Is Building a Network Marketing Business Worth It?

If you are not sure whether starting and building your own network marketing business is worth it, let me ask you this. Do you know how much it costs to start a regular business or franchise and how much the expenses are every month for these people? Let alone all the paperwork that needs be filed for the state, the employee insurances and taxes, etc.

If you want to learn about the costs involved in starting a franchise, you have to consider the franchise fee which is normally around $20,000, plus legal fees, build-out costs, inventory, supplies and your working capital, or the day-by-day cash that you will need on hand to run your business. As far as starting your own business, I can tell you from watching one of my friends closely who started his own business a couple of years ago that the start-up prices are quite high as are the monthly expenses, the paperwork is at times overwhelming, and if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid.

However, one good thing these three ways of doing business have in common is that you get a tax-break. The government rewards those who decide to start their own small business and gives them many tax-breaks, whether they work from home, or they work from some type of locale or business building. However, many businesses that are self-started or franchised are noted to fail within a few years because the expenses are so overwhelming and they don't find it worth the effort. However, those who see the value of building a network marketing style of business succeed.

Let's look at some of the positive things Network Marketing offers us which are the reason motivated entrepreneurs succeed in this type of business. First of all, when you build your home-based business network marketing style, the start-up cost is very low compared to the other two ways aforementioned.The monthly expenses are low as well and normally are just to maintain the websites and back-office the company we partner with offers us, which have a ton of tools and training for us. A serious builder will also get business cards made up and get some DVDs and brochures that the company offers for their success, since we all may not be experts at the company or products, "but everyone can be an absolute master at using tools", as Robert Butwin states in his book Street Smart Networking. There is no paperwork to be filed with the state, the shipping and handling services are handled by the company we partner with, and normally there is no inventory that we need to keep in our home. In addition to this, we can build our business as we go about our daily lives - continuing the job we already have whether it be stay-at-home parent, secretary, doctor, nurse, personal trainer, banker, etc. No matter what your occupation is, or what degree you may have gotten in school, or what gender and race you are, you can build your own business without tremendous risk and without having to take out a big loan or cash in all your savings.

Now let's look at some of the frustrations we need to face as network marketers. The market has gotten a bad rep over the years because of all the people that simply signed up to get rich quick but were not really motivated and therefore quit before they experienced any real success. In addition, many people think that just the people on the top get rich, but those who sign up later will never make as much. Let me ask you this: when was the last time you noticed that the owners of a regular company - the company you currently work with or have worked with in the past - are those that make the most money, whereas the employees, you included, are simply getting paid a small paycheck, without any tax breaks?

Other frustrations may include telling people about the business (especially friends and family), approaching strangers about the products or business opportunity, not seeing quick results, and not knowing exactly what to do to make your business grow. Let's approach each of these frustrations individually since they are all valid. First of all, if you have your own business, no matter what type it is, you NEED to tell others about your business. If you have started your own business non-network-marketing-style, who would you tell first? Strangers or your family and friends? I'm sure the answer would be a resounding family and friends. Well, approach your NM business in the same way; you don't want your family and friends to find out LATER that you have a business, do you? No... You want their support right off hand. Let them know your store is simply online, not offline, like many other companies have (which also have retail stores in your area). Secondly, we have approaching strangers, so let me ask you this: Do you have thousands of family members and friends that you don't need to tell anyone else about your business and the products you offer? You believe the products are excellent and that is why you offer them, right? So tell others about them. If you don't tell others, if you don't advertise with whatever method you want, you will not be getting any business. You can't just expect people to come knocking at your door nor calling you if you don't tell them you offer something, can you? As far as not seeing quick results goes, let me assure you that those who start their own business traditional style do not usually get quick results either, and yet their expenses keep piling up. And as far as not knowing exactly what to do to make your business succeed, I encourage you to simply look at and follow the roadmap that people that are in a rank above you have followed and succeeded. These people, and even the company itself, have taken the time to put together a roadmap, so all we need to do is follow it; it's as simple as that. When you start your own business traditional style, there truly is no real roadmap to follow; you simply have to get out there and tell people about your business and talk to other entrepreneurs who have successful businesses of their own to see what they have done.

So, to answer the question "Is building a network marketing business worth all the frustrations", I would say it is, but you need to answer that question for yourself after reading this article in which I have written the positive things to consider, as well as addressed the frustrations that most people face. What do you think? Would you invest your time and effort in building a network marketing business yourself? Why or why not?