So you've decided to become financially independent! You've chosen to work at home. Congratulations! I'm sure this is a decision that can turn your life around and lead you to financial freedom.

But that is going to happen only if you're careful enough to let it happen! There are a few things you should really look out for when deciding to work at home.

When you set out to give the work at home business thing a try, you'll find out that this was just the easy part! The hard part is to discover which one is right for you.

With all these so called "opportunities" that flood the internet, you should be very careful in choosing a work at home business. To help you, I have put together a few simple rules :

Rule #1 : Try to avoid "get rich quick deals"

Now that's a golden rule! Usually, when something sounds too good to be true then it probably is!

Oh, I know these sound appealing and of course you would like to get paid for doing nothing (so would the rest of us!). But don't you think that if these people had the magic solution to making big money they would use it instead of trying to sell it to you for whatever price?

It's sad to know that so many people end up feeling frustrated when they realize that they have wasted their time and hard earned money. There are no magic tricks! Commitment and hard work instead, can make you rich.

Rule #2 : Find a program that you really like and can work with

Another rule that's essential! Say that you come across a program that requires you to sell life insurance. You hate insurance people, you think they're full of hype.

So what, the compensation plan looks great! What would you do? Would you join the program? Could you picture yourself selling life insurance even if you hate the very idea? The answer is that you're never going to make any money doing something you don't like!

The point I am trying to make here is, that you should go on and find out everything there is to know about the program you are interested in. Just spend some time doing an essential reading through the available material (company website, related articles etc). Try to get an overview of how the system works and if you need more information or if you get confused , go ahead and ask the person who referred you to the program for help. Doing your homework always pays off.

Rule #3 : Make sure you know exactly what you're getting for your money

There are just too many companies out there that present you with sales letters as long as a book but not even a hint as to what you are actually getting in return!

If the product they're selling is that good and is going to make you so much money, why hide it? Why only mention it in the last few paragraphs?

Ok, I know, it's the way sales are closed. Still, you would like to know exactly what you're buying. It could save you a lot of grief!

Rule #4 : Perform a background check on the company

The longer it has been around, the better. This way you know that you're dealing with an established company that will not go bankrupt 4 months after you join!

It has been known for people to lose their online businesses and commissions owed to them for this very reason. Choosing a quality company is essential but can prove critical to the survival of your work at home business.

Rule #5 : Make sure you're going to get all the help that you need

It's just typical for someone to join a program, pay his membership fee or buy a product and then be left in the dark, not sure what on earth to do next!

Again, I'm repeating myself here but this is important, try to get an overview of how the system works, who your upline people are and how they can help you.

If you need more information or if you get confused, go ahead and ask the person who referred you to the program for help. In this way not only will you get an idea of how the program is structured but you would also be testing your referrer to see if he/she will respond promptly to your need for help.

But first, you have to have an idea of how the program works.

Rule #6 : Check out the compensation plan

Ok, so you've joined a program which ,hopefully, is going to make you rich. Do you know how this is going to happen?

It's not necessary that you know every detail about the compensation plan from the first day that you join. But still, wouldn't you like to know if you're getting 5% or 60% commission on an average sale?

After all, it takes the same amount of effort to generate a sale. Wouldn't you like to be paid more?

Rule #7 : Do not spend much at the beginning

A legitimate work at home business should be able to operate at a minimum/low cost. You should not have to invest a lot of money in any home business. At least not in the beginning.

When you do decide to invest some money into your own home business, this should be your own decision, not someone else's and must arise from your understanding that a business is what you make it.

There are more rules that I can add to these and make a really long list but this is not my goal. My goal is to provide a clear path, a few steps that should be easy to follow through the minefield of schemes and "get-rich-quick" deals to a company you can really trust.

Using your own common sense is as important as having these rules in mind when looking for an opportunity or a work at home business.

Your decision to join a program should be the result of considering facts and should not in any case come from mere curiosity. Keep in mind that there are very few true work at home opportunities out there and you have to find the one that's perfect for you!