There are so many home based business opportunities in the market place and so many scare stories about companies failing, how can you tell which company represents the best vehicle for success? I offer you 10 pointers to watch for.

1. Is the product or service promoted by the company something which you will use yourself? All companies have a personal productivity requirement, it may be called something different or disguised in some way but it will be there. If the goods and services on offer are not something you would ever use this is going to be an expensive waste of money for you. Also, how it will be possible for you to promote something of which you have no personal experience? The only way to do this would be for you to have excellent sales skills, which most of us do not - the majority also lack the appetite and confidence for the hard sales approach.

By looking for a company which is providing goods and/or services in which you have faith and trust and which you are happy to use yourself, you give yourself the best start. At this stage do not be misled by monetary promises and the intricacies of compensation or marketing plans. At the end of the day, if no-one is going to use the goods or services you are marketing, you cannot succeed.

2. Look for a company which provides goods and/or services which people already use, preferably on a daily basis. It is much easier to promote things which people are buying already, you are not having to create a market, all you are asking them to do is to transfer an existing spend. No new money is required.

From your own point of view, I would hazard a guess that money is playing some part in your decision to start a home based business. It is important that you keep the