Often times, "job opportunity" is associated with the term "wage
earner" meaning you work for your pay. The truth of the matter is,
the people who are making the "big bucks" are those who are leveraging
their time through others . . . the wage earners. In other words,
the people who make money off the wage earner's time are the ones
who tend to make the big money in the job world. Just take a look
at who makes the most money in any corporation. It all starts with
the hourly wage earner and goes up to supervisors, managers, district
managers, regional managers, Vice Presidents, President's and CEO's
and then the owner. In most cases, a job opportunity equates to
limited income. For example, if you are a salaried worker, you earn
a certain amount of money for your time and effort no matter how hard
you may work or how good your work is, that is, unless there are
performance incentives. If, however, your job pay is based on
commissions, then you may not be limited to a certain income, BUT
you will still be limited to how much time you will have to increase
commissions. There is no question that the common denominator is
time. Everyone has only 24 hours in a day no matter what their
position is in life.
The above may sound like a "downer", but THANK GOODNESS FOR JOB
OPPORTUNITIES! It is through a job opportunity that you can receive
a certain amount of income and most times you will have a pretty
good idea what it will be when you agree to take the job. For
example, you will know how much per hour you will make and how many
hours you will work if you are a salaried worker. If you work for
commissions, you will be able to get a profile as to what to expect,
without guarantees, based on the commission structure the company
provides you. What I am about to say is SO important and it could
be the answer to your question as to what you are looking for . .
or should I say what you need. IF YOU NEED MONEY, THEN YOU NEED A
JOB OPPORTUNITY. What I am saying is, if you are down and out or if
you need food for the table and a place to live, then you need a job!
You need to KNOW that money is coming in. That is the good part of a
job opportunity. A job opportunity can provide you the income for day
to day living . . . .whether it is barely making it or not, it does
provide for this necessary need.
IS IT A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY YOU WANT?
Ah . . .notice the difference in titles . . . .Is it a job opportunity
you need . . . Is it a business opportunity you want. Do you notice
the difference? In most cases, job opportunity equates to needs and
business opportunity equates to wants.
A business opportunity is the good chance to build a business into a
source of income. Generally business opportunities are long-term
ventures requiring some time to start your business, develop it into
an income-generating business and then reaping the rewards of being
the owner of such.
There are numerous kinds of business opportunities that range from
your having your own store-front business to a franchise to building
a business out of your home. My focus, with this article, is the
home-based business as an opportunity. To me, having ones own
store-front business or owning a franchise is too much like "job"
PLUS there is a large expense to getting a store-front business or
franchise business off the ground.
My interest is the home-based business as a business opportunity,
specifically network marketing type businesses. I'll explain my
"why" later in this article.
A home-based networking business opportunity has many advantages, but
it has many risks as well. Some of the advantages are (1) no limited
income, (2) flexible working time, (3) staying at home with the
family, (4) seeing the kids off to school rather than their seeing
you off to work, (5) low start-up costs, (6) identify and choose the
type of product business you want to represent, (7) could be a family
business where family members contribute, (8) can build a business
from your computer and/or your kitchen table, (9) creation of a
residual income where you earn money even while you sleep, (10) A
fight against inflation, (11) the ability to leverage yourself
through others eliminating the 24 hours in a day problem, (12) more
free time.
A home-based networking business also has its share of risks and
challenges such as (1) no guaranteed income, (2) often start out
putting in more hours with less pay, (3) the possibility of the
company you choose, to be an independent distributor for, going out
of business, (4) requires self motivation and a passion to
successfully build, (5) the roller coaster ride of emotions from
being on top of the world to having them network marketing blues!,
(6) having your business in your home could make it difficult to
separate business life from private/family life, (7)requires some
capital for product purchase and marketing strategies, (8) finding
others who may be as motivated as you, (9) being adequately trained
to be successful at building your business, (10) feelings of "am I
the only one working" from time to time, (11) self discipline to set
up a work schedule to grow your business.
So, there you have some of the advantages and risks/challenges of a
home-based business that is network marketing based. Why, then,
network marketing as a home-based business. It centers around the
word "hope." Network marketers are people who have a vision of
something beyond what they are or have. It's about having a dream
for such things as a new "paid for" house or a dream car or boat or
college educations paid for the children or grand children or that
dream vacation to another part of the world or the ability to quit
that "job" you hate to go to each day, or a retirement home at one
of the beaches of life or a retirement income that you can feel
secure about or a legacy to leave to your children. Network
Marketers live for their own hopes and dreams of tomorrow. Just so
you know how home-based network marketers think, consider this.
List just three things you would like to have . . . things you have
maybe suppressed because you knew you really couldn't have them
anyway. Dream and list your dreams, but don't put it in terms of
money. Put it in terms of "things or wants." That is why network
marketing is so appealing. Because through network marketing we
can leverage ourselves through other people . . . in a way in which
other people benefit also . . . making it possible to receive
lucrative amounts of money.
There are three stages to having your own network marketing
home-based business:
Stage 1 - income does not come up to what your time is worth.
Stage 2 - income is appropriate for the time you put in.
Stage 3 - you make obscene amounts of money with very little time needed.
Successful networkers are the ones who are persistent enough to go
through stages 1 and 2, even when the going gets tough.
SO . . .IS A HOME-BASED BUSINESS WHAT YOU WANT?
I mentioned earlier that if it is money you NEED, then you NEED to be
looking for a job opportunity. Once you have some money that you
have available to you, it is at that time you take THAT money and
leverage it into a business opportunity. THERE IS ONE EXCEPTION!
There are several home-based businesses available that offer you a
retailing opportunity so that you can purchase products at wholesale
and sell them at retail . . .BUT here is the key. You must latch
onto a company that does not require you to stock and inventory
products . . . a company that will drop ship for you so you won't
need a large initial investment in products. In many instances,
you can earn 25% - 35% by retailing the products. IF YOU NEED MONEY
AND IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR OWN HOME-BASED BUSINESS THEN RETAILING
PRODUCTS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO. It is through retailing that you
create immediate income and it is through sponsoring and building
your business with other distributors that you create your residual
networking business income. Residual networking income is what we
work for, but if you NEED MONEY NOW, you must either get yourself
a "job" or retail products. You hold the answer to that question.
I've received notes and letters from people stating they are in dire
need of money and they need it now. My best advice is to tell them
to look at job opportunities first and then to take any extra money
earned and leverage that money into a larger income via a business
opportunity. You've heard the saying, "it takes money to make money."
Any business venture requires money to get it started and to keep it
going.
I also receive notes and letters from people who indicate they are
disabled or handicapped and totally broke and are in hopes of finding
a magic way to make money. Again, if there is no money available,
then I have to recommend they seek a job opportunity with the help
of local officials to pair them up with companies that will utilize
handicapped people, but I also know being disabled or handicapped
can be such that a job opportunity is not realistic. If they have
no money, then I cannot recommend they get involved in a home-based
business unless they are willing and able to retail products or if
the opportunity is such that will allow them to work from their home
without much investment. Again, home-based businesses generally
require money to make money. I wish I had the answer for this
dilemma, but it seems to be an age old problem without a simple
solution.
Job opportunity or business opportunity? What is it you need?
What is it you want? Remember, take care of your needs first so you
can work on your wants. If your needs are taken care of and you
have certain "wants" that you can leverage some money into in order
to work toward those dreams and wants, then consider a home-based
business . . .a network marketing one at that.
E-Mail Lon Lindsey
Publisher of: The Master Networker
The Art of Building A Business
