Every day thousands of people are looking to get out of the “rat race” to work at home. Most of those people want to get started on a home based business so badly that they do not always make wise decisions in choosing a home based business opportunity. As a result, many fail miserably and are left worse off then before they started. This, of course, does not need to be the case.

It is very possible, and doesn’t have to be all that hard, to find a legitimate home based business opportunity. As discussed in my previous article, “Why Do Most Home Based Businesses Fail?” there are five major reasons most home based businesses will never work.

In this article I am going to give you six more reasons why your home based business will fail, if you are not careful when choosing:

#1 – Most new opportunities do not help you make money. They will give you some ideas for making money, but then leave you out in the cold by having you do everything on your own. There simply is no good support system. Nobody should be a part of a business opportunity without a good support system.

A good support system should include at least some of the following; Good leaders, help forums, ongoing training, conference calls, marketing tools, suggested resources, ebooks, blogs, FAQ’s, etc… Basically they should have many ways to help you as much as possible with any question you might have.

#2 – Unfortunately, some home business opportunity owners will take your money and run. There are too many fly-by-night operations out there that will not hesitate to scam you. The problem is their promotions sound just as good as the legitimate opportunities. To avoid this, you should be very skeptical about each home business based business opportunity you are presented, examine and research them carefully, and then make an informed decision.

#3 – Some home based business opportunities will have you working long hours for little pay. This is a good way to get burned out, tired, frustrated, and eventually quit. Why become part of a home based business opportunity that is like a regular job? Of course, with any home business, you will have to put in a lot of time, energy, and resources for the first year or more, with little in return. But don’t get that confused with an opportunity that you will never make any real money in, no matter what you do.

#4 – Many home business opportunities offer products nobody really wants. You should never try to market any product that people couldn’t care less about. Do this and you are doomed to fail. Always remember that the market for your products or services comes first, and the product or service must be something that people actually want. In addition, it is best that the company who offers the product or service has a proven marketing system in place to help you promote them.

#5 – Many home based business opportunities force you to become a salesperson. Yes, you will have to do some selling in any home business, it just can’t be avoided. However, you should not have to spend your days cold calling leads or trying to sell ice to Eskimo’s. Don’t get into one of these businesses or you will get burned out quickly, unless you love to sell. There should already be an established market for the product or service and a system in place to eliminate as much of the “selling” as possible.

#6 – Some home based business opportunities pay small sums of money and no residual income. Stay far away from these! If you market products or services that don’t sell for very much money and don’t offer any residual income, it’s going to be almost impossible for you to make any real money or obtain financial freedom. There are plenty of opportunities out there where you can make a good amount of money per sale as well as earn residual income. It takes the same amount of effort on your part so don’t waste it on anything less!

So, there you have it… six more reasons why your home based businesses will fail if you are not careful. Do your homework and look for potential problems with any home based business opportunity before you get in it. Make sure it doesn’t have the problems outlined above, and then make an informed decision.

I want to leave you with the same final thought as my last article on this topic… No opportunity is perfect in every way. Don’t waste your life searching for it because it doesn’t exist! Just find one good home based business opportunity and stick with it.

I want you to think about the term “Fundraising Auction”.

A “Fundraising Auction” is an event where items of value are gathered, and then sold in a competitive bidding situation, either in a Silent Auction format, or in a Live Auction format by a Live Auctioneer. And since typically the best items are saved for the Live Auction, arguably it is the Live Auction that should generate a significant portion of the proceeds in any Fundraising Auction.

So why do so many non-profit groups consider the Fundraising Auctioneer to be the least valuable component in a Fundraising Auction?

The Hosting Facility gets paid.
The Printer gets paid.
The Caterer gets paid.
The Liquor Store gets paid.
The DJ gets paid.
The Florist gets paid.
But the Auctioneer … the individual who is expected to raise the lion’s share of the event’s proceeds… is expected to work for Free. And is usually under-appreciated for the professional services he/she provides.

I’m not trying to underscore the value of the invitations & programs, food, booze, music, and decorations. All are important in their own way. But each of these are “Expenses”. It is the Auctioneer who is going to bring “Revenue”… and thus, the “Profits”… into any event. Which is the ultimate objective of any Fundraising Auction.

Here is a real-life example of how under-appreciated the Auctioneer can be. In two comparable events we worked last year, during the dinner portion of the event one non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) at a table with the DJ, the Interns, the Volunteer Staff, and other event “Help”. The 2nd non-profit group sat the Auctioneer (me) directly next to the CEO of their organization, where we chatted about how important the pending revenue would be to their organization. Which group do you think valued the services of the Fundraising Auctioneer more?

