Last August, I posted an article entitled, Get rich quick. In that post, I point out a few of the key disclaimer points that I found in one online offer.

Since then, I’ve been paying extremely close attention to both the claims that other marketers are making (some of them, many of them, too good to be true) as well as to their disclaimers.

I saw a disclaimer today (actually 2) that knocked my socks off, and I wanted to share them.

This first one appeared at the bottom of the page in extremely light type. It was so difficult to read, that I had to copy and paste it into a Word document. Here it is… in similar light type. See if you can make it out.

DISCLAIMER: THE PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCED BY THE USER COMMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS ON THIS PAGE AND/OR OUR WEBSITE IS NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT TO EXPERIENCE. COMPANY HAS NOT INVESTIGATED OR SUBSTANTIATED ANY OF THE USER COMMENTS OR CLAIMS. SOME OF THE USERS MAY, IN SOME CASES, BEEN INCENTIVIZED TO SUBMIT THEIR COMMENTS, AND COMPANY HAS NOT VERIFIED THE FIGURES QUOTED IN THEM.

Mind you, that was on the first page of the offer. This next disclaimer was on the second page of the offer.

EARNINGS DISCLAIMER

EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THIS PRODUCT AND IT’S POTENTIAL. EVEN THOUGH THIS INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE FEW WHERE ONE CAN WRITE THEIR OWN CHECK IN TERMS OF EARNINGS, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL EARN ANY MONEY USING THE TECHNIQUES AND IDEAS IN THESE MATERIALS. EXAMPLES IN THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT TO BE INTERPRETED AS A PROMISE OR GUARANTEE OF EARNINGS. EARNING POTENTIAL IS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON THE PERSON USING OUR PRODUCT, IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES. WE DO NOT PURPORT THIS AS A “GET RICH SCHEME.”

ANY CLAIMS MADE OF ACTUAL EARNINGS OR EXAMPLES OF ACTUAL RESULTS CAN BE VERIFIED UPON REQUEST. YOUR LEVEL OF SUCCESS IN ATTAINING THE RESULTS CLAIMED IN OUR MATERIALS DEPENDS ON THE TIME YOU DEVOTE TO THE PROGRAM, IDEAS AND TECHNIQUES MENTIONED, YOUR FINANCES, KNOWLEDGE AND VARIOUS SKILLS. SINCE THESE FACTORS DIFFER ACCORDING TO INDIVIDUALS, WE CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR SUCCESS OR INCOME LEVEL. NOR ARE WE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF YOUR ACTIONS.

MATERIALS IN OUR PRODUCT AND OUR WEBSITE MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT INCLUDES OR IS BASED UPON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS GIVE OUR EXPECTATIONS OR FORECASTS OF FUTURE EVENTS. YOU CAN IDENTIFY THESE STATEMENTS BY THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT RELATE STRICTLY TO HISTORICAL OR CURRENT FACTS. THEY USE WORDS SUCH AS “ANTICIPATE,” “ESTIMATE,” “EXPECT,” “PROJECT,” “INTEND,” “PLAN,” “BELIEVE,” AND OTHER WORDS AND TERMS OF SIMILAR MEANING IN CONNECTION WITH A DESCRIPTION OF POTENTIAL EARNINGS OR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE.

While From Unemployed To Self-Employed states that a member can be up and running in their own business in about 8 weeks, it clearly identifies exactly what that means. It says that in 8 weeks they’ll know if they have a viable business in mind. They will have been able to find the business that’s best for them, create a business model, and test it.

It doesn’t promise that they’ll be rich, that all their troubles will be over, or that they’ll be out shopping for their new cruising yacht by the end of the month. But given a few more weeks or months, they reach a point where they can be writing business.

Everything worthwhile requires work, patience, and perseverance. I suppose that it’s possible for someone to sign up for a get-rich-quick opportunity and find fortune. My experience is that this happens very rarely.

