Business Opportunities   Tens of thousands of people are currently looking for a way to start a home-based business. With the economic downturn expected to get worse and last longer than previously thought, more and more people are turning to Online Business Opportunities to make money. Many programs claim that you can make thousands of dollars a month simply by clicking your mouse or by investing very little effort. So what are we supposed to do when it comes to making the all-important decision of starting a home business? How can you get a firm grasp on what is a real opportunity and what is nothing more than a home business scam? The answer can be very simple if you take into consideration this simple five-step formula when you're looking to start a home business. If you can honestly answer "yes" to each of these questions than you likely have found a great start to a home based business opportunity: 1. Are there currently other people making money doing the business you're considering? While you might think that this is a little counterintuitive at first, consider for a moment a home business that no one else is promoting. If no one is promoting the business, chances are there isn't a lot of money to be made in that home business. You're better off finding an opportunity that has some competition. 2. If there are other people promoting this home business, are there others actually making a lot of money at it? A program might be well-promoted but this doesn't necessarily mean that there's money to be made in that industry. Search around in your favorite search engine, visit forums and ask questions about the opportunity and get some real answers from real people who are making it work. 3. Is this home business a long-term opportunity or is it something that is playing on the hype of something current? You'll want to be sure that the opportunity is something that can make an income for you for a long time to come. You don't want to get involved in something that disappears overnight. 4. Does the home business you're considering offer a chance to produce income that occurs automatically? There's no doubt that you will need to work hard to get your home business off of the ground, but you don't want to have to work 60 hours a week for years on end before you see a residual income. Be sure that the opportunity your considering can get you moving quickly and allows your income to grow while you end up working less as time goes on. 5. Is the business easy to start up? If the business requires that you have a certain set of skills such as website design or online marketing skills that you don't currently have, or if it will take a long time to get the business set up, it's best to pass on that business and look elsewhere. A home business is a dream that many people have. But it's not a decision to be made lightly. Be sure you cover all of your bases, check out each potential opportunity first before investing, and then once you find that perfect home business, be sure you're able to invest the time needed to get it up and running.