In today's economy, it seems like more people are being drawn to the home based business industry. The idea of a low start-up cost, residual income and the opportunity to work from home is pretty enticing. Who wouldn't want to give it a try, right?

That's exactly why this article needs to be written. There are so many home based businesses to choose from, and if you don't have much experience in Network Marketing, you may make a bad choice. This article isn't aimed towards swaying you one way or another and is definitely not going to make the choice for you. It's geared towards helping you make a wise decision that will continue to be profitable for you for many years into the future.

Viable Product - Make sure the company you are looking to join has a product that is worth the value it's being sold for. Given, you have to allow room for commission to the distributors who sell it, but selling a book or course for thousands of dollars when it can be purchased in a book store for a fraction of the cost isn't viable. The product must be worth what it's being sold for, be affordable to the majority of the population and do what it's supposed to do. Prove the product to yourself. Be a critic as it will help you sell it in the future.

Competition - Shortly after a product or company is created, you'll start to see copy cats popping in. Especially if the product is a successful one. Do your research on how many other companies there are that market the same product, but with a different shell. You want to find a niche that belongs to you. Any good business owner knows that power of truly owning a niche.

Income Potential - Point blank, unless you are independently wealthy and have all the money you will ever need, join a home based business that will be profitable. Don't waste your time on something that is going to pay you peanuts. "But....but.....this product is going to change the world as we know it." If that was the case, then they should be charging way more for it and you should be getting paid more to sell it. A good home based business will have a healthy up front commission and a lucrative residual back end.

Company Organization - We've all heard of companies doing well in the beginning and folding within the first three to five years. If a Network Marketing company dies within a short period of time, it's usually because of the way it was setup. Two guys with a burning desire to be rich usually isn't the one you want to pick. It's too vulnerable and dependent on their lives and personal decisions. Pick a company that has a healthy corporate setting that has a lot to offer you as a distributor. There are home based business companies that offer certain types of benefits including life insurance and tax assistance along with their start-up kits.

Purpose of the Founders/Owners - The overall goal of the company and its founders is a deal breaker. If the company is a money hungry machine hidden behind an overly priced product, you may make some money there for a while, but eventually, it will crumble. Make sure the companies goals are virtuous and praiseworthy. Simply having a goal to create "x" amount of millionaires in the next three years, as enticing as it may sound, it's not a praiseworthy goal. A company with a truly noble purpose will create "x" amount of millionaires ten times over without having to use that as their marketing plot.

Running your own home based business is exciting! There's nothing like being at the drivers seat of your own income without having the headache of employees and storefronts to handle. You truly can create a life of time freedom and the income to support that lifestyle. When it all comes down to it, after you've done your research, the best thing you can do is to simply follow your gut.