This post is advice on exactly what it says in the post title – when looking at ANY sort of Passive Income idea, ALWAYS check testimonials.

NEVER just take the word of whoever is promoting the idea. Most people are honest, but the fact I said “most” people needs no further embellishment!

Of almost more importance however is that you want to hear from real people, and I mean REAL people – good folk who are actually working on that passive income business. Not Gurus who are friends of the people or person promoting the business – now I don’t know about you, but that practice not only insults our intelligence, it really make my blood boil.

Even better would be to see a business which actually has videos of it’s customers/users whatever you want to call them. Real people, with real experiences who can give you a real perspective on the business – particularly if they are making money – as let’s face it, nothing else has more importance.

Because you see THAT is the point of the whole testimonial exercise.

Yes of course it is the due diligene any sensible business person will go through to make sure that what is being said can be substantiated and that the business actually does exist – BUT – it is really to find out if that particular business is for you. And you will pick that up, very quickly, from the people whose testimonials you will either see, hear or ideally watch.

Testimonial videos are the ideal – they tell you everything. Not only that the main company is proud to blow it’s own trumpet so to speak, but also that the people working their businesses using the product or program you are researching, i.e. the person you will be, are also proud enough of their own decision to come out and tell the world about it.

That usally does it for me. Once I can watch such testimonials, I soon make up my mind.

So – check out the company concerned, and do it thoroughly. But totally ignore any business which either has no testimonials on its site, or has testimonials which are obviously of the promotional variety, i.e. either done by the company owners or gurus.

When you find a site which has lots of video testimonials, from lots of people, in lots of countries, and they are all telling you they are making money, then you know you are on to a winner.

All you then have to decide is whether it is for you, as you will now have all the evidence you will ever need to make your decision – video evidence from real people.

You can find out more help and advice here on PASSIVE INCOME and get more PASSIVE INCOME IDEAS.

I guess you will have been on sites which will show you a list of Passive Income options, and they will all be “hyperlinked”. Hyperlinking, or using what is called anchor text, as you may already know, is simply where the text has been turned into a clickable link which takes you to another site, which will be a sales page. It is classic affiliate marketing.

So instead of advising you what is behind the options listed and/or what they could do to increase your bank balance, the site you are on has simply listed  affiliate links which take you to sites from which they will earn commission if you purchase the particular product or program.

Nothing wrong with that you might say, and you would be right. It’s called capitalism and it’s what makes this old world of the internet go round 24/7, and long may it continue!!

No, that is not my point. My point is that all that is happening is that you are being directed towards the purchasing of products and services from which you may never make any money, but the site referrer will, as will the author/originator of the product or service. But YOU may NEVER earn one sweet cent from them!

Now I don’t want to get off the point here, but if you do want more clarification on this, then check out this earlier post of mine – http://thepassiveincomebusiness.com/passive-income-common-sense/ – and then come back here again.

I spent quite a bit of time in the Air Force and we all know what an aircraft is – doh!! But how many can fly one?. What do you think would happen if you tried to fly without any sort of training? – doh again!!

Well so it is with any sort of passive income business. You need showing, training, hand-holding even, with someone in the cockpit with you on those early flights at the very least.

But those programs you are being referred to are just that, programs. They are not businesses until YOU turn them into businesses, if you know how to – or if you incoporate them into already exisiting businesses.

Do you know how to do that?. How long will it take you to learn?. Will your cash situation allow you to be learning without earning?.

And what will you do with these programs or products?. How do they fit into your overall jigsaw and business plan?. Do they even fit in?. Do you have your own business plan?. How much do you want to earn?. Within what timescales?. Do you have all that laid out?.

It is the cheesiest saying in the business world, and you will know what is coming – but – if you fail to plan, then you will most surely plan to fail – sorry to bring that one up again, but it is so, so important.

Going back to the flyng analogy again, I guess most people know that until a flight plan is filed with Air Traffic, no plane is allowed to take off. Yet so many people try to get an internet business off the ground without either knowing how to fly the darn thing, or even where they are trying to fly to. Not totally their fault – they get seduced by the promise of get rich quick programs, which they find out aren’t – and then end up trusting nobody.

So – do you have your very own co-pilot, your very own personal coach and flying mentor?. Someone who will show you not only how to fly the plane, but also how to take it to the places you want to go, and within your time schedules?.

Because if you do not, then not only will you be wasting time and money, then there is for sure a crash coming – how big that crash will be depends on so many things. I am naturally talking a financial crash, where your money is either wasted, or runs out, or both, and your plans for your future are in ruins.

DO NOT let that happen to you – you do not have to. Check out the posts on this blog – there is a lot here of what my old Irish mum used to say is “good down to earth, smell the potatoes, common sense”!!. Read through it all, it comes from my own good ol’ Irish common sense and many, many years of experience online – and offline too I might add.

I have a lot of air miles on my own particular clock, just check out the grey hairs.

