Perhaps you have a close friend who is a single mother and is looking for at-home ways to supplement her part-time income. Perhaps a sibling is in a similar position. You get idea. I imagine that most people know at least one person that they could strike such an arrangement with.

TASKS TO DELEGATE

OK, so you've lined up your assistant. Let's turn now to kinds of things you can delegate to him/her. As a general rule, you want to delegate those tasks that are routine, repetitive and which maintain (rather than grow) your business. Growing business is your job. That's what's meant by working "on" business rather than "in" business. Consider following:

=> Processing Subscribe/Unsubscribe Requests If you publish an ezine, then you know what an administrative headache it can be processing all those subscribe and unsubscribe requests even with aid of automating software.

Despite your best efforts, and clear instructions in your ezine, there are always at least a dozen people who can't seem to figure out how to unsubscribe themselves and send you a message asking you to do it for them. Then there are those who write asking to be added to your ezine list because they've been referred by a friend and don't have your subscribe URL.

So you add them manually too. Then there are those who want to unsubscribe but keep trying to do so using an email address other than one they signed up with. They send abusive emails to you when, for some mysterious reason they keep getting your ezine. They, of course, think you're so desperate for subscribers that you have set up your devious systems so that once they're subscribed they're on your list forever.

Annoying as this is for ezine publishers, real problem is time it eats up dealing with this stuff. So delegate this task to your assistant.

=> Processing Advertising Orders Another routine task that can be delegated to your assistant is processing of advertising orders in your ezine. Set up your systems so that all orders go straight to your assistant (with a copy to you so you're in loop) who then schedules ad, confirms booking with advertiser and then formats ad ready for next issue.

=> Sending Your Ezine Actually sending your ezine to your list is something that you can delegate to your assistant, too. Just email your ezine to your assistant when you've finished it for sending to your list. You may even leave your assistant to insert classified ads.

=> Submitting Your Articles Another routine task that your assistant can take care of is article submissions. I have a list of article submission services that I submit my articles to on a weekly basis, as well as a handful of publishers who have specifically requested to receive them. My assistant sends for each article after it is written (they're all available on autoresponder) and submits it to article submission sites/lists I specify. A longer-term project is to seek out, on a regular basis, new article submission points. That, also, I have delegated.

=> Submitting Your Ezine Similarly, I have delegated task of submitting my ezine to various ezine announcement services that are always springing up all over place. => Negotiating Ad Swaps

If you're an ezine publisher, you know that receiving ad swap proposals from fellow publishers is a frequent occurrence. Delegate negotiation of these swaps to your assistant.

=> Web Site Updating Depending on how computer-savvy your assistant is, they may also be able to take on some simple web site updating for you. We're not talking about major design changes here, just making routine updates to add your latest ezine, article or advertising information, that sort of thing. ~*~*~*~*~*~ By delegating these routine administrative tasks and any others that may apply to your particular business, you will save yourself several hours of work every week. Don't squander this time! Now you have time you need to overhaul your site, write next month's articles for your ezine, investigate and respond to half dozen joint venture proposals you've received this week, create that ebook you've been meaning to get around to writing and, most importantly, *promoting your business*! As stated earlier, you MUST convert your newfound time into dollars. If not, your business is just going backwards ... very circumstance you sought to avoid when hiring your assistant.

"Some people confuse pyramid .. schemes with multilevel marketing. ... [U]nlike pyramid .. schemes, MLM's have a real product to sell. More importantly, MLM's actually sell their product to members of general public, without requiring these consumers to pay anything extra or to join MLM system. MLM's may pay commissions to a long string of distributors, but these commissions are paid for real retail sales, not for new recruits."

Now consider how our "wealth distribution program" above works. Which is it, do you think? Pyramid scheme or MLM? Bzzzz ... time's up. All who think it's a classic pyramid go to top of class.

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION GUIDELINES

Not surprisingly, U.S. Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") pays close attention to so-called MLM's that are, in reality, nothing more than pyramid schemes. It regularly prosecutes promoters of such schemes, obtaining injunctions and orders freezing assets of promoters to be applied in redress of victims. If you knowingly participate in a pyramid scheme, you too can be named as a defendant in such an action.

Bear in mind that as a distributor (whether you're participating in a legitimate MLM program or an illegal pyramid scheme), you're legally responsible for claims you make about company, its products and business opportunities. It is no defense that you're merely rehashing same old representations made to you by company. The FTC can require you to verify research behind any claims you make. For more on subject of representations and your obligation to be able to back them up, read "Not Just Six Lines ... 65 Characters" at http://www.ahbbo.com/adsftc.html .

In addition, if you solicit new distributors, heed FTC's warning in its Consumer Alert, "The Bottom Line About Multilevel Marketing Plans": "You are responsible for claims you make about a distributor's earnings potential. Be sure to represent opportunity honestly and avoid making unrealistic promises. If those promises fall through, remember that you could be held liable."

Finally, here's FTC's tips for evaluating a multilevel marketing opportunity:

"1. Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid. [And, by way, calling it "benefactoring" won't help. Just a handy hint ...]

"2. Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive products and marketing materials. These plans may be pyramids in disguise.

"3. Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your downline, that is, number of distributors you recruit. [Don't take this tip out of context - by definition, more people you have in your downline, more you'll legitimately make in MLM. What FTC is saying here is to watch out if plan rewards you for recruiting per se, rather than paying you a commission on sales of product to general public generated by your downline.]

"4. Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Ask promoter to substantiate claims.

"5. Beware of shills - "decoy" references paid by a plan's promoter to lie about their earnings through plan.

"6. Don't pay or sign any contracts in an "opportunity meeting" or any other pressure-filled situation. Insist on taking your time to think over your decision. Talk it over with a family member, friend, accountant or lawyer.

"7. Do your homework! Check with your local Better Business Bureau and State Attorney General about any plan you're considering - especially when claims about product or your potential earnings seem too good to be true. [Don't rely too much on BBB though - companies pay to be listed with them so they're not as authoritative and independent as they seem. Asking whether they have complaints on file about your particular program is worthwhile, however.]

"8. Remember that no matter how good a product and how solid a multilevel marketing plan may be, you'll need to invest sweat equity as well as dollars for your investment to pay off."

By testing any opportunity against above tips, you'll go a long way to ensuring that what you're getting yourself into is a legitimate MLM program and not an illegal pyramid. Probably best gut check of them all though is good old "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".

Hmm ... $1.1m in 39 days for an investment of $60 ... somehow, I JUST don't think so ...