If you are interested in starting your own online business but do not know where to start, the following information may be helpful. Start out by doing a search on your favorite search engine for 'work at home' opportunities. This will seem overwhelming to you as there are thousands of ads that will come up.

Since you do not want to waste time, how do you weed out the scams and find the legitimate opportunities? If the website does not offer enough information, does not have contact information, demands a large investment or makes unrealistic promises, move on.

When you do find a program that interests you, pay attention to the product. Is it digital information or a physical product? If it is something you have to promote to make money, you need to have some knowledge of the product in order to convince others to buy it.

A crucial component of any business is the support you receive. Does the program you are interested in offer you support and guidelines before, during, and after your investment? Or do they take your money and leave you on your own?

If there IS an investment required, always proceed cautiously. Is the cost reasonable and does it fit the program requirements? Can you get a refund if you request it?

Can you really make money from the program? Never waste your time or money on something that makes unrealistic promises of quick cash for no work. Any business requires an investment of work and time to build an income.

Make sure your expectations are realistic. It will take time to start earning an income. If your business requires you to market a product, develop a marketing plan. If it does not work, be flexible and try something else.

Listed below are some legitimate online work at home opportunities:

*Affiliate Programs: Considered by many to be the easiest way of making money online, being an affiliate means you are promoting products owned by other people. You make your money by referring customers to their website.

Affiliate programs should not charge any start-up fee. Make sure the commissions are generous, at least 50%.

*eBay: The largest online auction site, drawing millions of people every day, is one of the easiest and most profitable ways of making money online. It is the first place most people check when they are looking for items, both new and used. You can sell almost anything you can think of.

Make bargain hunting your new business. The best places to find items to resell on eBay are garage and yard sales, estate sales, local auctions, and newspaper classifieds.

*Paid Surveys: There are hundreds of companies online searching for people to take their online surveys. Do your research and take your time to determine what companies actually pay you cash and what companies enter your name in a drawing for prizes. This can be a very lucrative business.

In addition to the above opportunities, there are many other possibilities.

*Work-At-Home Directory Listings: There are many legitimate work at home directories available online now. One of them is WAHM (Work At Home Moms). This is a very good place to start. Their site offers job listings, helpful articles, message boards, and classifieds.

*Company And Corporate Websites: All major corporations and companies have their own websites. If they have a website, there will be a link for jobs. You may have to spend some time searching, but it will be there.

*General Employment Sites: There are many websites for general job searches (monster.com, careerbuilder.com, etc.). Just do a search for JOBS and you are on your way.

*Online Newspaper Classified Ads: Nearly all newspapers have their own websites. Check out their classified ad section. You can also do a general search for 'newspaper classifieds' and you will get hundreds of links.

The only requirements to finding a job online are time, commitment and perseverance. You must stick with it and stay focused. There ARE jobs out there. Hopefully, the tips listed above will help you in your search for legitimate home-based jobs.

Debra Gropp makes money on the Internet by doing everything from paid surveys to working for affiliate programs. Her articles pertain to the subjects she is most interested in, online income opportunities, diet, fitness and health-related information.

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