Own Your Own

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From On Your Own: 99 Alternatives to a 9 to 5 Job by Kathy Matthews. Copyright © 1976 by the author. Reprinted with the permission of Random House, Inc., New York. Available in hard cover ($10) and in the Vintage Books paperback edition ($3.45) from any good bookstore, and—in paperback only—from Mother's Bookshelf.

"Work," declares Kathy Matthews, "should fit your interests and energies and lifestyle . . . whether it be part-time, supplementary, or full-time employment. It should give you satisfaction, independence, and money, on your terms."

And the following are only a sampling of the many inspiring ideas for just such satisfying independent careers that Kathy has compiled in her new book, On Your Own.

We've also included, in their entirety, Kathy's warnings and comprehensive getting-started advice . . . in the hope that her words of caution may help you avoid the pitfalls that ensnare so many unwary would-be entrepreneurs.

With only a little foresight and planning, then-plus the good advice in the following excerpt from Kathy's book—you may be closer to attaining your own economic self-sufficiency than you think!

The Work-at-Home Rip-Offs: How to Avoid Them

One of the most unhappy aspects of searching for work at home is the lure of those fraudulent "work-at-home" schemes. And what can make an unhappy rip-off turn into a cruel and almost tragic fraud is that the people victimized by the schemes are people who can least afford the loss. After all, people who are looking for extra income in the first place don't have money to throw around. It's tough for the law to monitor this area: There are numerous shady schemes, some schemes are not exactly illegal, and most victims chalk up their loss to experience and neglect to contact anyone who could do them any good. So beware!

Before an in-depth explanation of these various schemes and what to look out for, for those of you who might not read any further and therefore might be dumb enough to respond to a "make millions in two weeks in your outhouse" ad, a rule of thumb (and probably the first rule of thumb that really would fit on your thumb): Stop! That is, when tempted by a great-sounding work-at-home ad, stop, don't do it, don't send them anything, get out an old copy of National Geographic to take your mind off the temptation and thank God you've been saved. That's about all the practical advice you'll need when you're attracted by a glowing (it's the phosphorescence of decay) ad.

And now, for the curious and the sensible, here are four basic work-at-home frauds that you can confidently point to as such for the benefit of uninformed friends and relatives.

1. For a fee, you are offered "instructions", "opportunities", or "ideas" for earning money at home. You dash off a check, and promptly receive a sheet of instructions or ideas that combined with 10¢ will get you through to Ma Bell, or, if followed, would at best raise the suspicions of your neighbors. Some of the instructions explain how you can cheat other unsuspecting people by promoting the same sort of scheme—another variation of the classic chain-letter gyp. This type of fraud often suggests that you can address envelopes in your home. Of course you can. But it will never earn you money because in many ads the "address envelopes" come-on actually refers to addressing envelopes in which you send out the same instructions you were given to victims of your own "address envelopes at home" ads. In a postal fraud case it was discovered that the average amount that could be earned by people who respond to an "address envelopes at home" ad was a grand total of 45¢ per week. Or perhaps you would like to earn money by "renovating neckties for sale"? You simply "cut out soiled parts. Sew the remaining pieces together and sell them to your neighbors." I guess it really depends on your neighbors. In any case, you should be suspicious of any employment advertisement that wants to send you ideas or instructions for a fee.