Work at Home - do You Want a Job or a Business?

A Home Business Article Contributed by Elizabeth Fox-Wise

There are Several Ways to Work at Home - Which is Best for You?

So you have decided that you want to work at home. That is the first step. Now you have to decide if you want to pursue a work at home job or start and run a home based business. While these might sound like similar things there are quite a few differences to each variation of work at home.

Psychological profiles of an entrepreneur tell us that he/she has a high energy level, likes to set long term goals and work towards them, and has a high level of self confidence. They are also known to be problem solves and risk takers, can learn from their failures, accepts personal responsibility for their actions, and seizes opportunities to use all available resources for their success.

Entrepreneurs enjoy competing with themselves and believe that success or failure is within their own control. They do not see setbacks as failures, but rather opportunities to learn and grow from. And most important they have the persistence that is required to keep going until success is realized.

For these people, owning a home based business is the perfect way to work at home!

If this does not sound like you, owning a home based business might not be the most effective or prosperous way for you to work at home.

You Might Prefer a Work at Home Job

A work at home job will still offer most of the advantages that make people seek work at home. The flexibility of scheduling, the lack of a daily a commute, less time away from children and family, more independence, the lack of a structured work environment, and so much more!

What a Work At Home Job will offer that a home based business does not, is a guaranteed paycheck. Unless you are working on a commission only basis, most work at home jobs will pay for the time spent at work. Either at an hourly rate (if you are doing something such as phone contacting) or on a per piece rate if your are producing work for them (such as article writing).

Contrary to popular belief, there are several legitimate work at home jobs available, but there are also a lot of workers seeking these positions. You have to be diligent and thorough in your search and weed through a lot of garbage and scams to find legitimate home work jobs - but they are there and can be found. Persevere in your search. And be sure to check companies out with the Better Business Bureau before committing to them.

Also, keep in mind that seeking a work at home job is different from a work at home business opportunity. A business opportunity will typical require money be invested to get started. A job should NOT! A job should hire and pay you - not require that you lay out any money first. I would be leary of any job that requires I pay to start.

Whichever Work at Home You Choose - Always Keep an Eye on What Else is out There

Unless you stumble into that rare work at home job or business that is truly going to make you rich and change your lifestyle, hold onto the income you are generating from what you have found, but always be watching the Internet for other opportunities. If you see something better - you can always change jobs!