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How do I Find the Best Income Opportunities?

Malcolm Tatum
By
Updated May 17, 2024
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Just about everyone today is on the lookout for some way to increase his or her household income. For some people, this means finding a whole new job. Other people are happy with their full-time employment, but would love to get into something they could do part-time. Fortunately, there are many ways to identify and investigate income opportunities that were not possible a few years ago. This makes it much easier to locate and secure the ideal income opportunity for your situation.

Before ever beginning the task of looking for the best income opportunities currently available, it is a good idea to define the goals you wish to reach. This means determining how much net income you wish to generate each month and how much time you can reasonably afford to devote to the task. Knowing these two factors will make it possible to narrow your search to opportunities that will fit your lifestyle and also allow you to reach your financial goals within a reasonable period of time.

Today, there is a wide range of online job opportunities to consider. Your first task with this option is to learn how to tell what is a legitimate job offer and what is a scam. One distinguishing feature of many online scams is exaggerated claims on how much money can be made. Also, be aware of any jobs that supposedly require no training or lack any basic skill set that is required for the position. Chances are they will not prove to be everything they claim.

Another indicator of that a given job offer may not be legitimate is purported businesses that require the purchase of some type of introductory kit or membership in order to secure work. The fact is that few of these actually deliver on what they promise. Even if the company is legitimate, there is a good chance you could secure several other income opportunities just as profitable without ever having to pay any type of fee. As a general rule, don’t waste much time on any so-called job that requires you to pay a fee or join a membership site.

The best offers, both online and offline, are those income opportunities that provide training and continuing support for their agents and resellers. As many established companies turn to this type of sales effort, the chance to set your own hours and make a decent living have expanded greatly. You can become an agent in all sorts of industries, ranging from telecommunication services to selling candles and notions. Best of all, you decide how much time you can devote to the effort, so you can easily work as an agent and still hold down your full-time job.

You will also find the best income opportunities are found with companies that are very up front about who they are and how they do business. If they have been around for a number of years, they are worth considering. Should the name of the company be well known and respected in their industry and among their client base, that is another sure sign they are legitimate and not one of the many job scams out there today. These types of companies often work through online ads, classified ads in the local newspaper, and through employment agencies.

As you search for the best income opportunities, make sure you watch for any type of job fraud or companies that seem to intentionally misrepresent themselves. Report any suspicions of employment fraud to local authorities as well as to consumer protection agencies. Your actions may result in preventing someone who need a new source of income badly from getting involved with a scam that ultimately makes his or her financial situation worse.

WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Malcolm Tatum
By Malcolm Tatum , Writer
Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing to become a full-time freelance writer. He has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including WiseGeek, and his work has also been featured in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and newspapers. When not writing, Malcolm enjoys collecting vinyl records, following minor league baseball, and cycling.

Discussion Comments

By comfyshoes — On Oct 16, 2010

Moldova-I have tried mystery shopping and I really enjoy it. I think that looking to other income opportunities like writing is also a good idea.

There are some writing sites that offer residual income opportunities for articles that you write. For example sites like Suite 101, Bright Hub, the Examiner, and Associated Content are just a handful of sites that offer residual income from articles.

Many writers that feel strongly towards this form of income feel that since there are so many hours in a day, residual income will offer income even when you choose not to write or do something else.

It takes time to build this income and some sites pay based on the number of ad clicks while other choose to pay based on number of readers.

You can also develop passive income from investing in income producing mutual funds or stocks. High yielding stocks and mutual funds offer more income due to the compounding nature of the investment. Income opportunities funds like these offer income even when the market is down.

By Moldova — On Oct 16, 2010

Cafe41-I know that online income opportunities exist everywhere. There are many companies that will hire you to provide customer service support by phone and by chat.

These companies include Arise, Working Solutions, VIP Desk, and Live Ops to name a few. You can also look at mystery shopping opportunities. Mystery shoppers give evaluations based on covert shopping experiences.

Mystery shoppers are paid by the job and do not usually have the consistent work that other income opportunities have. It does however offer excellent part time income and for some select individuals they are able to create a full time opportunities.

The best place to go to find out about mystery shopping is to check out Volition. It is the ultimate forum that provides all kinds of information on mystery shopping companies to sign up for and which to avoid.

By cafe41 — On Oct 16, 2010

Bhutan-I have gone to that site and it is great. I have to say that residual income business opportunity also exists in real estate. Many people have funded their retirement from the passive income opportunities that real estate represents.

If you buy a multi unit apartment building for example, you tend to earn more and eventually your mortgage will be paid off because the tenants are actually paying your expenses.

While this does require capital for a down payment and some savings for maintenance, it can pay off in the future. This may require some work on your part, the monthly income generated from tenants could supplement your retirement or offer income opportunities from the property.

You can also add a coin laundry to the building to make the property more desirable to tenants. This strategy is not without risks, but if you hang in long enough you might enjoy an income as well as appreciation from your property.

By Bhutan — On Oct 16, 2010

Anon49798- I agree. There are a lot of home based business income opportunities. Home based businesses have become really popular because of the low upfront costs and the flexibility that it provides.

Many stay at home moms run businesses out of their homes during the hours that their children are in school. Entrepreneur magazine offers its top home income opportunities and ranks the businesses according to initial costs and overall best investment.

Many of the top income business opportunities involve commercial cleaning businesses like Jani-King, supplemental education providers like Kumon Math and Reading Centers, and vacation planning companies like Cruise Planner which offers low cost cruises.

They also offer tips on how to increase the profitability of home based businesses and include a blog called the Mompreneur. It also gives advice to would be entrepreneurs and offers them potential business ideas as well as motivational success stories.

By anon49798 — On Oct 22, 2009

thanks. Good level-headed advice.

Malcolm Tatum

Malcolm Tatum

Writer

Malcolm Tatum, a former teleconferencing industry professional, followed his passion for trivia, research, and writing...
Learn more
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