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Casual Articles - Is Your Business Opportunity Program Legal?
Getting celebrity testimonials or endorsements is an effective way to boost sales, add publicity and credibility to your book, and attract attention from booksellers and libraries. As a small press author, I don’t think I would have any trouble getting reviews from Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly or Library Journal if printed on the front cover of my vampire novel were a testimonial by Anne Rice. Yeah, I know… dare to dream. Well, I actually checked on her website for her contact info, and although there’s a way to get in touch with her (that’s not to say she’ll answer my message), she makes it plainly clear that she won’t read other author’s manuscripts. With famous authors, this seems to be the rule.Mid-level authors with big publishers have more luck because the publishers themselves (or at least their publicists) take care of this job. But how can small press authors get testimonials from celebrities when it’s so difficult t
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because peo
If you are interested in getting an estimate for shipping a package, the following information will be needed:1. The approximate weight of the package. Weight is an important component of the shipping cost calculation. Weights are usually measured to the hundredth of a pound. Rounding is up from the hundredth of a pound; therefore, a 10.01 pound package is rated at 11 pounds.2. The approximate size of the packaging. Measure the length, width, and height of the package to the quarter of an inch. In most cases, round up to the next inch if the dimension you are measuring exceeds the inch marker on your tape measure; therefore, a dimension of 13.25 inches is generally rounded up to 14 inches.3. The destination zip code. Knowing the destination zip code helps rate the package since the country is generally broken down into zones by the shipping companies. The further the origin zone is from the destination zone, the
Business Opportunity Programs have always been very popular with many people. They offer the ordinary person the chance to make money from home without the usual costs of setting up in business
There is usually very little if any stock to buy, no overheads much to speak of, no investment in publicity materials etc - all these services are provided free by the program owners. Typically an online opportunity program will provide participants with banners, text ads, email ads, ezine ads etc - even a full website, all completely free
The only cost involved is a small monthly membership fee - although even this can be avoided until you get used to the program, as many programs will allow you to join for free
Do These Programs Really Work?
The honest answer in brief is - some do: many don't!!
The first question to consider is whether the program is in fact legal
Many people down through the years, that business opportunity programs have been around, have lost money - sometimes all their life savings. For this reason most governments in western countries have passed laws to outlaw most of the worst kind of these schemes, often referred to as "Ponzi" schemes
However the law is often openly ignored by many of the people running these business opportunity programs. Perhaps they did not take appropriate legal advise before starting the program, perhaps they were unaware that what they were doing was illegal - or maybe they just didn't care. For some people as long as they are making money, they don't care that other people are losing money!!
However the critical point to grasp is that "ignorance of the law is not an excuse", and any one that promotes a trading scheme, as an affiliate, is just as guilty as the people that run the scheme. In general you should always do your homework on the business in question as most of these type of businesses will not survive very long
A Pyramid Matrix
A pyramid matrix simply means an arrangement where the number of people in each level of the pyramid gets bigger the further you go down. Generally the number of members will increase by a set multiplier e.g. you start with 5 people, each of these people refers 5 people, so on the second level or tier there are 25 people, being 5 X 5. As you go down each level of the matrix you multiply the members by 5 each time. So the next level will be 25 X 5 members which is 125
The problem with this arrangement - and the typical one with business opportunities - is that this rate of growth is unsustainable. You would very quickly need one million people and more to sustain this matrix. In fact by the time you got down to the 9th level of this matrix you would need nearly two million people in the scheme - and each of these two million people would each have to find 5 members, which would then push the membership to 10 million!!
The General Legal Rule
For these reasons laws have been introduced to protect the public from such un-viable schemes
The general rule is that it is illegal to encourage someone to pay money in joining or participating in a trading scheme, if the only or main purpose of the scheme is to encourage other people to pay money by way of joining or participating in a trading scheme e.g. you join a scheme and pay a membership fee of $9.99 - you earn this money back when you find 5 other people to pay their membership fee of $9.99
Anything that breaks this rule is almost certainly illegal - you would be well advised - however enticing the scheme sounds - to stay well clear of such arrangements
Many business opportunity programs break this rule because people join as free members and then must "upgrade" their membership in order to participate in the compensation plan. However they receive nothing of substantial or equivalent value to the membership fee being paid. In other words if you pay $9.99 per month and receive free "training", a "free" website, free "support" via a forum etc - none of these things can be regarded as being of "substantial or equivalent" value
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because peop
Turnkey websites can help you start an online business in a fast and an affordable way.The Advantages of turnkey websites:1. Easy to install: just few mouse clicks!2. No technical knowledge required: you can focus on your business3. Affordable4. Fully functional: not just templates and not just scripts but fully functional websites.5. Ready to make money online: (check the website features on the home page for more info)6. Ready in 1-2 days7. Customizable: easily change the look and feel of the website.8. You can select from over 60 different e-business types.9. Backed with 24/7 support10. Easy to manage and update: very easy to add/edit/delete any pages and to customize the Title, Meta tags,You can use these turnkey websites:To start an e-business and make money online, you can do this with:- Contextual ads added to your turnkey websit
Many people down through the years, that business opportunity programs have been around, have lost money - sometimes all their life savings. For this reason most governments in western countries have passed laws to outlaw most of the worst kind of these schemes, often referred to as "Ponzi" schemes
However the law is often openly ignored by many of the people running these business opportunity programs. Perhaps they did not take appropriate legal advise before starting the program, perhaps they were unaware that what they were doing was illegal - or maybe they just didn't care. For some people as long as they are making money, they don't care that other people are losing money!!
