As Economy Falters, Blogs Provide Advice for Americans Considering Home Business

How many people starting a "home based business" really make money? The answer may be found on personal blogs, with at least one sharing the ups and downs experienced by home business owners.

Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) April 15, 2008 -- As the economy shows increased signs of recession, many Americans are looking for ways to make extra money from home. But how many of these people starting a "home based business" really make money? According to Will Startin, Managing Editor of the Home Based Internet Business Resources website, "The truth about home business programs may be found on personal blogs."

Television, radio, and the internet are increasingly featuring advertisements for work-at-home solutions and home business programs. But there is very little reporting on the success of these "home entrepreneur" programs, and no evaluation of the financial difficulties faced when working from home.

Too Many Options?

Home business options range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Depending on the home business, the costs for getting started typically range from $100 to $15,000. But there are so many options to choose from.

Starting an Ebay store is always a popular option. Network marketing with companies like Amway and Mary Kay are other popular choices, though only a small minority seem to make enough money to live from them. In the past few years, another concept known as "internet marketing" has also emerged. Internet marketing generally focuses on selling training courses about how to make money selling information. Circular, but reportedly profitable if the advertising copy is to be believed.

Bloggers to the Rescue

People obviously need advice on which home business to choose, and how to get started. In response to this need, a cottage industry of bloggers has sprung up across the internet. These bloggers purportedly offer advice on which home business ideas are fruitful, and which ones are losers or scams.

Unfortunately, a quick browsing of such blogs reveals the vast majority are just advertising efforts for particular programs. Blogging has proven to be an excellent way to attract and recruit new customers for home businesses, by exploiting the recent growth in Social Networking and blog readership.

But that leaves the individual seeking legitimate advice on how to start a home business with one question: who can be trusted?

There is at least one blog sharing the ups and downs experienced by home business owners in a realistic and truthful manner.

The Koala Bear's Blog

Tired of the deception and hype being offered on most other "home business" blogs, one aspiring entrepreneur blogs about his own adventures. The difference is that he is telling his true story, play-by-play so to speak, with all the ups and downs. Rather than hyping his program and trying to sell it, he is just letting people know the truth about whether it works or not.

Writing under the pen-name "Koala Bear" he admits to spending over $5000 to join a certification/training program, and has made back at least $2865 by following the instructions. He posts updates to his blog a few times a month at http://gcfnstory.blogspot.com.

Who is the Koala Bear?

A 30-something male living in Virginia Beach, VA who joined the Global Cash Flow Network's Certified Media Placement Specialist Program in July 2007. He has tried several other home business plans in the past, ranging from internet marketing schemes to network marketing, and claims to have lost money with all of those past efforts. Cynical and tired of being ripped-off, he is now blogging about his current business attempts, in hopes of helping others avoid his mistakes.

For an introduction to the Koala Bear's story, go to Global Cash Flow Network – My True Story http://www.squidoo.com/gcfn_story. For the latest updates on his business adventures, visit his blog http://gcfnstory.blogspot.com.

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