industry events to stay on top of news; and devote energy to meeting like-minded professionals who will be the keys to discovering more opportunities.

You misrepresent yourself. It may sound like a no-brainer, but misrepresenting yourself on a résumé is bound to catch up with you.  Upon performing a reference check, Denise Moorehead, communications director of a non-profit service agency in Boston, once discovered a job candidate had left her previous job a year earlier than she’d admitted. It turned out that the candidate had gotten burned out and decided to take a year to temp and regroup, but thought the obvious employment gap would be held against her, so she simply lied about it.  “I figured if she’d lie about something this easy to explain, she might lie about the deadline-driven work she would have to do with me,” Moorehead says.

You give up. Remember that looking for a job is a full-time job.  If you’re not hearing back from employers, considering changing your strategy.  Experiment with different cover letters, revise your résumé on a regular basis and look for opportunities to add to your experience even when you’re not working (i.e. taking classes, participating in workshops, volunteering).

“True Intentions”

When making a tough decision, ask yourself what you would do if all parties involved knew your true intentions and your true desires.

Imagine you lived in a world where everyone could tell if you were speaking the truth, or lying, or hiding something. What actions would you take then?

Asking this question leads you to see what is truly in your heart.

That should help you make the right decision.

“My Obituary”

Not to be too morbid, but this decision making technique really works.

If you are having trouble making a decision, or you have no idea about which direction to take, try this:

Ask yourself, what would I want to be remembered for, after I’m dead and long gone? What would I want my obituary to say?

In fact, write your own obituary right now, just to see what it is you are all about.

“The 3rd Option”

I learned this technique from Dr. J. Mitch Perry, who coaches top executives around the world. Mitch is the guy the Chairman of the Board brings in when the CEO and the executive staff can’t get along. When two top execs are not cooperating, they call on Mitch.

Here is Mitch’s “Options” technique:

If you are struggling trying to decide between two choices, choice A and choice B, the problem may be that neither is RIGHT for you and what you need to do is discover your other options i.e. choice C, choice D etc.

What Mitch Perry taught was that most people stop looking for options and choices as soon as they are confronted with the two most obvious choices. Then they get stuck. The secret is to ask yourself, “What is my third option?”

To implement this into one’s life Mitch suggested never making decision unless you have at least three options.

Try this technique, especially if you are stuck in a high anxiety decision.