Home Based Business vs Home Based Job – Is There a Difference?
Home based business vs home based job – are they one and the same? Do you find it hard to tell a business opportunity from a work at home job? It’s no secret that you’ll likely to sign up for more than you bargained for if you don’t know the difference. Here’s what you need to know…
Home based business vs home based job…so what really is the difference?
Well, by now you’ve probably seen lots of ads online for “work at home opportunities”, but maybe you didn’t know if it was legit. Perhaps you weren’t sure if these ads were for a work at home job or for a business opportunity and so you hesitated.
What’s even more complicated is that some of these opportunities wanted you to “invest” or put up money to get started and so now you’re thinking that all home based businesses and jobs are scams!
Nothing to could be further from the truth…and I’ll tell ya why…
Home Based Business vs Home Based Job
By now you may still be a little bit confused at the difference between a home based business and a home based job. Let me put it like this…
Home Based Jobs
A home based job is exactly like that – a job. You either have an employer or you have an employee/employer-type relationship. You complete certain tasks and in exchange you get paid per your established agreement. Some work at home jobs pay you hourly, whereas some pay you by the minute, whereas others pay by the completed tasks that you do.
Lets mix it up a bit more…
There are work at home jobs that require you to be an independent contractor. There’s even one company, Arise, that requires you to incorporate (that one makes no sense to me at all. You might as well have you’re own business!).
Should You Pay For a Home Based Job?
You may have feelings of desperation as you come across something called a work from home opportunity, but something stops you dead in your tracks – they want you to pay money to get started!
You quickly do an about face and lump that home opportunity under “S” for scams because it just like all the other opportunities you’ve seen online.
Are you right for thinking like this or did you let a good opportunity slip through your wet hands?
Well, it can be both. Let me explain further…
The Requirements For a Work From Home Job
All jobs whether it be a work from home job or a traditional job, has requirements. In the case of a home based job, some companies may require you to have a degree or a certain kind of experience. Some jobs may require some of the things listed below, some of which may require you to spend money such as:
- A Computer
- A Computer that meets the company’s requirements (so much storage space, memory, a certain operating system, etc..)
- A landline phone
- Specific office software
- A fax machine
- A copy machine
- A scanner
In addition, some companies may require you to pay for your own background check which in some cases is reimbursed to you later. As you can see, there are quite a few things that can cost you money in your pursuit of a home based job. The great thing is that you probably meet most of the requirements already.
What is important to note here is that although there are requirements you have to meet in order to get a home based job, you should NOT have to pay for a job nor should you have to pay for the right to apply for a job.
You also do not have to purchase an ebook to get a listing of the companies that hire home workers. I’ll reveal to you a couple of websites that list the top companies that hire home based workers.
What Kind of Home Based Jobs Are Available?
All kinds of companies hire home based workers. Here are some job types you’ll commonly find:
- Data Entry
- Transcription Services
- Customer Service
- Telemarketing
- Sales
- Order Taking
- Virtual Assistants
Do you have any skills that fall into any of those job categories above?
Where Can I Find Work at Home Jobs?
There are only a few places that I recommend:
- Work at Home Arena (highly recommend) – You have to register first and then go to the forum. You will find info on some of the most common and popular companies that hire home workers. You’ll want to scroll down to the “Work at Home Job Topics” section.
TIP: Always read the “sticky” threads at the top of each company forum. It will tell you what you need to know and how to apply. Some companies only hire in certain states so there’s no use applying for a company that doesn’t hire in your state.
2. Wahm.com – This is another forum. You’ll have to spend the time to go through each sub-forum and find work at home job leads. Use your discretion because anyone can start a thread on a company and it may not be legit.
3. Work From Home Mommy – Lots of job leads here, make sure you do thorough research first. Once you find a job, check it on Work at Home Arena to see if anybody there has any feedback on the company.
The Pros and Cons of a Home Based Job
With so many companies (there are literally hundreds of companies that hire home workers), why aren’t more people working from home in their pajamas?
First of all, as you can imagine there is a lot of competition. Second of all, you do have to meet each job’s requirements. Lastly, for just about all work at home jobs, unless you’re doing transcription or data entry, you must have a quiet background. That means no crying babies and no barking dogs.
The pros of course is that you get to stay home and you don’t have to deal with a daily commute. The cons is that a home based job is still a job. Some jobs have strict requirements so that you can’t venture too far from your computer…you’re literally stuck in front of it.
With a home based job you can be fired at will and without any advanced notice. You are limited in what you can make. This is NOT a business where you have control over your income.
Which brings us to a home based business – where you have the flexibility and the opportunity to make bigger checks…
Why Choose a Home Based Business?
So now that you know all about work from home jobs, you need to know about the other work at home opportunity – a home based business.
A home based business just like any other kind of business – it will require some expense. Either the expense of buying a distributor kit, buying product to demonstrate, buying advertising to advertise your business, getting business/marketing training, etc…
A home based business is STILL a business. Just because you can sit at home and work your business from your home, it doesn’t mean that it’s any less a business.
Many people get in trouble with their home business because they assume that they’ll get rich overnight and that it’ll be easy to do. Let me tell you that this couldn’t be any further from the truth! A business takes work – hard work.
A legitimate business requires you to be diligent, consistent, persistent, a self-starter, and have a willingness to learn. You must be willing to invest into your business, so you should have an advertising budget.
If you don’t have all of those things I listed, then a home based business may NOT be the right thing for you at this time.
The trade-off for being consistent, persistent, and treating your business like a business, is that you can literally write your own checks. You have the opportunity to make a six-figure+ income from home.
You will never get rich working a job, unless you have a high ranking position in a company – and only a small percentage of people hold these positions.
Now you know the difference between a home based job and a home based business. Where you are in your life and how much money you want to make for your family will determine the right path for you.
Your partner in success,
