Is Small Business Knowledge Center a Scam? [Full Review]

Thanks for stopping by to check out my Small Business Knowledge Center review. When it comes to generating income from home, a common question I get is about market research and online survey companies.

In this Small Business Knowledge Center review I'll discuss how it works, what you can expect, and of course… what most people are curious about… is it a scam?

Disclaimer:
Please note, I am not a member or an affiliate for Small Business Knowledge Center. This review has been researched with information and/or testimonials that are available online in the public domain. Any recommendations and/or conclusions are strictly opinions and may not to apply to, or agree with, all persons or situations. See full disclaimer for more info

What is Small Business Knowledge Center?

Small Business Knowledge Center (SBKC) is a market research company that rewards users for sending in their junk mail and forwarding spam emails.

What are they doing with that junk… and why would they pay you for it?

That’s what I wanted to know as well.

The official explanation is that your mail is used by their clients for competition research and product development… which sounds legit, but I wonder how many of the same flyers and promotional offers they need.

Maybe I'm just too suspicious. 😀

Located in Chicago and founded in 2006, Small Business Knowledge Center is one of the more unique ways to make money through market research.

Who Is It For?

SBKC is for anyone who’s just looking for a little coffee money every once in awhile. Of course… some money is better than no money, but depending on your goals… this may or may not be worth your time.

It’s also a zero-leverage opportunity, meaning you’re still trading your time for dollars… and yes, even collecting junk mail and forwarding email takes time. There is no passive income potential.

Personally, I prefer to do something once that pays me many times over… an online strategy I talk about here.

How Does It Work?

Small Business Knowledge Center has 2 panels you can join. A consumer panel and a producer panel.

The producer panel is for insurance agents, financial planners, etc. (just as examples) who send in materials related to their profession.

Most people will likely 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 having flyers, credit card offers, and promotional spam piling up… earning a few bucks with SBKC will probably drive you nuts.

On the other hand, if you don’t mind having all that junk collect a little dust, Small Business Knowledge Center will send you a pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope, usually on the 15^th of every month.

Your emails can be forwarded to them at any time.

The specific type of mail they want is related to the following industries.

• Insurance
• Investment and Annuities
• Mortgage and Loans
• Banking and Credit Cards
• Telecommunications
• Travel and Leisure

They will also accept flyers and promotions related to Food and Beverage, Games, Home products and Apparel.

How Much Does Small Business Knowledge Center Pay?

According to their website you can earn approximately $20 every 6 – 10 weeks. Again… if the sight of junk mail drives you crazy, it might not be worth having it pile up for twenty bucks every couple months.

Also… I don’t know how quickly your inbox fills up with spam, but for me it would be a tedious task 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 absolutely get paid for stuff you’d be throwing away anyway.

Your pay is accumulated in what they refer to as participation points.

100 points is equal to $1.00… but it’s not clear how those points accumulate. Is one piece of junk mail worth 1 point? 5 points? 10 points?

What’s the specific criteria? If they get the same flyer from a hundred different people, do they allocate a few points to everyone, or just the first person who sent it in?

In my opinion, there should be more clarity here, but they do keep you updated every month with an email newsletter which includes your point balance.

Minimum Payout Threshold

Once you accumulate 2000 points, Small Business Knowledge Center will send you a $20 Visa gift card.

Other Ways to Make Money with Small Business Knowledge Center

Small Business Knowledge Center also offers a referral bonus when you recommend someone, but again… it’s not clear how that affects your points balance.

You may also get invites to participate in mystery shopper surveys.

Is Small Business Knowledge Center a Scam?

It certainly sounds like a scam, doesn’t it? Maybe it’s just me. When I first heard you could get paid for your junk mail I thought something must be going on here.

I’m a skeptic, so I’ll share my take.

Before I do though, I want to be clear that this is just my own speculation and nothing more.

In the process of setting up your account and sending them the junk you’d normally toss out… Small Business Knowledge Center is acquiring a lot of information about you. They have your name, your physical address, your email…

They can also build 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 promotional credit card offers you get in the mail… they know you are either not receiving any (which is valuable information they can sell to their credit card clients), or… that you keep them to fill and apply for (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 doing competitor research, or consumer research (research on you)… or both.

But… that’s just the sceptic in me talking.

Having said that, we’re not dealing with private information such as medical history or family income here.

And overall, from the many reviews I’ve read… people are getting paid as promised, and although it’s not a significant amount… 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 their customers give them both good feedback and bad reviews… Small Business Knowledge Center is no different.

The most common complaints I came across had to do with poor communication. Things like being non-responsive to emails and phone calls, as well as unclear instructions online (eg. during the sign-up process).

On the positive side, people seemed pretty happy to earn a little money (and actually get paid) for junk they had planned to throw out anyway.

What I Like About Small Business Knowledge Center

• You’re currently getting $0.00 for your junk mail, so why not get paid?
• From the comments and reviews from other members, aside from the communication complaints… it appears they pay on a regular basis (which isn’t always the case with market research companies).

What I Don’t Like

• It’s a lot of hassle for a small amount of money.
• Information about how points are calculated is unclear.
• There’s no serious income potential here. If you were thinking of SBKC as a potential side hustle, it’s unfortunately not the right opportunity for that.

Final Thoughts

You can probably tell, I'm personally not a fan of making money with market research companies.

They are relatively safe, and provide some extra money every once in awhile, but they are not a serious way to earn an income from home. Even when you combine several market research companies and online survey sites together… the money you earn is not passive income.

Make Money with An Online Business

If you're passionate about something like music, video games, hiking, or whatever else you can think of… you can build your own online business around it.

Using the same step-by-step strategy I use, you can leverage the web to get paid over and over for work you only do once.