Don’t ever under-estimate the value that a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can bring to your event. The Auctioneer adds value as a pre-event consultant. And the Auctioneer can change an event from a moderate to a huge success.

A Case Study Once I was scheduled to call an Auction for a major local non-profit group. They represented a very good cause and they had a strong and dedicated following. Their event was sold out, quality Live & Silent Auction items had been solicited, and the Special Pledge Appeal had been choreographed and was ready to go. The facility was first class, the appropriate caterer was booked, and the food was ready to cook.

But quite unexpectedly, some unseasonably inclement weather forced the event’s cancellation. Despite all of the committee’s hard work, cancelling the event was the proper decision considering the circumstances.

So the Event Committee scrambled to re-schedule the event for the following weekend.

They confirmed with the Hosting Facility.
They confirmed with the Caterer.
They confirmed with the Liquor Store.
They confirmed with the DJ.
They confirmed with the Florist.
Since they already had the Mailing List of those scheduled to attend, no new invitations had to be printed as all were contacted by email or telephone. So with everything in place, the group went ahead and re-scheduled the event for the following weekend.

But guess who they failed to confirm? You got it… the Professional Auctioneer. They thought so little of the Auctioneer’s contribution that they “assumed” that the Auctioneer would be available and at their beck and call.

But the Auctioneer already had another Fundraising Auction booked for that date with another non-profit group. It was only hour away from the re-scheduled event, and things could have been easily worked out. All Group #1 had to do was start their event one hour earlier, or one hour later, than the Group #2, and the Auctioneer could have helped both groups on the same day.

But because Group #1 failed to anticipate a possible Auctioneer conflict, because they failed to confirm with the Auctioneer before re-scheduling their event, their preferred Auctioneer had to bow out and they had to scramble to locate substitute “Volunteer” Auctioneer only days before their event.

And it cost them.

Learning Points

The Live Auction is usually where the profits are made at any Fundraising Auction.
A Professional Fundraising Auctioneer can be vital to the success of any Fundraising Auction.
The better Fundraising Auctioneers usually get booked quickly.
You need to recognize the important contributions that a good Auctioneer can make to your event.
Michael Ivankovich is a Bucks County Fundraising Auctioneer based in Doylestown PA, and serves the Great Philadelphia PA area. He has been a professionally licensed and bonded Auctioneer in Pennsylvania for nearly 20 years, has been named Pennsylvania’s Auctioneer of the Year, and has considerable experience in conducting Fundraising Auctions. Michael loves helping groups raise needed funds for good causes and one of his specialties is the “Special Pledge Appeal” or “Fund-A-Cause Appeal” which usually enables clients to double their revenue in a single evening.

Are you thinking of starting your own home-based business? If so, then you are not alone. Research shows that around the world, more and more people are opting to start and operate their own home-based businesses. This is largely the result of the current gloomy world-wide economic outlook.In case you are hesitating about starting a home-based business, the factors below should encourage you to take that necessary step.First, it is quite easy these days to start and run a home business. If you have a home computer with internet connection, then you can operate an online business from home. You do not have the overheads of the traditional business.From your home you can, via the internet, have access to a global market of several million prospects for your business. If you choose carefully, you can run a highly lucrative online business, as your market can be so vast.Secondly, you can achieve a lot of personal freedom if you are able to run a successful full-time home business. You do not have any boss standing over you and ordering you around. If you do not like your boss, then that fact alone should give you additional incentive to look for ways of quitting and becoming your own boss.Think about it. Running a successful home business can bring you the freedom to wake up as late as like, work when you like, and go on vacation whenever you want. There is no boss to tell you that you cannot do this or that.Third, you can eventually end up earning a lot more money, from running your own home business, than by staying in your current job. It is often said that nobody gets seriously rich by working for somebody else. That is largely true. Unless you are a top executive of a huge multinational company, you are unlikely to get paid the really big bucks.Fourthly, operating a successful home business can afford you a better, more rewarding opportunity to grow closer to your family and friends. You can have more time on your hands, so you can more easily make time for your family and friends. There are some highly-paid executives who work for very long hours and, therefore, are unable to spend adequate time with their partners and families. What is the point of having plenty of money if you don’t have the time to enjoy it personally and with your family and friends?Where there is a will, there is a way. If you are determined to run a home business and become your own boss, you will eventually succeed if you put in the necessary effort. It will take time to succeed in your own home business, but you can make it.Remember that many other people are currently enjoying the rewards of running full-time home businesses. You can do the same if you put your mind to it. Look for a good home-business opportunity and start putting in the hard work. This time next year, you might be much richer than you currently are. More grease to your elbows!