How I Spot Hokey Businesses

There are some simple ways to spot hokey businesses though a quick check.  Hokey in this case can mean phony and obviously contrived.  I have lived in the United States for almost all of my life and I have been a client of, and worked for a variety of businesses some hokey but most were legitimate.

Yes, I worked for a short period of time at businesses that in the end I did not believe “helped people” which is what I will base this post on.  I will also assume that people can work for any business they choose and people are not trapped in working at jobs that offer little or no purpose.

Here is a short list of easy ways to spot a Hokey Business:

• Forces you to sign up and pay for membership/service well before the service should start.  A company may require payment in advance if they do not have an accounting or billing department but the service should have an exact time line and start right after payment.
• Asks for investment money or interest with out a complete written contract and full disclosure about exactly what will happen with your money with how & when you will be paid.  Real investors know each other well over many years and have a strong relationship.  If you don’t have this, it’s time for a formal contract that a professional should look over.
• Has anything to do with a pyramid structure or marketing schemes including friends buying from friends.  Oil, home products, magazines, and other types of industries are well known to try this so be warned.  It does not work.  The pay outs are always a fraction of your investment and time in the end and I suggest investing in yourself instead.
• Asks you to do business out-of-state but does not have a current, exposed, and resourceful website.  If you have a business, you have a informative helpful website.  Only poor fly-by-night companies or hokey businesses are missing web exposure now.
• Any public representative of a business that will not send you their information (even over the phone) including first and last name with title at the business is a “hokey business.”  Collection companies that work under false names and some low quality banks have done this.
• Any business that does not offer easy to access contact information like a phone number or email that someone will answer with in 24 hours is hokey.  Every business should have basic customer service.
• Can not tell you how much a service or product will cost until it is complete or shipped makes a business hokey.  Businesses should know how much their services or products cost before they sell them.
• If any business changes the name or has different names for the same business it is hokey.  Many business try to hide behind new names or just push marketing materials by changing the name.

There are many other ways to spot a hokey business and I will be sure to post more at this site.  Also, please leave your comments if you have seen any common characteristics of “hokey business.”  Try a *review search* for a hokey business, phone number, and contact information on Google and other search engines.  See what other people have to say.  Any business that has clients will have at least some reviews that are posted online.