Business Opportunities: Success And Failure
Statistics As Well As Possible Prevention
RSS Print

Let's face it, business opportunities are a
rather quick, easy way to start a business. They are usually
"turnkey" operations, where someone that buys into a program
either online or offline is provided with all the necessary
elements of immediately being in business for themselves.
Business opportunity programs can also be cost effective, as
many abound, and finding one within a restricted budget is
rather easy.
The biggest challenges faced when choosing a
business opportunity program are the following:
Choosing one that suits an entrepreneur's
needs and skills as well as interests.
Choosing one that pays enough in commissions
on goods or services that makes it lucrative enough to turn a
healthy profit.
Choosing one that is wanted and needed by
customers/clients.
Choosing one that does not exist in an
already glutted market. This would lead to too many choices of
other providers and a rather limited market for the business
owner.

The sad facts are that because of the easy
start up, and the rather quick "fix" that business
opportunities present to potential entrepreneurs, business
opportunity members can quickly enter a business and just as
quickly leave it. Turnover can be quite a problem. Since little
initial investment is required, many members "jump into" a
business opportunity at whim, and quickly find that running a
business is a whole heck of a lot of work!
The reason for the failure rate is also
attributable to certain outlooks and requirements that many
business opportunity "joiners" fail to consider when
joining:
Is the business opportunity nothing more
than empty promises, the old "too good to be true" adage?
Unfortunately, these types of offerings run rampant both online
and offline.
Is the business opportunity catering to a
dying market? Markets can fluctuate, so due diligence is
needed. Research into markets, just as with any other business
is paramount.
Is the business opportunity solvent? Talk to
other members, and do research. Become aware of any problems in
payments/revenues before you join.
Is the business opportunity flexible? Does
the Biz Op restrict members in their advertising methods, or
are they inflexible and "distant" in their approach to members'
concerns/problems.
Is the business opportunity viable?
Viability should be financial as well as personal. In other
words, does the Biz Op have a great financial track record and
does it meet the needs of "you" personally, as far as personal
satisfaction and approaches to sales and marketing?
Is the business opportunity working within
the confines of federal, state and local laws? Depending upon
where a member lives, these laws can vary widely!
The real statistics on failures of small
businesses, many of which now are business opportunities and
franchises, are well documented by the United States Small
Business Administration: www.sbaonline.sba.gov/. Business
statistics provided by the United States Department of
Labor, report that in 1994, the number of businesses that
failed that year were divided into the following
categories:
Bankruptcies (a 15.4% increase from
1993).
Failures (a 17% increase from 1993).
Terminations (.3% increase from 1993).
The Small Business Administration attributes
these failures and the evolving higher percentages to the fact
that there are now MORE small businesses in the United States
overall, with a 49% increase in numbers since 1982.
The Small Business Administration also
states specifically that statistically, only one in seven can
be considered a true "failure", leaving unpaid obligations in
their wakes. Others simply sell or shut their doors for a
variety of other reasons.
Since most business opportunities, at least
initially, open with less than 100 employees (many are simply
the owner, as sole owner and executor of all business
"chores"), then most Biz Ops are indeed "small businesses" and
as such all the pertinent failure statistics can be applied to
them. What is really surprising and rather "staggering" is the
fact that most business failures are not due to outside forces,
but those that the business owner has complete control over!
These issues included lack of marketing know-how, lack of
record keeping, lack of management competence, lack of
financial management, and other business basics such as
controlling employees and the inability to seek outside
assistance and advice!
The wise business owner, whether or not
involved in a business opportunity, will seek to learn and
implement proper procedures, and investigate proper methods of
operation throughout the life of a business.
If this is done, a Biz Op owner, or any
small business owner, has less of a chance of becoming the
"latest failure statistic"!
Readers' Comments 
|