However the critical point to grasp is that "ignorance of the law is not an excuse", and any one that promotes a trading scheme, as an affiliate, is just as guilty as the people that run the scheme. In general you should always do your homework on the business in question as most of these type of businesses will not survive very long
A Pyramid Matrix
A pyramid matrix simply means an arrangement where the number of people in each level of the pyramid gets bigger the further you go down. Generally the number of members will increase by a set multiplier e.g. you start with 5 people, each of these people refers 5 people, so on the second level or tier there are 25 people, being 5 X 5. As you go down each level of the matrix you multiply the members by 5 each time. So the next level will be 25 X 5 members which is 125
The problem with this arrangement - and the typical one with business opportunities - is that this rate of growth is unsustainable. You would very quickly need one million people and more to sustain this matrix. In fact by the time you got down to the 9th level of this matrix you would need nearly two million people in the scheme - and each of these two million people would each have to find 5 members, which would then push the membership to 10 million!!
The General Legal Rule
For these reasons laws have been introduced to protect the public from such un-viable schemes
The general rule is that it is illegal to encourage someone to pay money in joining or participating in a trading scheme, if the only or main purpose of the scheme is to encourage other people to pay money by way of joining or participating in a trading scheme e.g. you join a scheme and pay a membership fee of $9.99 - you earn this money back when you find 5 other people to pay their membership fee of $9.99
Anything that breaks this rule is almost certainly illegal - you would be well advised - however enticing the scheme sounds - to stay well clear of such arrangements
Many business opportunity programs break this rule because people join as free members and then must "upgrade" their membership in order to participate in the compensation plan. However they receive nothing of substantial or equivalent value to the membership fee being paid. In other words if you pay $9.99 per month and receive free "training", a "free" website, free "support" via a forum etc - none of these things can be regarded as being of "substantial or equivalent" value
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because peo
New York Yankees infielder Derek Jeter said it well. He was talking about pro baseball but he just as easily could have been speaking as a salesperson.He pointed out:“You’re playing a game where you fail more than you succeed. You’ve got to try to keep it as simple as possible.”Psychologically, I think it’s fair to say, most people are ill-equipped to fail more than they succeed.Imagine working for the postal service and every few days the addresses or street names on your route are changed on you, without notice. Or mailboxes that were always accessible are glued shut, and try as you might, you just can’t pry them open to deposit your items.Frequently, selling feels like this. It is one of the few occupations where people resist your efforts as much as they can, where some, like receptionists and secretaries, feel it is a duty to prevent you from doing your job, somewhat like a pitcher’s job is to
A Pyramid Matrix
A pyramid matrix simply means an arrangement where the number of people in each level of the pyramid gets bigger the further you go down. Generally the number of members will increase by a set multiplier e.g. you start with 5 people, each of these people refers 5 people, so on the second level or tier there are 25 people, being 5 X 5. As you go down each level of the matrix you multiply the members by 5 each time. So the next level will be 25 X 5 members which is 125
The problem with this arrangement - and the typical one with business opportunities - is that this rate of growth is unsustainable. You would very quickly need one million people and more to sustain this matrix. In fact by the time you got down to the 9th level of this matrix you would need nearly two million people in the scheme - and each of these two million people would each have to find 5 members, which would then push the membership to 10 million!!
