Can we ask questions about SPECIFIC opportunities?

Tejas

I`m new here, and look forward to learning a lot from all of you. My first question is this: I`m researching several home-based and web-based opportunities with the hope that I can leave my current career and transition to self-employment. Is it permissable on StartupNation to seek opinions about specific companies, and the opportunities they offer, from those of you who may have first-hand knowledge about them? I haven`t found anything about this in the terms of use or other rules.Thanks,TejasTejas3/10/2008 7:59 PM

dsprindle

Tejas,
 
Is it permissable on StartupNation to seek opinions about specific companies, and the opportunities they offer, from those of you who may have first-hand knowledge about them?

 
We are new to forums as well. There seem to be a lot of good hearted people here at SuN. Remember, our opinions are just that... opinions. Some are quite valuable, some not so much so.
 
We searched for two years for a business and heard a lot of opinions. We found that we needed to to do exactly what you are doing... uncover the facts.
 
Here are some things we did:

Meet other people who were successful in the business we were looking at. Were they the kind of people we wanted to be around?

Meet corporate leadership of any companies tied to the business we were looking at. Track records, history, etc.

Tour the manufacturing facilities and corporate headquarters of those companies.

Evaluate products or services- would we purchase them at full retail? Would we be repeat customers?

Get to know anyone we would be working with in our new venture on a personal level. Would we want them to influence our children... ?

Is the business something we would enjoy doing the rest of our lives?

We`ve owned several (ten) businesses for different lengths of time (from twenty years to one year). They cover a broad spectrum.
 
All we can do is share our experience with you and hope you find something of value.
 
Be patient. Do your due diligence.
 
Best regards,
 
Scott & Laurie
dsprindle3/11/2008 1:52 PM

Tejas

One of the companies I find interesting was a top-ranked opportunity in StartupNation`s Home-Based 100.  It`s a company called Child Shield USA. I`m trying to find someone who has had first-hand dealings with the company, either as an agent or a client. You can only judge so much from company literature and online publicity.

Tejas

Good idea, but no luck. There were no useful hits on Google Groups. Thanks for the suggestion.

Tejas

The company has been around for 16 years, and I`m not having a problem finding them in the search engines. But, I`m only finding "pr."  I`d like to talk with someone who has joined them as an agent, and see what they think of the program. Since they were prominent in the SuN 100, I thought maybe someone here might have some knowledge or experience. I have made contact with one couple in Missouri and will talk with them this weekend.Your idea about talking with law enforcement is a good one. Thanks, Craig, for all your input.

Tejas

Even the high-end risk is not bad, and California is almost virgin territory. I`d like to figure out why that is. They seem to be big in Texas and the mid-west, as well as around New Jersey and some other Northeastern states. Like I said, I`ll be having a conversation with a current agent this weekend.

darrindickey

You might contact the company and ask them to provide references of 5 franchisees who have done well with the company and 5 former franchisees. They may not want to refer you to the latter, but it doesn`t hurt to ask. It`s not an unreasonable request to want to find out why some franchisees haven`t succeeded or stuck with the program.
Darrin