Due to my slowing internet sign business, I have been scouring eBay and other online resources to try and find another business that will use my previous experiences.  And, although I am not expecting a guarantee of success, I don’t want to much risk if things should go wrong.

Recently, I did find such a business on eBay.  I first noticed it a few weeks ago.  I thought this opportunity would stretch me a little farther then I wanted to be stretched, so I just started “watching” it and went no further.  The owner of this business was apparently getting some negative emails from potential buyers, so he added some clarification to his listing.  He explained that a past customer had tried to adversely affect his business by excessive postings on blogs and other online outlets.  He stated how he wanted to make sure the business would succeed, and how frustrated he was in not finding interested buyers.  (When I read, “I am certain this business can make $1,000 per week”, it gets my attention!)

His plea made me graduate from a “watcher” to someone who was interested in contacting him.  After a couple of days, I received an email with his phone number.  As we spoke for 45 minutes the following day, I thought, “I might be able to do this thing.”  It was during this chat I realized the person on the other end of the phone was a felon.  The person I was speaking to had been involved in organized crime.  He had served a couple of years in federal prison.  (Searching the internet on his name provided a few other colorful stories of his business exploits.)  After getting out of prison, he had consulted with various individuals to provide information to the government on how to protect themselves from people with his expertise.  And, now that his criminal pursuits are denied him, he has started a business on the “straight and narrow”.  Now, due to age and health issues, he wanted to sell this business.

At the end of our phone call, he promised to send a couple of emails–which he did.  I think we were fine up to that point.  It was my response to his emails that may have sent us the wrong direction.  I let him know, “I know how important it is to talk to my spouse (my wife is an attorney) about the possible decision I might make.  I did tell her a little bit about your background.  She is a little concerned, but she does trust my judgement.”  I also wanted a couple of references on customers who had bought his product.  When he read “attorney”, I think his interest in me as a buyer dried up.  Although my email may not have been received or ended up in the wrong folder, I took it as a sign I was not to nudge this opportunity along any further.

Lesson Learned:  With any business opportunity, be alert and trust your instincts.  No one has a perfect past, but if they start with any strikes against them, don’t keep making excuses for them.  Know when to say “when”