My sister-in-law wishes to open a neighborhood cafe/bistro. Since she’s never done this before, she’d like to talk to someone who has started one and would be willing to talk with her. Also, does anyone know of an accountant who regularly works with cafes and restaurants?

In my mind, for someone to start a business in an industry or area that they know nothing about… and have no personal experience… is a disaster in the making – especially if they need to make a living from the venture sooner than later.

There’s a tremendous amount to learn and do when starting any business – dozens of details in every department and activity of the business. Add to that learning an entirely new industry and, in my opinion, you’re fueling an extremely long learning curve and a greater likelihood of failure.

A woman in Florida lost her job in the accounting department of a 20-person service company. Downsizing was the reason. I showed Linda how easy it would be to take her 14 years of bookkeeping and accounting experience and build a small service business based on that. We talked several times over the course of a month and I thought she was well on her way.

Two months later Linda called me and announced proudly that she was learning web design so that she could offer this as a service to smaller businesses.

The problem is that Linda had no knowledge of web design and development. She was starting from scratch.

In my estimation, it would take her months to gain a basic understanding of web design, then many more months to find prospects, and many more months after that before she saw dollar one.

Interestingly, during this time she told me she was getting calls from people (business owners) to do fill-in accounting work or bookkeeping. She passed up some requests but occasionally took small assignments… just to keep food on the table. (No one called her for web design.)

Now, I’m not saying that jumping into an industry you don’t know or technologies that you don’t know is impossible; I’m just saying, “Be careful.” Think it through. Make sure you have enough cash to keep you out of the poor house while you’re working through your learning curve… because it will take you longer than you think.

7 Key Indicators That You Have What It Takes To Kiss The Job Market Goodbye And Start Your Own Business!”

To view the press release at PRLog, click here.

To download a PDF of the press release, click here.

To request the free report itself, click here.

You can’t start a trucking business without a fleet of trucks. And you can’t build a freestanding restaurant without a lot of time and money.

I have two primary goals at ThinkSelfEmployed.com. The first is to help people start a business with as little money as possible. I define little “as little as” as a couple hundred dollars.

So, by definition, these are not going to be businesses that require substantial infrastructure such as purchasing a McDonalds franchise, becoming a manufacturer of military armaments, or opening a retail store in a major shopping mall.

My second goal is to help them start a business that produces revenue sooner than later – because people who are unemployed need money now. That means no pie-in-the-sky business ideas that could take months or years to develop… and no going back to school to get a degree in a new field… no jumping into something you know nothing about.

By default, service businesses are traditionally the easiest to start because they require a small upfront investment.

If for example, you worked as an accountant within a large corporation, it doesn’t take long for you to realize that you could provide accounting or bookkeeping services as a consultant… or serve as an outsourced CFO to smaller businesses. Business cards, a phone, a computer, and a willingness to talk to lots of people are all that is often required.

Anyone who has worked in an industry for any length of time develops skills and knowledge. In many cases, that qualifies them instantly to be a consultant or coach.

Retail businesses used to mean brick and mortar. That gets to be expensive. But in today’s technological world it’s easy to sell online… through eBay. In fact, you could set up an eBay store within a few days. You need a source for product and a place to store things. That’s about it. And the way the world works today, you might not even need to hold the inventory.

And don’t forget flea markets. I knew a business owner in New York many years ago that imported leather tote bags from Korea. He sold these to retail stores throughout the country. But on the weekends, he and his partner went to area flea markets within 100 miles of New York City. He once confided in me that they made more money on the weekends at the flea markets than they did as a distributor for their leather tote bags.

Now, you may not find these two stories particularly inspiring at this moment. But remember my second goal: To help you generate revenue as quickly as possible.

One more note. In their lifetimes, most entrepreneurs start more than one business. The one you start with now isn’t necessarily the one you’ll operate and live with for the rest of your life. Starting “simple” – as per the examples above – helps you accomplish the second goal (generating revenue) while it helps you learn how to operate a business successfully. When the time comes for you to start your second business, you are better prepared for success.

