A network marketing business can be a fantastic way to enter into the realm of entrepreneurship, making an income while you discover the ins and outs of growing a profitable business. Each year thousands of individuals take the leap into the world of MLM, sadly most of them jump out just as quickly with a good deal of disillusionment. So let's step back for a moment and take it from the beginning. How do people get into this situation and what should they be basing their decision on?

Most people are introduced to the thought of a network marketing business through some type of opportunity presentation. Generally these meetings occur in someone's home or a hotel meeting room; however, in recent years these meetings have also been happening online. During that presentation someone talks of dreams and potential. What would you do with unlimited income potential? Pictures of beaches, boats, houses and kids accompany the question and for a moment in time the prospect begins to unlock some rarely touched dreams.

With visions of a better life newly beheld in the mind's eye, the presenter begins to talk about just how simple it is to reach those dreams with the lucrative pay plan offered by the company. The talk turns to adding a small number of people every month, who in turn add a small number of people each month, who then beginning adding a small number of people each month. The numbers are illustrated and the excitement increases as the prospect sees just how quickly the money builds. When it is time to sign up, out comes the checkbook and "boom" our prospect is now in business.

Regrettably this scene all too often ends without a serious business being built. Normally the company or product is blamed for the lackluster performance of the business, but actually the blame belongs with the prospect. The prospect began their network marketing business unprepared to build a business that would last. This prospect should have paid attention to the signs in their life that were pointing to a business failure.

Here are some common signs that indicate a network marketing business may not be the right thing for you.

1. You don't like interacting with people. Unfortunately network marketing is a contact sport. Your ability to communicate and interact with others is critical to your success.

2. You hope the computer or someone else will do all of the work. I really should refer you back to the previous point for this one. While the computer or others may simplify the process of prospecting and put your message in front of more people on a regular basis, it still requires interaction to build upon those contacts.

3. You are unwilling to be trained. I find people who join my business and never sign into the training area of my website, is it any wonder that they never make any money.

4. You are unwilling to accept coaching. Similar to the last point, these are people who are so committed to doing the wrong things that they will not receive coaching that will adjust their activities in a positive direction.

5. You don't want to work at your business. "If you build it they will come" may work for baseball diamonds built in the middle of cornfields in rural Iowa, but it is not a productive business practice. Simply signing up and having a company replicated website has never been the formula for success or profitability.

6. You do not use or intend to use your company's products or services. If the product or service is not good enough for you to be using on a regular basis, why in the world should anyone else want to buy it from you either?

7. You do not want to spend any money on your business. If you are too cheap to even spring for business cards or some basic productivity tools then you definitely are not ready to undertake a network marketing business. The unwillingness to invest in your business is the ugly cousin of the previous point. You are setting the tone for your business with your unwillingness to make an investment in it.

If you find yourself in any of these descriptions, then it is probably best that you forgo any notion of starting a network marketing business and continue in a traditional work setting until you are ready to adapt the mindset and disciplines necessary for long term success.