When is a Business not a Business?

Recently, I had an online meeting with a couple of people. The meeting was prearranged and was meant to be about a project of mutual benefit. What happened instead was that I got fire hosed by a Guy relentlessly pitching me his business in an effort to get me to join that business.

It got me thinking about “when is a business really a business”?

Let me explain. I get pitched a lot of business opportunities. It comes with the territory of being around the Home Business Industry for a long time. The more success you have, the more you get pitched other businesses. Because of that, I tend to find it flattering and a good benchmark – I’d be more worried if no one was pitching me anything!

The pitches have varying levels of professionalism and this one was somewhat unusual in the brazen nature of the “bait and switch” and the seemingly endless hydrant that was supplying the Guy’s verbal fire hose. What it did was make me think “this isn’t a business”. No professional business on the planet would blast prospects like this after lieing to them in the first place and expect to gain that prospect as a business partner or customer.

It would be like the most classless used car salesman meeting you in Starbucks, asking what coffee you liked so he could then engage in a relentless 30 minute verbal assault on your senses to buy the VW he has for sale. You’d either get physical or call the authorities!

In the Home Business Industry, this kind of behavior is seemingly acceptable! While this Guy was extreme, he was by no means unique. No wonder so many people don’t take home businesses seriously!

Now the Guy that was fire hosing me was apparently – by his words – successful as an individual. I guess that method then worked for him on the front line level, though I have no idea why. The problem for him and others will come though in the fact that fire hosing is not something that others would choose to do. In other words he might be able to generate income, but those he introduces to the business opportunity can not or will not replicate that conduct so his “success” can only be short-term.

Long-term success in the Home Business Industry is built in the same was as any business model. The way the Guy approached me literally make me revolted by his business opportunity and even managed to turn me off the products of the company he represents – products I had previously thought were worthy of looking at in depth.

A business that requires people to blast others relentlessly is not a real business then. Or looked at another way, if a business can not be presented to others without those others feeling like they have been vomited on (this was truly how I felt), then how can anyone take the business or the person presenting it seriously?

The bigger picture is that this must be how he is at least trying to teach others how to build a business. As a professional in the Home Business Industry, I really am disgusted at the damage that does to the credibility of the industry as a whole and particularly the damage done to those attempting to follow those “methods”.

Obviously in order to grow a business, it of course needs to be presented to others. How that business is presented will determine the respect and credibility earned. Learning the skills to present a business in the right way then will most certainly help someone develop long-term success.

So when is a business not a business? When you are shown that the only way to build it is to lie to people and fire hose them. It doesn’t really matter how good or bad the actual business is – how you present that business will totally determine how that business is perceived by others.

If the business is so bad that fire hosing is the only way it can be built – find another business. If the business is good or great – develop the skills to present it the right way.

I am one of the three co-Founders of the Professional Home Business Academy, part of Home Business Pro. The Academy was founded so that those seeking to develop the skills for success in the Home Business Industry could flourish. Developed by successful, professional at-home entrepreneurs for aspiring at-home entrepreneurs, the Academy can help you develop thr professionalism your need to thrive and aims to professionalize the home-business industry. Please feel free to ask any questions.

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