Having Your Own Internet Marketing Business VS Having An Online Home-Based (Work-At-Home) Job

Jan Hilado Category

Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Business, Business Blogging, Entrepreneurship, Home-Based Jobs, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Online Business, Online Clubs, Online Jobs, Virtual Assistants

Work for him? Or Have a Business Like He Has? - Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com

A lot of people are actually making money online already, even here in the Philippines. But it doesn't actually mean that when you're making money online, you already have an online internet business.

Making money online is just basically the same as Making Money Offline. There are Bosses, Employers, Investors, and Entrepreneurs. And there are also the online employees or much commonly called as Virtual Assistants, and Freelancers. It's good to clear these things up because I actually know a lot of people who are confused whether they are doing an Online Internet Marketing Business, or a Home-Based Online Job.

So to enlighten you up, I'll list down some characteristics and pros and cons that differ between the two. Let's start with an Online Internet Business.

An Online Internet Business:

Is owned by Internet Entrepreneurs/Investors.
Hires people (Virtual assistants and Freelancers) to do the work for them or use Outsourcing.
Is a "Business" and not a Job
Makes money based on Results NOT based on your Time or Labor
More RISKY than having an Online Job for the reason that you make money based on Results.
But if done and set up properly, great RESULTS could give you a FORTUNE and a Passive Income for life.
And when it can stand on it's own, the Internet Entrepreneur can now leave that site while it makes money for him and have the ACTUAL FINANCIAL FREEDOM.
Example is: Tony Hsieh is the creator, founder and owner of the Biggest online shoe store, Zappos. But it's not him handling the transactions and the support. He gives the Jobs to Virtual Assistants or outsource it somewhere.

While..

An Online Home-Based Job:

Is done by Virtual Assistants, Freelancers or employees of an Outsourcing Company
Hired by Internet Entrepreneurs to do the job for them (like writing articles, making blog posts, processing emails or answer phone calls for support)
Is actually a "JOB", but since it's home-based, many people think they're already doing an online "Business" when actually it's not
Makes money based on TIME and LABOR
More secured than an Online Business since you're paid based on your TIME.
But has little chance of finding a fortune because they're just actually working for someone.
And if you don't do the JOB, you don't get PAID.
Example is: A Work-at-home Mom who writes well is hired by an Internet Entrepreneur to write as many articles for his site and submit it to Article Directories to promote the Internet Entrepreneur's website.

Now you can see that Making Money Online is just almost the same as Making Money Offline. Either you have someone working for you, or you're working for someone. In my case though, I don't do Online Home-Based Jobs. When I do 1-on-1 Internet Marketing Coaching and Consulting, I teach them how to set up their own business, not teach them how to make money online working for someone else.

But of course, we all have different passions in life. You're either Passionate on setting up your own business, or you're passionate to work for someone else. Either way, you'll still be able to Make Money Online. Just continue doing what you love doing. :)

Tell us what you think of this Blog Post! Are you the Internet Entrepreneur? or the Virtual Assistant? and In what way?

2 Comments to “Having Your Own Internet Marketing Business VS Having An Online Home-Based (Work-At-Home) Job”

pinoypen May 23, 2010 at 11:20 AM

I do agree that a lot of people had that misnomer and its great that you had distinguished the two in your article.

Anyhow, there are a lot of ways to make money online. That is if yu have some passion for it because not all of people are cut for it.
Bjornson Bernales June 9, 2010 at 6:02 AM

It is a good distinction Jan. You have pointed out some... points.

However, Internet marketing is not just about selling products, tangible or digital. Internet marketers also sell their services. I take for example myself.

I am an Internet marketer and I sell some stuffs online. But perhaps, because of my beginning stage, I can't show the cash flow and income statements to prove my financial status. However, I also work as a freelance writer, a copywriter.

When you work for someone else and you are paid hourly, then that's a job. But if you work per piece, let's say, per article, then you provide service. Freelancers sell their works even with or without their credits.

Those who are paid by hour is as typical as an employment done offline.
However, in the case of freelancers, they engage in business online and they may also be called online entrepreneur in the process, the same way we consider a contractor, a businessman. Logically, when one is an online entrepreneur, he or she is an Internet marketer, but that may not be always the case.

I commend you on your distinction. And yeah, it may be relatively simple to distinguish a job or a business, but I think not...

I hope you'll forgive me for this but I have to take philosophical view on this matter.

Many people think that when they have a business, they have already escaped from a job. But sometimes that notion has a fallacy but it does not mean it is totally false.

Having a business does not necessarily entail you to become the manager or the one who runs the operation. You may have somebody to do that "job" for you. In that case, you are businessman and investor.

However, if you are the businessman and you want to run the business, you are doing the job of being the general manager or operations manager, making sure that the business is in the direction according to the set plan and objectives.

You see running a business is also a job. So, even if you think you are an Internet marketer and you run a business online, doing something for your online business is still a job. Thus, it means having a business online in which you are the Internet marketer and you do the job of selling and doing campaigns, writing blog posts, and seeking or becoming affiliates are not really far from doing home-based jobs online.

Business has a plethora of meanings and it also includes doing assignments. On the other hand, doing a piece of assigned task is called a job. In that case, there is no clear-cut distinction of being an Internet marketer with a business versus doing home-based jobs for someone else online because what you do as an Internet marketer is also qualified as having doing a job or some jobs online. Even if you are into outsourcing, monitoring the tasks of your hired workers offshore or the freelancers is also a job.

One can be an Internet Marketer and having a home-based job. When he does his business at the comfort of his home, he is doing home-based job. This is similar to the case of offline businessman with home office and he or she does her business at home with or without a distinctive office.

This is something I need to clear things up because sometimes we forget that doing some businesses also means doing some jobs.

People engage in business because they want a bigger pie or the whole pie of the profits of their business. Businessmen hire laborers because they recognize their limitations in doing many jobs for their businesses. The hired laborers are paid according to their value and hourly work while others are paid according to performance.

I hope this is also a sort of enlightenment.

Thanks for this thought-provoking post. It inspires me to write another post for my one blog, Bjorn Bernales.