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Clark Howard's Tips

September 7, 2007

Many people want to do part-time work at home, especially when they have a newborn. But a lot of work-at-home offers are scams. One stat has it that for every legitimate offer you may see, you're going to come across 42 scams.

Clark wants you to be careful if you're looking to work at home. Be sure to avoid the ads in the back of women's magazines about envelope stuffing, doing medical office paperwork and the like. There is, however, one area that's proven legitimate over time: becoming a call center worker from your home.

On his recent book tour, Clark met a gentleman who was about to become a refugee from corporate America because of downsizing.

He decided that buying a franchise was the right way to go from there. Clark asked him what he knew about the industry, and he said "nothing." He said the franchise company promised incredible profits, but you can't always trust their word. Clark asked what his previous field was...he answered computers. Clark asked him why he wanted to go into a field that had nothing to do with his business experience...was he burned out? He said no, he just thought he could make a lot of money with this franchise.

But Clark wants you to think long and hard before you do buy into one, especially if you're a corporate refugee. Clark's advice: work in the industry first and see if you really like it. Learn it from the inside out, even if it means emptying trash cans at first.

Franchises are much harder to sell than buy, so you want to be 100 percent sure you want to stick with it. Corporate refugees, you have to be especially careful since what you used to do was probably very specific. You'll have to be a multi-disciplinary person -- a utility player -- if you're going to go from an office into running your own business. If you're not, you're probably not the kind of person who should own a franchise.

Meanwhile, what do you do if you have experience but can't find a regular job? Try consulting. Use the knowledge you gained in the corporate world and put that to use helping others who can benefit from your advice and experience. If you've gained the currency of knowledge, education and training and just kick it to the curb, you'll be throwing the baby out with the bath water!

Consumer advice courtesy of