A business opportunity, or biz-opp, involves the sale or lease of any product, service, equipment, etc. that will enable the purchaser-licensee to begin a business. The licensor or seller of a business opportunity usually declares that it will secure or assist the buyer in finding a suitable location or provide the product to the purchaser-licensee. This is different from the sale of an independent business, in which there is no continued relationship required by the seller.

Examples of biz-opps classified advertisements are:

• $3500 Weekly! Work From Home!
• Real Results Now! $360k 1st Year! No Gimmicks!
• $$ Make $1000+ per week... EVERY WEEK! $$
• Hottest Opportunity Ever (Numbers don't lie)!!
• Get 96 sites for $7,795. Then Retire! Call 1-800-XXX-XXXX.
• Many People Earn $36,000/year in Income, But . . . Very Few Earn $30,000/year working only five-six hours per week.

The use of a toll-free telephone number makes it difficult for customers to immediately identify the company's geographical location. Moreover, a company can own many 1-800 numbers, using a different one for each area in which it advertises. In the event of consumer complaints, this thwarts investigators from recognizing the connection between biz-ops listings in various newspapers.

More on [ Business opportunity ]

BBC News | Business | World Edition

G20 summit tries to tackle rifts
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:17:21 -0000
G20 finance ministers begin their meeting in Scotland, but are faced with divisions over stimulus spending and climate change.
US jobless rate rises to over 10%
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:47:19 -0000
The US economy lost 190,000 jobs in October, taking the jobless rate above 10% for the first time since 1983.
eBay in Skype deal with founders
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:56:58 -0000
eBay settles a lawsuit with the founders of Skype, ending uncertainty over the future of the internet phone company.

NYT > Business

British Bankers Defend Their Pay and Bonuses
By JULIA WERDIGIER Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:21:28 -0000
Regulators, central bankers and citizens are criticizing bankers for continuing large compensation packages while receiving government funds.
U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years
By PETER S. GOODMAN Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:23:04 -0000
The number of unemployed rose to 15.7 million in October, as 190,000 nonfarm jobs were lost, the government said, and economists do not expect relief until next year.
Seeing the Glass Half Full Despite the Day’s Reports
By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:25:25 -0000
The market had been expecting unemployment to top 10 percent before peaking. But the pace of job losses has accelerated and the rate is likely to go higher.

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