Charlie tries to help a reader get his money back... discovers why biz opps are a bit like jam... and reveals his findings from the other
week's vote.'
Hi,
Before I begin, I wonder if you could help out one of your fellow Biz Opp Junglers?
It concerns Paul Howell, the racing tipster who you may have read about in my scam section.
The email says:
"A good mate of mine is trying to get a full £2000 refund from Howell and has issued court proceedings which just get return from the mail delivery drop address he uses in Surrey. My understanding is that he may live in Northants.
"How can we track down where this guy lives and get onto him personally to delivery the writ?
Likewise, I'm sure the VAT office and the Inland Revenue should be talking to him."
If you have any information that could help, drop me an email and I'll pass the information on so this guy can get his money back.
On the subject of your emails...
I've been told there's science behind my rants!
Remember I was talking the other day about how there were so many acts to see at The Big Chill that I hardly saw any? And how this is pretty much how some people feel when they are bombarded with biz opps?
Well, apparently, this is all backed up by science!
I got a great email from a reader, who says
"Your recent email makes a lot of sense but I wonder do you know that it has been scientifically proven?
Sheena Lyengar set up a tasting booth with a variety of exotic gourmet jams in a grocery store in California. Sometimes the booth had 6 different jams and sometimes it had 24 on display. She wanted to see if the number of jam choices made any difference to the number of jams sold.
Conventional wisdom would say that the more choice consumers have to find a jam that fits their needs, the more jam would be sold. The opposite turned out to be true.
30% of those who stopped at the 6 jam display bought jam. Only 3% of those who stopped at the 24 jam display bought jam. ("Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. Page 142. Penguin Culture)
Jam isn't a business blueprint (now there's an idea!) but entrepreneurs are always looking for a good idea to exploit/enjoy. Give them too many and they can't make up their mind!
What we really need are more genuine, in depth testimonials from those who have bought a particular jam, sorry, business opp."
Well, I agree. So next weekend I am going to send you all a review I got from another reader about JPG (John Piper).
Now, I realise I've 'scam bashed' this already on my site. But what's interesting is the detail he goes into about how this scam works and how he felt about it.
It shows you how the worst of the biz opps drag you into an impossible mire. And why people get so angry when rotten apples spoil the cart.
On the bright side, however, I've got some information today on part time biz opps that DO work...
The votes are in
I've been looking at the results of my "VOTE" page and there was surprisingly clear result.
The majority of seekers seem to want information on simple home businesses they can start in their spare time, perhaps spending only a few hours a week.
I think a lot of these biz opp publishers tend to believe that people only react to "MAKE £159,000 A YEAR" or "BECOME A INTERNATIONAL EXPORTER" or "START YOUR OWN £1,000,000 PUBLISHING BUSINESS."
They think we're all idiots who only salivate over enormous comedy bones and can't think rationally.
But actually, what most people want is a way to earn an extra £100-£200 a week in their spare time.
Even £100 a week amounts £5,200 a year, which is not to be sniffed it if you're only spending an hour each week doing it.
So if you want to start something dead simple... that needs as little as an hour's work each week... requires no special skills... and no financial outlay... or risk... Here are my two favourites from the Biz Opp Jungle.
Ebay and Amazon
Now, I know what you're thinking...
"Charlie you total and utter numpty, we've seen this all before, BIG YAWN!'
I realise that. But all I am saying is, that if I was to advise a friend on a dead easy way to make some extra cash, then I'd say "sell books on Amazon" or "try Ebay".
I'll talk about some other part-time ideas next week, but honestly think these are cracking ways to make money. I know students who make a quick grand like this just flogging their old clothes, text books, fashion and music magazines, essays, fanzines, scrapbooks and all sorts of stuff.
You can start in a kind of Cash-In-The-Attic frenzy and make money instantly with no risk. Then once you've got the hang of it, you can go for a niche - any you like.
The more focussed on one niche, the better. You can even set up your own shop, No premises, no staff, no risk. Brilliant.
http://www.bizoppjungle.com/review/2006035.html
I also like Amazon, because it's really simple. You look at a special code on Amazon that tells you how much a book sells for, then you go and buy the book cheaper and sell it at the recommended price.
Again, you can also practise by flogging a load of books you already have. Then you can get into the more sophisticated stuff.
The woman who wrote the manual on this makes £15,000 a year. Not bad at all!
http://www.bizoppjungle.com/review/2006037.html
I'll reveal my other favourite 'hour a week' part time businesses during the week.
Oh, and if you have tried any biz opps NOT mentioned on my site so far, feel free to write to me and tell me if they're any good or not.
Let's share the love!
Cheers
Charlie