The General Legal Rule
For these reasons laws have been introduced to protect the public from such un-viable schemes
The general rule is that it is illegal to encourage someone to pay money in joining or participating in a trading scheme, if the only or main purpose of the scheme is to encourage other people to pay money by way of joining or participating in a trading scheme e.g. you join a scheme and pay a membership fee of $9.99 - you earn this money back when you find 5 other people to pay their membership fee of $9.99
Anything that breaks this rule is almost certainly illegal - you would be well advised - however enticing the scheme sounds - to stay well clear of such arrangements
Many business opportunity programs break this rule because people join as free members and then must "upgrade" their membership in order to participate in the compensation plan. However they receive nothing of substantial or equivalent value to the membership fee being paid. In other words if you pay $9.99 per month and receive free "training", a "free" website, free "support" via a forum etc - none of these things can be regarded as being of "substantial or equivalent" value
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because peo
Jeans are comfy, unfussy and display tons of attitudes. But do you know what goes in to making that wonderful pair? It is denim fabric which snugly fits as jeans to withstand the rigors of day and night, for you!Over 50 percent of denim production is based in Asia with China, India, Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh leading in that order. Have huge domestic markets, China and India have easily displaced the USA, once a leader of this category of textiles.Even as trade agreements are being entered into to restrict low priced denims from Asia, this is not expected to change things much. World demand for denim fabric is expected to continue to grow at a rate of 3-4% per annum for some time to come. And supply will remain more than the demand for another year or so. The capacities that are being added will be more than the closures at least for some time to come.This is what exactly emerges from World Denim Report put
The General Legal Rule
For these reasons laws have been introduced to protect the public from such un-viable schemes
The general rule is that it is illegal to encourage someone to pay money in joining or participating in a trading scheme, if the only or main purpose of the scheme is to encourage other people to pay money by way of joining or participating in a trading scheme e.g. you join a scheme and pay a membership fee of $9.99 - you earn this money back when you find 5 other people to pay their membership fee of $9.99
Anything that breaks this rule is almost certainly illegal - you would be well advised - however enticing the scheme sounds - to stay well clear of such arrangements
Many business opportunity programs break this rule because people join as free members and then must "upgrade" their membership in order to participate in the compensation plan. However they receive nothing of substantial or equivalent value to the membership fee being paid. In other words if you pay $9.99 per month and receive free "training", a "free" website, free "support" via a forum etc - none of these things can be regarded as being of "substantial or equivalent" value
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because peo
One of the questions I receive most often from my newsletter subscribers is what do I do when I've "blown it?" As one good friend said: "I forgot all the great ways I know to address a conflict. I reprimanded an employee by basically attacking her character. I did apologize, and, thankfully, she is not quitting. But things feel awkward, and I'm wondering if there's something I can do to help the situation besides apologize."First, this person did just the right thing—she apologized, and she didn't wait too long to do it. It's important to remember that we all react occasionally in ways that we think better of later. Once you apologize, give it time. Continue to center, breathe, smile, and treat the employee with respect.In addition, hold the vision that with time your relationship will be back on the right track. Visualize how you want the relationship to look as you continue to work together, and
The law regards these schemes as an illegal unregistered lottery, and anyone who promotes such schemes is engaged in an illegal activity - certainly not a legitimate business!
Product Based Opportunities That Have A Network Aspect
The way to make such money type schemes legal, is to always ensure that people are receiving something of value for their membership fee e.g. some real product or service which could be bought by the general public
Product based opportunities are fully legal because people join for free as "distributors" and can sell a range of products and earn a commission, based on the sales they generate. There may be an additional "add-on" network aspect, which may require the payment of a monthly fee. This payment is fine, so long as there is something of value provided for the payment, and so long as making the payment is not compulsory
Because product based opportunities are nearly always legal - providing there is a "join for free" option, then you can always have confidence that such businesses, based on selling a product or range of products, is a viable opportunity and will almost certainly last into the future
What Qualifies As A Product?
You need to be clear what is meant by a product
In general we are talking about a real physical product such as slimming pills, ski jacket, health drink, bedside clock, perfume etc. If the main purpose of the business is to sell the product - even if there is some additional network aspect, then you are generally on firm ground
The Network
We have mentioned the phrase "the network aspect" we need to be clear what is meant by this. We do not mean a standard pyramid matrix. The idea of network marketing is to allow for a system of network distribution - so that each member in the organization sells a small amount of product per month, but altogether this amounts to a much larger total value. However there is no requirement for people to participate in building a network if they do not wish to - they can just sell the products for their standard commission. Such a system will produce far greater group sales than the same number of people just paying a monthly membership fee.
Imagine if I have 100 people in my network all selling just $50 of product a month. That amounts to total sales for the group of $5,000 per month. But if those 100 people just paid a membership fee of $9.99 per month, the total revenue would be only $999. In addition, as each of those 100 people would be receiving a commission cheque for their $50 worth of sales, they would be much more likely to continue with the business, as compared to simply "losing" a membership fee of $9.99 with no commissions for their trouble
Conclusion
Be very careful about business opportunity programs. Product based opportunities work very well via a system of network distribution. However if there is no product of any significance, and you only make money by getting other people to pay a membership fee, then this scheme is very unlikely to pay you any money ever. With a product based opportunity you can sell real products and collect a trade commission even as a free member. As a result the business is viable and a network can be built up into a significant monthly income
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