Crazy like a fox???

Today’s word is legitimacy. It is hard to find genuine legitimacy in the modern world. Thankfully there is the internet, and regrettably there is the internet. The internet can be a great tool for trying to determine legitimacy but it is also a great distributor of the less than genuine.

A case in point. I have often been interested in the money making side of life and have looked into a fair share of money making opportunities that have passed my way. If any of you have done even a little bit of looking at the same you will understand quickly where my high degree of skepticism comes from.

I have seen on TV an advertisement a few months back with a dopey looking animated fox telling how you can make big money from home and all you needed to do was go to their crazy like a fox web site and they would send the info. What they really do is provide a few more teasers, with absolutely no detail, ask for your phone address and e-mail then sends you to the next page where they want credit card information so they can charge you 10 bucks to send you their information package. I still have no idea what that information is. I am not going to hand then a single dime to find out the hard way either.

Sometimes it is easy to find out information about these kinds of operations through a quick search engine search on the internet but this time I wasn’t having much luck. I did find out that the title was used in a movie and TV series and you could probably buy a poster if you wanted to, but only one listing about the web site was found. It was from an unfortunate surfer that tried to gain info, paid his 10 bucks and then was told they wanted another 200 for the program. If he did not sign up for the program then he would have to send back the info pack or be charged another 20 dollars. I don’t know what happened but they did have is information and they don’t sound like they believe in good business practices so take the warning.

Any business that wants money for nothing is a bad deal and you should stay far away from them. Any business that expects you to put up your money first and you are only buying into a job, again stay far away from them. These are red flag warnings and should be heeded. Do not pass go because it is for sure that you are not going to collect your $200.

There are so many of these out there to choose from (and avoid) from stuffing envelopes, to MLM (multi level marketing), pyramid e-mails to friends and family plans, and all have some elements in common. They market the sizzle and not the steak. In other words, they deal in telling you how wonderful you life will be when you make $100,000 and more a year, just imagine it, and imagine what kind of a car you will drive, and imagine what kind of house you will live in, and imagine what kind of vacations you will have, and imagine how much your family will love you because of all the time you will have to spend with them. Get real good at imagining because that is really all you are left with.

I have seen a lot of these things come and go and I still find them interesting. I have had friends that have tried many of these things because they bought into the sizzle without realizing that the promises were empty or beyond their reach to fulfill.

Of course there are some that are legitimate and some have worked for some people, emphasis on the word some. I haven’t found one yet that would work for me so I keep looking with hope, but also with that huge degree of doubt and skepticism. When I start to investigate any potential business deal I go into what I call my Spock mode, and look at everything from a logical point of view while trying to eliminate any emotion driven over-reaction. Once it is found however, emotion is the one thing you will need to fire up the passions that will sustain and drive you forward in obtaining your goal. Just don’t let it blind side you to the realities going in. Most success takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Easy money is seldom easy.

Just promise me one thing, before you push the send button, or slap down that credit card, fully investigate any and all deals to make sure that you know what you are getting into. Then if it works tell everyone and help make it work for them. If it doesn’t work, tell everyone and help others avoid the pain you just went through. Or at least be able to learn the lessons of why so that you are better suited for next time. I always believe in next time.

If you would like to share your experiences just add a comment below. To borrow a phrase from Red Green “I’m pulling for you; remember were all in this together.”

This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.