thank you for visiting my small business knowledge center review. When it comes to generating income from home, a common question I get is about market research companies and online surveys.
In this small business knowledge center review, I’ll talk about how it works, what you can expect, and of course… what most people are curious about… is it a scam?
Disclaimer: Please note that I am not a member or affiliate of the Small Business Knowledge Center. This review has been researched using information and/or testimonials that are available online and are in the public domain. any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not apply or agree with all people or situations. see the full disclaimer for more information
what is the small business knowledge center?
small business knowledge center (sbkc) is a market research company that rewards users for spamming and re-spamming.
what are they doing with that garbage…and why would they pay you for it?
That’s what I wanted to know too.
The official explanation is that their customers use their email to research the competition and develop products… which sounds legit, but I wonder how many flyers and promotional offers of the same they need.
Maybe I’m too suspicious. 😀
Located in Chicago and founded in 2006, the Small Business Knowledge Center is one of the most unique ways to make money through market research.
who is it for?
sbkc is for anyone just looking for a little cash for a coffee once in a while. of course…some money is better than no money, but depending on your goals…this may or may not be worth it.
It’s also an unlevered opportunity, meaning you’re still trading your time for dollars…and yes, even spam collection and email forwarding takes time. no passive income potential.
personally, I prefer to do something once that pays me many times… an online strategy that I talk about here.
how does it work?
The Small Business Knowledge Center has 2 panels you can join. a panel of consumers and a panel of producers.
The producer panel is for insurance agents, financial planners, etc. (examples only) who submit materials related to their profession.
most people will probably join (and be interested in) the consumer panel.
The basic process is simple…or at least it’s supposed to be. If you’re the kind of person who hates getting fliers, credit card offers, and promotional spam piling up… earning a few bucks with sbkc will probably drive you crazy.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind all that junk collecting a little dust, small business knowledge center will send you a prepaid, self-addressed envelope, usually on the 15th of every month.
your emails can be forwarded to them at any time.
The specific type of email they want is related to the following industries.
- insurance
- investments and annuities
- mortgages and loans
- banking and credit cards
- telecommunications
- travel and leisure
They will also accept brochures and promotions related to food and beverages, games, home products and clothing.
how much does the small business knowledge center pay?
According to their website, you can earn approximately $20 every 6-10 weeks. again… if looking at junk mail drives you crazy, it might not be worth twenty bucks every two months to rack up.
also… I don’t know how quickly your inbox fills up with spam, but it would be a tedious task for me to sit there every few days and forward them one by one.
having said that… if you don’t mind the extra effort, you should definitely get paid for the stuff you’d be throwing away anyway.
Your pay is accumulated in what they call participation points.
100 points equals $1.00…but it’s not clear how those points are accumulated. Is a piece of junk mail worth 1 point? 5 points? 10 points?
what is the specific criteria? If you get the same flyer from a hundred different people, do you allocate some points to everyone or just to the first person who sent it?
There should be more clarity here in my opinion, but they keep you updated every month with an email newsletter that includes your points balance.
minimum payment threshold
once you accumulate 2,000 points, the small business knowledge center will send you a $20 visa gift card.
other ways to make money with the small business knowledge center
The Small Business Knowledge Center also offers a referral bonus when you refer someone, but again… it’s not clear how that affects your points balance.
You may also receive invitations to participate in mystery shopper surveys.
Is the small business knowledge center a scam?
It certainly sounds like a scam, doesn’t it? maybe it’s just me. When I first heard that you could get paid for your spam, I thought something must be going on here.
I’m a skeptic, so I’ll share my opinion.
Before I do, I want to make it clear that this is just my own speculation and nothing more.
In the process of setting up your account and sending them the crap you’d normally throw away… the small business knowledge center is learning a lot about you. They have your name, your physical address, your email…
They can also create a profile based on what you send them and, more importantly, what you don’t send them.
For example, if you never send them the credit card promotional offers you get in the mail… they know you’re not getting any (which is valuable information they can sell to their credit card customers) or… that you keep filling them out and applying for them (which could indicate potential spending habits and/or income difficulties…which is also valuable information for financial advisors and debt consolidation companies).
Over time, they can paint a picture of your situation and identify potential marketing opportunities.
so, are they researching the competition, or researching the consumer (research on you)… or both?
but… that’s just my skepticism speaking.
Having said that, we’re not dealing with private information like medical history or family income here.
And overall, based on the many reviews I’ve read…people are getting paid as promised, and while it’s not a significant amount…the small business knowledge center is definitely legit.
small business knowledge center reviews and complaints
If you walked into a hundred brick-and-mortar businesses, they’d probably all tell you that their customers give them both good and bad reviews… the Small Business Knowledge Center is no different.
The most common complaints I came across had to do with poor communication. things like not responding to emails and phone calls, as well as unclear instructions online (for example, during the registration process).
On the plus side, people seemed quite happy to make a little money (and actually get paid) for the trash they had planned to throw away anyway.
what I like about the small business knowledge center
- You’re currently getting $0.00 for your spam, so why don’t you get paid?
- From other members’ comments and reviews, plus communication complaints… they seem to pay in on a regular basis (which is not always the case with market research companies).
what I don’t like
- it’s a big hassle for a small amount of money.
- information on how points are calculated is unclear.
- no serious earning potential here. if you were thinking of sbkc as a possible side hustle, sadly not the right opportunity for that.
final thoughts
You probably realize, personally I’m not a fan of making money from market research companies.
They are relatively safe and provide some extra money from time to time, but they are not a serious way to earn income from home. even when you combine several market research companies and online survey sites… the money you make is not passive income.
make money with an online business
If you’re passionate about something like music, video games, hiking, or anything else you can think of… you can build your own online business off of that.
Using the same step-by-step approach I use, you can leverage the web to get paid over and over again for work you only do once.