I even had another friend who developed software around an idea that I actually came up with. Back in the early 2000s, I pulled together almost a dozen other marketers and created a system that referred subscribers to our lists. By using this idea, we were able to exponentially grow the size of all of our lists. My friend took this idea and, with my blessing, was able to create software around this method that made him quite wealthy. Unfortunately, I was too busy with other projects to invest in his spinoff idea. However, this just goes to show you that one idea can be turned into multiple profit streams.

The most important thing to keep in mind whenever you are trying to dream up these ideas, is not to over think everything. If you look at the wildly successful Twitter, it was really born from a simple idea: allowing people to communicate with quick blurbs of text, which famously became known as “tweets”. Even Facebook was not an original idea, as there had been many other social sites created around the same concept well before hand. However, Mark Zuckerberg put a spin on an already well used idea, and became a multimillionaire. So as you can clearly see, trying to brainstorm ideas on how to make money does not always have to be complicated or even an original idea.

Here is a great exercise that I often used to help me brainstorm some quick money making ideas: first I will look at a potential market that I feel has great potential, then I will start researching some of the products that are targeted towards this niche. Then I begin to jot down ways I can expand on a product idea that is already out there and how I can create a unique selling proposition around it. By doing this simple exercise, I have come up with countless profitable ideas I have used over the years. It is an extremely powerful method that really gets the wheels churning in your mind. Even if you don’t view yourself as a deep thinker, I guarantee you that you will be shocked at some of the ideas you dream up, once you start putting some real thought into it.

Finally, don’t let fear hold you back, or negativity. Try to have a positive attitude and most importantly of all, take action on just one of the ideas you think can be profitable, and don’t procrastinate and sell yourself short!

Unfortunately, with these types of opportunities comes the potential for scam artists who are preying on desperate people. I am more then willing to admit that I got taken by one of these scam artist well over 15 years ago, when I first started looking into working from home. When I look back on how I got sucked into this opportunity, there were a number of red flags I chose to ignore. In the end, these people ended up taking me for over $2000, and my self-esteem was completely destroyed. Fortunately, I was able to pick myself back up and move on from what had happened and created a successful online business. Sadly, many people who get ripped off by these types of scumbags never recover.

Whenever you are looking at an opportunity, there are several things that you can do to try and gauge whether or not things are on the up and up, or determine if it is a potential scam designed to rip you out of your hard earned cash. Here are a few tips that have served me well over the years whenever I am trying to gauge the legitimacy of an opportunity:

Use The Power Of Forums To Your Advantage

I can almost guarantee you that any work from home opportunity you are considering has already been discussed on one of the major Internet marketing or MLM forums. You need to do your due diligence and see what people are saying about a particular program that you are interested in.

On most of these forums you will find that there is a great sense of community and all of the members are trying to look out for one another. If there is a scam that people have been taken by, you will most likely hear about it in these types of forums. If you do not see anything positive or negative about your program, simply create a new thread and ask people’s opinions.

How Long Has The Program Been Around

One of the most important things you should be looking for in any business opportunity is longevity. In general a program will not be around for long if it is a scam. However, this should not be the lone factor whenever you are trying to determine the legitimacy of an opportunity.

Are Any Popular Marketers Doing This Program?

One of the big things I like to look for in any program, is to see if it is being done by some other well-known marketers around the Internet. Usually, if the people I trust as honest marketers are doing a particular opportunity, this is generally a good sign that everything is on the up and up.

I have been marketing online for almost a dozen years now, and I can tell you with all certainty that trying to find legit work from home is not easy. These opportunities are designed to get you excited and you have to try and keep a level head when you’re considering any of these programs. Remember, if you sense any red flags about an opportunity, to go with your instincts and stay away!

If you want to learn how to get rich fast, the only real solution you’re going to find is a magic pill being offered by the plethora of scam artists lurking in our industry. Trust me when I tell you, these people feed off of the desperation of others. If you don’t want to become one of their next victims, the first thing you will have to accept is that making a living online requires a lot of hard work and a firm belief in yourself. If you are lazy, have trouble making decisions, and are always second guessing yourself, I will tell you right off the bat you are going to fail. This doesn’t mean that individuals with low self-esteem shouldn’t try marketing online, it simply means that you’re going to have to start believing in yourself if you want to make it in this industry.

I simply don’t know any successful marketers who don’t trust themselves. The fact of the matter is that you will find many marketers who have firmly established businesses online, were not always so confident in themselves. I have no trouble admitting that I got taken advantage of by scam artists over 15 years ago when I first tried my hand at this business. The difference between me and people who end up failing, is that each time I got knocked down, I kept getting up and moving forward. I learned a lesson from each one of my failures, and I never repeated the same mistake twice. Remember, Einstein’s definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again, and expect different results.

My best advice to anyone starting out online, is to never allow yourself to fall in love with an idea. You have to learn how to find a balance between giving up too soon and investing yourself into a money pit. A good marketer knows when he or she has fully exhausted an idea and when to move on. You may not have this type of intuition when you first start, and that is perfectly okay. You have to expect that your online marketing journey is going to be a roller coaster ride. I simply don’t know of anyone who learned how to become rich fast marketing online!