If you head off to the library or a bookstore or surf the Internet, for example, you’ll find dozens… or hundreds… or thousands… of books, resources, and references that speak to the question of how to start a business.

Many of these start by telling you to write a business plan, talk to an attorney about how best to structure your business (as a corporation, LLC, or sole-proprietor), talk to an accountant about how to keep your books (manual versus computer versus part-time bookkeeper), open a bank account, create a business logo, purchase business cards and letterhead, and on and on.

These are all important things to do when you start a new business… and I’m never going to advise you NOT to do them.

I’m just going to recommend that you don’t do them too soon.

For example, visiting with an attorney too soon to decide what kind of corporate structure would be best for your new business. Granted, it’s an important activity. But I see it as a distraction that could steal months of revenue stream from you.

Here’s a better start up approach. John W. in Denver repairs computers. He’s been at it over 5 years and has a loyal, steady clientele.

When he first started in business, he asked people to write checks to him personally, rather than to a corporate business name attached to a corporate business bank account. No one objected. Plus, this bought him time to validate that he had a viable business before he spent money hiring an attorney. (Remember, they’re not cheap.)

The same goes for logos and business cards. I’ve seen many business owners (untrained as graphic artists) burn hours, days, weeks, and months trying to perfect a logo design that essentially means nothing. In the beginning it adds no value at all to the business. But it does distract the start up business owner from the primary task.

Start up businesses need clients and customers. They need a revenue stream. Anything that distracts them from these primary tasks constitutes a critical mistake.

NASA celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20th.

While many people typically look at the moon landing itself as the “big story,” I am first and foremost impressed with the immense amount of planning that was required to make this incredible event happen.

Planning is about setting a goal or defining a mission and then creating the definitive list of “things” that have to happen… in the precise order they need to happen so that you reach the goal.

This planning also includes contingencies. Because as much as we would like to see things happen 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and so on, they don’t always do that. Something happens along the way that requires us to transpose two steps, eliminate one of those steps, or create a new step. The end result could be 1, 3, 2, 4a, 4b, 7, 6a, and so on. You get the picture.

Starting a new business is no different that putting a man on the moon. It requires a clear and definite destination. And then it requires an understanding of the steps necessary to make it happen. That means breaking down the mission into a series of manageable steps or activities.

Starting a new business requires considerably fewer steps than putting a man on the moon. My approach in helping people start a new business is to create a “short list” of only the most essential steps of the startup, and then go back later to fill in all of the other steps.

The other thing that impresses me about this mission is that before that first moonwalk, no one had walked on the moon. All of the planning occurred without previously having the specific experience of putting a man on the moon.

So it is with a business startup. You don’t need specific experience in how to start a business. Your lifetime of experiences in other endeavors is usually more than ample to carry you through this planning as well as the implementation.

The reason is that as the owner of your own business, you really aren’t accountable to anybody. Your business lives or dies based on your skill.

But day-by-day… it’s your kingdom! You’re the boss.

As a result, even if you have a clear plan for where you want to go… you may not be executing your plan in a way that will ensure that you reach your objectives.

You want somebody… or something… or both… asking you the tough questions about how you’re progressing with your plan.

If you don’t have that, you may not follow through with it… and your best intentions… and best course of action… could end up hidden in a stack of paper on your desk.

“I’m too busy!”

Have you ever attended a seminar and heard something so profound you knew it could have an immediate and positive impact on your business?

And remarkably… you know it could just take you a few minutes each day… consistently over a few months… and your business could move to the next level?

You say to yourself, “This is really good.  I am going to start this tomorrow…” and drop your plan on the top of your in-basket.

Within about three hours, you have about two inches of paper on top of that profound revelation.

By the next day, you might have four inches of paper on top of it.

By the day after that it has lost its value… consumed in the blizzard of other activities.

Now forgotten.

As a result, you never do anything with it.

Developing and utilizing a system that holds you accountable… and that prevents your best ideas from going to the bottom of the stack… is key to helping you make the big strides… and important milestones that are critical to your short-term goals and your long-term mission.