Home Based Business vs Home Job Opportunity

You are here because you either want to know what a work at home based business is or you want to find one. I am going to explain to you what a “work at home based business” really is and tell you the similarities and differences between a home based business and a work at home job opportunity. They are not exactly the same thing even though many people think they are.

I get a kick out of a lot of home business owners. They tell me that the reason why they want to run their own home business is because they don’t want to work for a boss and they want to be able to make their own hours and have the freedom to do as they please. Hey, that’s what a home business is all about. I had no choice. I started my own business because I lost my job. But trust me, I wish I had quit my job long before I lost it, because this is the life. But what about you? Are you really running a business or are you just working another job without realizing it?

Let’s look at some similarities and differences between working at home and running a home based business…

Are You Running A Business Or Working A Job?

The bigger question is, how can you tell? Well, the best way to tell is by looking at what you do on a daily basis and see if you’re a slave to it. If you didn’t do what you did today, would you still make money? This is a problem with people who freelance. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not knocking freelancing, as it pays very well, but unless you work, you don’t get paid. That’s why, as well as copywriting pays, I wouldn’t want to be a slave to that business model, which is why I don’t take on copywriting clients regularly. I’ll do one from time to time, more to help out somebody who can’t afford the outrageous prices of some of these guys, but I’ll never make it a steady income.

Anyway, let’s dig a little deeper into the similarities and differences to find out the answer for you…

When you have your own home based business then you are obviously working at home while running it. So, in that regard they are very much the same. However, a typical work at home job means you will be working for a company or another individual. This is basically the same as going to a regular offline job every day except you get to do it at home.

You should never pay to work at home for a company or an individual. They should be paying you, not the other way around. But a home based business opportunity is different. You will almost always have to pay to join them. It might be a onetime fee or a monthly fee but either way it will cost you.

You likely have your own online home based business if you do one or more of these things to make money:

• You make money at home by selling products. These can be products that you created yourself or products you are selling as an affiliate.
• You earn money online from selling (flipping) websites or blogs that you have created or purchased and fixed up.
• You make money from selling adverting space on your websites or blogs.
• You make money online by selling articles or content that you have written.
• You make money with Adsense on websites or blogs that you have built and got ranked highly in the search engines.

There are certainly other ways that you can make money at home online which would constitute you having your own online home based business, but the ones listed above are the most popular methods. Basically it boils down to if you make money from your own websites or blogs, or by selling something that is created by you then you have your own online home based business.

You likely have a work at home job if you do one or more of these things to earn money:

• Someone else pays you to create something for them for a specified amount of money.
• Someone else pays you for writing articles, blog posts, advertisements, sales copy, information products, or other content for them.
• You get paid by someone else for building or designing web sites for them.
• You get paid for taking surveys, reading emails, posting in forums, clicking ads, filling out free offers, or performing other similar tasks.
• You do anything else for someone where they pay you for your time and work.

As with the home based businesses, there are other ways you can earn money that would constitute you having a work at home job but those listed above are some of the most common. Basically you have a work at home job if someone else pays you to do something for them.

Do you see the differences between the two?

It comes down to whether or not you make money from the sale of products or services. If you do then you have your own online business. And if you are getting paid by someone else for a service you provide, you have a home based job. There are exceptions to this rule but that’s basically the way it is for the most part.

When you own a home based business you make money doing things that benefit you and your business. You do keyword research and build your own websites. You do your own marketing and advertising. You make money from your visitors and customers. You are in control of how much time and effort you put into building your business and how much money you can potentially make from your work.

For example, if you write your own information product (ebook) then build a website and write a sales letter to sell it, then you have created your own business product. You will then market it using various internet marketing techniques and hopefully a lot of people will buy it. This is part of your own business and everything you do for the product benefits you. How much money you make from it mainly depends on your own efforts and you can continue to earn from that product for years.

On the other hand, when you have an online work at home job you must work the hours needed in order to complete the task you are getting paid to do for someone else. You will do the work and then give it to your virtual “boss” so they can use it for whatever they needed and pay you for it. You are helping them build their business, not yours. As soon you are done and get paid for your home based work, you will no longer make money from whatever you did. You have to find another new “job” to continue making money.

With a home business you keep earning money even if you aren’t working. Once you have built it up to the point where money is coming in regularly, you might be able to take an entire month or longer off to go on vacation and your income will stay the same. With a work from home job, your income goes away as soon as you stop working.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both but I highly recommend starting your own home based business rather than doing work at home jobs. The reason is simply because you must have your own business if you really want to create financial freedom for yourself and continue to do so into the future. You will not get rich doing work at home jobs because you will always have to keep working and completing tasks for someone else to get paid. You can only work so many hours in a day and you can only earn so much for your work. There’s a low ceiling on how much money you can earn from work at home jobs. You have a lot higher income potential as well as leverage and options with a home based business.

If you want to earn a good living online and not become a slave to it, you need to think long term. In other words, you want to set up a business model that will pay you in the future for the work you do today. Take a look at what you’re doing today and see if it’s something that you’ll want to be doing years from now. If the answer is no, maybe you want to rethink your business model. It’s never too late to make changes that will bring you a greater income with a lot less work.

Now is the time for you to sit back and really think about how you are making money at home online. Do you have your own internet home business or do you have a work from home job? There’s certainly nothing wrong with doing work for someone else and getting paid for it if that’s what you enjoy. However, if you are worried about your future or want to create financial freedom for you and your family, you really need to get started on your own online business right now!

The next time you are looking for “work at home based business” you will know that phrase is actually two separate things combined into one. You can do both or you can choose a side. You now know where I stand on the issue.

Are you looking for a way to start your online home business or add an additional income stream to an existing internet business? Here are my top recommendations for the best home business opportunities.