That “Done For You” Online Business May Be a Scam – Avoiding $21,847+ Schemes

If you’ve ever spent any reasonable amount of time searching for ways to build an income online then you’ll have no doubt at some point come across an alleged “done 4 you business”, or “business in a box” as they’re often otherwise known.

These types of done for you online business typically claim that all of the heavy-lifting & hard work has been done for you & often portray the idea that as a result, you can begin making lots of money with them relatively easy – even if you’re just a beginner.

“All you need to do is send traffic” is something that they often tell you.

But is it really so easy?

Can you really just sign up to one of these so-called done for you online businesses as a beginner, send some traffic & find yourself generating a handsome & hands-free income online like they often claim you can?

Well, given that many of these types of done 4 you business require overall investments in excess of $21,847+ you’d certainly like to think so… But the truth is that more often than not, it’s not quite as straight forward as they make out.

In fact, whilst there are indeed some legitimate done for you online business models, many of these programs portraying themselves as a legitimate done for you online business are actually nothing but scams that have been designed with the primary intention of parting you with your cash.

The biggest problem, however, is that it can be rather difficult to tell a done 4 you business scam apart from a legitimate one – but thankfully, that’s exactly what I intend to help you with here in this article.

So if you’ve found yourself considering joining a done for you business then be sure to read this page right through to the very end as it’ll contain some important things that you really need to know.

What Is a Done For You Online Business?   |   Why Do People Use Done For You Systems?   |   The Positives   |   The Negatives   |   Done For You Online Business Scams   |   A Legitimate (And Less Costly) Alternative

What Is a Done For You Online Business?

The term “done for you online business” typically refers to an online business that has a fully functional sales funnel in place to which you can simply send traffic (visitors) & earn commissions in return.

And as a participant in the done for you business, you’re generally led to believe that sending traffic is literally the only thing you need to focus on in order to see great success… Which is why many people find the idea of them pretty attractive, especially if they’re new to making money online.

But in order to participate in a done for you business, you typically need to make an investment and often also have to make purchases of the products yourself, in order to “qualify” to earn commissions.

This means that initial outlay can be high & it’s not uncommon to see done for you online business investments exceeding as much as $21,847+, usually with no guarantee of seeing a return.

And that’s where they’re notably different – because traditional affiliate marketing (the closest alternative to “done for you”) requires absolutely no upfront investment whatsoever.

So, is the “done for you” option really worth it?

Well, I don’t deny that it can be – but certainly not all the time.

And given that “generating traffic” is arguably one of the most difficult parts of online marketing, the sheer act of investing into a done for you business does not necessarily guarantee you’ll see any great success as you’ll still have a large responsibility left placed on your shoulders.

In fact, it often does not guarantee you’ll see any success whatsoever…

And the reality is that most people who invest in such done for you businesses, either don’t make any money at all or make much less than the amounts that they invested.

That’s a claim that can easily be substantiated by simply taking a look at the income disclaimers on the websites of such done for you businesses – though, as you can imagine they often make those disclaimers difficult to find (especially the illegitimate ones).

But to highlight my point, take MOBE for example – a former “done for you online business” that was shut down by the FTC. It promised to provide participants with an easy way to see success online & cost in excess of $30k, yet saw 95% of enrollees earning less than $100 overall:

Not good!

However, I do admit that it’s not always quite as bad. As I mentioned above, there are indeed some legitimate done for you online business models & having an expertly developed sales funnel could certainly help you to skyrocket your success.

The problem is just that the legitimate ones are generally few & far between.

Which brings me onto my next point…

Why Do People Use Done For You Systems?

You might be wondering why, if the success rates associated with done for you online businesses are so low whilst the costs associated with them are so high, that people actually bother getting involved with them in the first place.

Well, there are 2 main reasons.

The first & arguably most common reason is that the marketing of such done for you business systems is often heavily targeted towards people that are relatively new to online business.

These people simply get lured in by the potential opportunity of being able to easily earn lots of money in a relatively short space of time & don’t fully understand what they’re getting involved with until it’s too late.

Some of those people will indeed go on to actually see success, of course… But in most cases, the numbers will be few (as outlined by the income disclaimers).

The second reason is that some done for you business models truly can help you to generate more revenue from your business, especially if you’re working as a “one-man-band”, so to speak.

You see, by leveraging a legitimate done for you business, you get the benefit of having a team specifically focused on tweaking the sales funnel to increase conversions & revenue per lead, whilst you focus solely on traffic generation.

This enables you to work more efficiently since you don’t have to wear several hats & divide your efforts across multiple things.

So whilst there are indeed downsides to the done for you business model, there are also instances where such a model could certainly help you to scale & grow your business.

But again, if the model requires investment… It is always a risk, either way.

The Positives of Done 4 You Business Models

• Having a sales funnel crafted by experts can potentially help you to achieve greater success.
• Some “done for you” business models make use of phone salespeople (often described to prospects as “coaches”) in order to encourage initial sales & later upsells.
• It can make for an “easy entry” into the world of online marketing.
• You don’t need to spend time (or money) on testing & tweaking your own sales funnel.
• Everything, aside from traffic, is generally taken care of (including sales pages, followups, etc).

