What is NOT a right opportunity

Finding the right opportunity is not easy. It is not meant to be. Otherwise, everyone will find an opportunity easily and the world would be a better place to live in a matter of no time.

But what is easier to determine is what is NOT a right opportunity for you.

Here’s a few things about the characteristics of a NOT so right opportunity for you:

The opportunity is too good to be true

If an opportunity is too good to be true, it usually is. Such opportunities are usually presented by marketers who will make money from people who believe in such an opportunity and join the bandwagon. For them, YOU believing in the opportunity is the opportunity. Believe me, there are verifiable success stories with such opportunities, but the percentage of these success stories are abysmal.

Too many people have succeeded with similar opportunities

In simple terms, this is nothing but following the herd. If many people are getting it right, then it must be right.

By the time it becomes public knowledge that something is “hot”, you and I know that it is a crowded market. But what you may not realize is that it is more crowded than what is visible to the naked eye. Just like you, there are many people who have “discovered” this hot space and are working on products or services to capitalize on that opportunity. Not all of them have announced in public that they are working on something cool. It’s a matter of time before the already hot market got over-saturated and over-heated, pushing your project into the noise.

The opportunity presents disproportional return in a short time

Disproportional returns in a short time are an exception and not a rule. Yes, one can win a million bucks in Las Vegas. For every one such person, there are a million others who have lost ungodly amounts of money right there. Chasing exceptions is similar to thinking that you will win the lottery. It is statistically possible, but not probable.

The opportunity involves taking a number of shortcuts

In the long run, shortcuts take the longest time, cost the most and probably introduce breakdowns in other parts of your life. They always look attractive and a LOT of people will chase such opportunities and even win in the short term only to pay a heavy price in the long run. Avoid them like plague.

The opportunity in question costs you a relationship or two

These kinds of opportunities are surefire recipes for disaster. Why? Because you never lose a relationship – you lose a relationship network. You might get carried away and go ahead with your pursuit thinking you can mend the relationships at a later time. Unlike objects that may be fixed, broken relationships are hard to fix especially the ones that were not broken by mistake or oversight. In the long run, broken relationships carry a very big price tag on your success and you will realize that it is not worth paying that price.

The opportunity does not offer YOU huge growth personally

Pursuing an opportunity is to invest a part of your life for that cause. That part of life is irrevocable. Since at this stage of your life, your leverage quotient may not be that high, pursuing AN opportunity has been to simultaneously declare to pursue many other opportunities that are passing by. So, it is extremely important to ensure that you are growing as a person rapidly while you are pursuing the opportunity of your choice.

The opportunity is based solely on the latest trends

The marketplace rules are very different for your second startup (after you have succeeded in your first startup). At that time, you can pursue an opportunity that is not-so-well-defined per se.

Why?

Because you will have the benefit of doubt and the marketplace will bank on the fact that you will pivot until you find a profitable business model. But, for your first startup, you better be building a remarkable solution for a very real problem.

Whatever said and done, the opportunities that are right for you are the ones that will capitalize on your strengths. But how do you identify what your strengths really are?