And if you do want even more advice and information on how you can have your own personal air jock so you CAN build your own PASSIVE INCOME business, then just click on that PASSIVE INCOME link of mine.

Check out this recently published article, and as the title of this post says, BE CAREFUL!!

One of the biggest, and most expensive mistakes we ALL make – I am honest enough to admit I did when I first came on line many years back – is to buy program after program, with absolutely NO idea as to how they all fit into the big picture.

Have YOUR OWN big picture first.

Know what you want to do – know where you want to go with your PASSIVE INCOME business – know how much money you want to earn and within what timescales – know how much time you can invest – know your budget for how much money you can invest – THEN go for it!!

It’s cheesy I know, but build your business plan FIRST – most people do not, and it costs them, big time. I even know of people who have spent their cash reserves on programs which bore no relation to what they wanted to do. They just got seduced by the internet and what goes on 24/7.

Remember – YOU ARE THE BOSS – YOU make the decisions – so make them – do not have them made for you.

Find a mentor – someone you can trust – work with them – let them help you over the learning curves – without that mentor you will at best struggle, and at worst could either fail [and we don't do fail!!] or simply run out of cash.

Plan your business, and stick to that plan – Focus, Focus Focus – do not be led astray – KEEP FOCUSED.

Enjoy the article.

QUOTE

So you buy some tires and a steering wheel when actually you want a car! Why would you do that? It makes no sense you will agree. What about all the other parts you need, and how will you fit them all together? What is unfortunate, is that this is the picture of most people who want their own internet business.

They buy program after program, what I call “bits and pieces” programs, whilst still confused about the whole internet jigsaw, and what part fits where. To even the smartest of us the internet can appear a very confusing place, and whilst the learning curve is going on, our wallets get lighter and lighter.

So why do we keep doing this? Why do we keep buying these “bits and pieces” programs, whilst still unaware of how to do what, when to do it and what fits where? The result of the confusion we create can be devastating, as people give up with their hopes in tatters, their dreams of that on-line empire in shreds, and their wallets very much lighter.

So is there an answer to this? Is there a way out of this seemingly endless merry-go-round of confusing program after program after program? Yes, there is, and it is getting your own business, all set up for you, ready to drive away! And I mean a REAL business, not Network Marketing.

You want a business which is proof positive successful, and has all the technical stuff done for you, from websites to auto-responders and more besides. You want to have products which are in demand and which are being bought regularly, you want all the legals taken care of, and you want to have your own personally tailored merchant account system. And you want all this sitting on YOUR domain and owned by YOU.

YOUR business, with the key in the ignition, all ready to drive away.

And finally, you want included all the training you could ever need, from video training to personal mentoring, to ensure YOUR success in growing YOUR business.

UNQUOTE

Go here to find more PASSIVE INCOME IDEAS

In the event you are looking to set up a Passive Income Business, here is a list of just 10 Passive Income Ideas you may wish to explore.

Some involve a small cash investment and some could involve a very large cash investment.  Just remember that you will “get what you pay for”, as in if you invest nickels and dimes, then the return will most probably also be nickels and dimes.

Also be careful, where relevant, that you have all the legals and administration issues fully covered.

Some will also involve a learning curve, which if you are new to the venture could be both long, steep and therefore expensive. They may also require a fair amount of technical and/or marketing experience so make sure you either do have that yourself, you can outsource it, or that it is provided in detailed, and easily accessed, training.

1. Income from Rental Property – obviously you will initially need the cash to first invest in the property.

2. In the same context as passive income from Rental Property, you may also consider income from investments – just make sure you have the best advice to hand that you can get.

3. Foreign Exchange markets – again, tread very carefully and ensure you know exactly what you are doing.

4. Write and publish an E-Book on a subject you are passionate about. Find affiliates to sell it on for you, or get it accepted by one of the large affiliate networks, such as Clickbank or Commission Junction.

5. Create an Info-Product [How To, Learn How To, Teach Yourself How To etc etc]. Get it produced and find J.V. partners to help you market it.

6. Create/invent a physical product for which you know there is a market and then outsource its manufacture and distribution.

7. Join a Multi Level Marketing company.

8. Become an Affiliate Marketer via ClickBank or Commisson Junction or others.

9. Run C.P.A. programs via PPC. These programs are generally run by corporates, sometimes very large corporates, and they will pay you for the leads you send them.

10. Set up what is called a Continuity Program on a topic/subject you are either passionate about or a proven expert in. A continuity program is effectively a membership program which people join via your website, and then pay you a monthly fee for the services you provide for them through their having access to that website.

Have at the forefront of your mind what you want to achieve from your passive income venture, and also keep reminding yourself of the definition of passive income. You do not want to create a business which takes up all of your available time and which has to be continually “hands-on”.

Be ruthless with yourself in both evaluating that and also in realising your own shortcomings. It is absolutely pointless in trying to create a passive income business in a market you know nothing about, and also where you may lack the background knowledge or technical expertise essential to succeed.

You will find much more information here on how to create a PASSIVE INCOME business.