The Negatives of Done 4 You Business Models

• Overall investments can often be in excess of $21,847+
• The full costs are often not made clear upfront – instead, you’re likely to be offered access for a low entry fee of around $47 to $97 & then find yourself taken through a tiered upsell structure.
• It can be difficult to differentiate a legitimate model from a done for you business scam.
• The success rates are typically very low & most enrollees do not recoup their investment.
• Some schemes can trick you into believing you’re being put in contact with a “coach”, but in reality, often the “coach” is merely a salesperson hired to encourage you to invest more money into the program.
• You do not own any of the business, meaning if the company closes, you will lose your income.
• Many done for you business systems encourage you to promote the same system to others which results in the same funnel being promoted by the masses, causing saturation.

Done For You Online Business Scams

As I’ve mentioned several times throughout this article, one of the most important things you have to be cautious about when considering a “done for you” business is its legitimacy.

Some may be obvious investment scams, but others can be well-disguised pyramid schemes. This means that it’s not often easy to tell a done 4 you business scam apart from a legitimate one, especially if you’re new to online business (which is often who they’re primarily targeted at).

Take MOBE & Digital Altitude for example. Those 2 companies appeared at a glance to be perfectly legitimate business coaching programs teaching online marketing but were later shut down by the FTC & branded as scams.

Here is a quote from the FTC’s publication regarding MOBE:

The FTC alleges that the defendants falsely claim that their business education program will enable people to start their own online businesses and earn substantial income. They claim to have a “proven” 21-step system for making substantial sums of money quickly and easily from internet marketing, which they promise to provide to those who join their program.

According to the complaint, consumers who pay the initial $49 entry fee for the 21-step program are bombarded with sales pitches for membership packages that cost thousands of dollars, which the defendants pressure them to buy in order to continue through the 21 steps. The defendants eventually reveal that their “proven system” for making money is for consumers to sell the same memberships to others in the hopes of earning commissions on those sales.

Most people who buy into the program and pay for the expensive memberships are unable to recoup their costs, and many experience crippling losses or mounting debts, including some who have lost more than $20,000, the FTC alleges.

And unfortunately, there are still many other programs out there exactly like the one the FTC describes.

So just how you can you tell a scam apart from a legitimate done 4 you business?

Well, the first & most important question you should ask is “would you buy the products if it wasn’t for the attached income opportunity?“.

If the answer is no, then you’re likely dealing with a pyramid scheme.

The second question you must ask is “do the promises & income claims seem too good to be true?“.

If a done for you business puts a large emphasis onto how much money you’ll make & boasts large income claims or boasts that you’ll be able to make money quickly or easily, it’s likely a scam.

Following on from that point, here’s another quote that I’ve taken directly from an FTC publication:

Remember that no one can guarantee that you will make money. No matter what, the promise of quick and easy money is always a lie, and a sign of a scam.

And the third question you should ask is “are the costs truly justified?“.

For example, in the instance of a program costing $10,000 – you must ask, what are you really getting in return for that money? If it’s just training, or training & a “live event”, then the costs are likely not justified.

Instead, in that instance it’s likely that the products are being priced with commissions in mind, rather than value… And whilst that may not necessarily make it a “scam”, it is not a business operating with good practices & therefore should generally be avoided.

So… What do you do if you’re unsure?

Well, the best advice I could possibly give is to simply do your homework. Never dive into an opportunity blindly, instead always do thorough research – especially if it involves making an investment.

All you need to do is simply run a search online for the company name plus the words “complaint,” “scam,” or “review” – but do also be aware of the publishers intent as they may be receiving financial incentives for getting you to join.

Personally, however, I would recommend steering clear of done for you online businesses if you’re new to the world of online marketing. In my opinion, there is a better way to start out.

A Legitimate (And Less Costly) Alternative

Yes, there are potentially some positives to leveraging a “done for you” business as I’ve outlined throughout this article, however in my personal opinion, I believe they are outweighed by the negatives.

And in all honesty, you can still find great success without a fancy (and expensive) done for you sales funnel.

You see, one of the biggest problems you face when it comes to leveraging a “done for you” business model is that typically in order to actually utilize the “done for you” aspect, you’d be stuck with promoting that same funnel to others.

Whereas with traditional affiliate marketing, you’re free to promote any products from any company you like (providing it has an affiliate program through which you can promote them).

This means that by going down the route of traditional affiliate marketing instead, you could promote products from Amazon today & products from eBay tomorrow, etc, giving you the flexibility to build a business around any passion or niche you desire.

And the important words in that previous sentence are “build a business” because by putting the efforts in yourself rather than leveraging a “done for you” funnel, you actually get a real business of your own, as opposed to simply promoting somebody else’s.

Plus, there’s also the fact that in comparison, traditional affiliate marketing costs a LOT less. In fact, thanks to platforms such as Wealthy Affiliate, you can actually get started completely free of charge.

So if you’re just starting out online & wondering which direction to take, my advice to you would be to put “done for you” business aside & instead just focus on building an affiliate business.

You can learn how through my own free step-by-step guide here or alternatively you can head on over to Wealthy Affiliate which is my number 1 recommended places for getting started.

But whatever you decide to do, I sincerely hope that you found this post useful & most importantly I also hope that it’s helped you to potentially save some money, too. If you have any further questions or comments you’d like to add then, of course, don’t hesitate to leave them below.