Do You Want A Job Or A Home Business?

Which one are you looking for: a work at home job or a home based business? Did you answer "work at home job"? Most people will give the same response, not because they really want a boss breathing down their neck, just because they never realised having their own business was an option.

The sad truth is that just about all the people who don't consider anything beyond a traditional salaried job are going to be disappointed. No matter how hard or long they search, they won't find what they are hoping for. The reason for this is very simple: there are just not enough home based jobs to go round, there never have been. The work at home job opportunities you see advertised online will, on investigation, turn out to be freelance work or self-employed commission only work or, worst of all, scams. There are even unscrupulous website owners who will demand a fee from you to let you view a list of non-existent jobs.

The good news is that you can earn money at home even if you don't have a job. The Internet offers so many different ways to make money, you don't need to worry about whether you are working at a home based job or running your own home business. Here are some suggestions for different types of Internet work at home opportunities that can all be done on a part time basis to suit your commitments and personal preferences.

Online Surveys

Getting paid to participate in online surveys and focus groups is about the easiest way to earn money at home. You need absolutely no previous experience, special skills or knowledge. Market research companies just want to know the opinions of ordinary people and they are prepared to pay to get those opinions. The process is simple: you sign up with a company, they will notify you via email when a survey is available, you complete the survey, they pay you. All from the comfort of your own home.

Get Paid To

There are companies who will pay you to perform various online tasks such as reading commercial emails, signing up for free offers and playing games. This really is as easy as it sounds and you can perform these tasks at any time that suits you. You can sign up to individual companies who offer a particular variety of this type of work (eg get paid to read email companies). Alternatively, there are companies online where membership includes access to a selection of all sorts of different money earning opportunities. The individual tasks only take a matter of minutes to complete, so they can easily be done in your odd spare moments.

Online surveys and "get paid to" programs are about the closest thing to an employer-employee relationship we will be looking at in Internet opportunities. The companies send you tasks, you perform them and the companies pay you. The situation with the following work at home opportunities is different insofar as your earning capacity is limited only by your preferences and capabilities. In short: the more you do, the more you can earn.

Data Entry

Data entry programs are a little more advanced than online surveys but full training is included in the package and, if you have average typing skills and the ability to follow simple instructions, it is possible to earn a great deal of money doing online data entry. Online data entry is not the same as the old-fashioned boring and time consuming data entry work. The work can be completed in a spare half hour here and there to fit in with your day to day routines. You don't need any previous experience to do this work and, with the aid of the training provided, you can start earning money straight away.

Affiliate Marketing

Internet affiliate marketing offers a way to make money online without needing to have your own website. The way it works is simple: you promote other people's products and receive commission on the sales you achieve. It is possible to earn large sums of money through affiliate marketing. In order to be successful, you will need to learn how to market products effectively. It is, therefore, better to find a company offering training for affiliate when you first start out.

Multi Level Marketing

Multi level marketing is usually referred to just as MLM and, although it is frequently confused with illegal pyramid schemes, it is different. MLM is legitimate and can be a good way of earning money from home. The way it works is that you join the company and earn commissions for selling the company's products. ( The product could be just about anything you can think of eg satellite TV, phone services, cosmetics, wellness products, downloadable ebooks, insurance etc). You also recruit other people into the company. These people are placed in your "team" and you get paid a percentage of any sales your recruits generate. When choosing an MLM company, don't be swayed by promises of huge earnings. Obviously earning potential is important but the first thing to look at is whether you will feel happy to endorse the product. You won't be able to convince other people to purchase the product or to join you in your team if you don't have faith in the product.

You can earn money at home doing one or a combination of several of the above opportunities but none of them is a job by the usual definition of the word. You don't have a contract of employment, you are responsible for your own tax liabilities and you don't get paid holidays or sickness benefits. What you do get is your freedom and the chance to shape the quality of your own future both in financial terms and in terms of how you spend your time. Are you sure it's really a job you want?

Copyright 2006 Elaine Currie

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