The one thing that these all have in common is that they boast tremendous financial rewards.

I clicked through to an offering this morning for a work-at-home Internet business. Testimonials showed some people earning as much as $7,000 a month. Others were earning between $4,000 and $5,000. As you might expect, the people in the photos that accompanied the testimonials were smiling ear to ear.

The copy was compelling. It created a sense of urgency to get in on the ground floor now… before it’s too late.

Being extremely curious – and because it was so well written – I read the entire offering… down to and including the disclaimer. The 700-word disclaimer included these points:

• Any earnings or income statements, or earnings or income examples, are only estimates of what we think you could earn. There is no assurance you’ll do as well. If you rely upon our figures, you must accept the risk of not doing as well.
• There is no assurance you’ll do as well. If you rely upon our figures; you must accept the risk of not doing as well.
• Testimonials do not represent typical results.
• Photographs or images are depiction of individuals and payment methods.
• These income examples are representative of some of the most successful participants in the program.
• Some individuals purchasing the program may make little or NO MONEY AT ALL.

I could go on and on. But you get the picture. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Nothing takes the place of hard work.

This reaffirmed to me personally that From Unemployed To Self-Employed is on the right track… being able to help someone leverage their personal skills and abilities into a business of their own.

While From Unemployed To Self-Employed boldly proclaims that a member can be up and running in their own business in about 8 weeks, it also clearly states that in 8 weeks they’ll know if they have a viable business. 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.

Behind that 14,500,000 statistic are unemployed victims of the economy. They represent stories of real people and real families who we caught by a thundering storm they could not prevent.

Their stories represent financial hardships. Their stories tell of the emotional roller coaster, excited one day when a new job seems possible or saddened the next when they get the bad news that someone else was hire.

Their stories must express anger and fear as they watch their dreams disappear along with their financial security.

And their stories must be filled feelings of lack of worth when, through no fault of their own, they were tagged as one of employees that needed to go.

I can’t imagine what those feelings would be like.

I’ve never been fired or laid off from a job. I’m not bragging. The reason is simple. It’s been over 30 years since I held a real job and worked for someone else.

During those 30 years I’ve been self employed – working in my own businesses. Sometimes, my businesses were substantial, if you call a retail business with 18 employees substantial… or an advertising agency with 8 employees significant.

Mostly, it was just me working alone and relying on a number of loyal and trusted subcontractors.

I suppose I’ve always felt secure because I didn’t have a job. I couldn’t allow myself to become complacent. I couldn’t sit back and wait for something to happen… or a boss to step out of his office and hand me a juicy bonus check.

I was the driver. The responsibility to steer the boat, to determine its course, and to keep the wind in the sails was all mine.