I have been working from home almost all my life, since I turned 18.  As a matter of fact it's been a breathtaking journey, but one which a lot of individuals have many misconceptions about.  I get asked frequently what is the most thriving home based business or what is the best rated home based business.  When folks ask me this most of the time I can visualize what they're really asking is, what business can i sign up for today and make $5,000 by the end of the week, as if there is a magic home based business lantern somewhere that they can rub and the cash start flowing.  Others ask because they are really keen on making a good long lasting business decision with a legitimate home based business opportunity.  The fact is there are countless home based business income opportunities out there and not a single one of them is foolproof.  Sorry to discourage you, but if there was everyone would all be in it by now and the opportunity would be dead and gone.  However, I strongly believe there is an infallible business out there for you.  The fact is that people are searching for a legitimate home based business opportunity and I made this hub to share my experience as well as observations in the hopes that it will help you to start on a right track.

Free Home Business Ideas 

There are a lot of home business opportunities out there. Majority of them fall into one of these groups:

1. Network Marketing - MLM
2. Affiliate Marketing Program

3. Surveys
4. Home Call Center

I have either had knowledge, or know folks who work, in each of these 5 groups. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. The question is which advantage is most vital to you and which disadvantage must you stay away from? Every individual has different tastes and prejudice as to what each of the 5 groups entails. I personally know folks that are very successful in each of these groups so they all work. What you need to figure out is which one or ones will assist you in reaching your aims and will work properly with your personality and skill set. It's essential to approach this with an open mind and be flexible. Life circumstances is are subject to changes, and so what works for you today might not work tomorrow and what is going to make you outrageously wealthy tomorrow, might not be what you're searching for now. Is that obvious enough?

So let's jump right at it with an open, flexible mind and explore each of these groups:

Network Marketing - MLM 

This is the group that I initially got involve with. While I was in college I began with a reputable company that had been around for years and I did pretty well. Within my first 4 months I was earning over $6,000 monthly, more than I ever imagined. The secret to my victory was that I was very teachable. I found a mentor who was making over $12,000 monthly and I applied everything he taught me to do. I completely loved my work because I loved the service I was promoting and I loved assisting others make a good income marketing it too. So why did I stop? Let’s say “burnout”. I still believe in the idea, it is a legitimate home based business opportunity, but it no longer interest me and I wanted to take some time off and pursue other interests. However, with that particular business opportunity if I wasn't working my income would take too much of a dip. It's vital to note that no one will ever be as devoted to your business as you. If you aren't working your business you can't anticipate those in your network to do the job for you. Now does this mean I'll never go into this group again? I sincerely don't know. I thought that I would remain in network marketing my entire life and things changed. If I discover another company whose products and pay plan got me thrilled enough to invest my time into it, totally! All I know for certain is that life is too short to do anything that doesn't motivate you.

The most vital choice in this group is which company to get started with. There are literally thousands. My advice for finding the accurate fit for you are:

1. You have to like the product.
2. The payplan has to be rewarding and geared towards the average person.
3. Training - I can't stress this enough, you must get good training.

Advantage:

1. Complete satisfaction from assist people to become successful.
2. Can build up an income within a few hours a day if you know what you are doing.
3. It is possible to make a full-time income.

Disadvantage:

1. If you're not careful it can wear you out.
2. You might dislike talking to people.
3. There might be too much of an initial and ongoing investment of capital.

Tools:

1. Principles to making your business a hit.
2. Marketing guidelines to grow your business.
3. Fun makes building your business an exciting experience.
4. Forum with great advice and tips.

Is it a legitmate home based business opportunity?

This group seems to always get individuals excited. When I was in college many of my friends were partaking in surveys. I have also participated in some surveys online. You can really earn cash doing this, however it is a good supplemental income or play money.

There are numerous good survey sites out there and some surveys have high payouts, although many don't. On the other hand, it does add up. I mean if you're online with nothing important to do why not take a survey, even if it pays just $1.00? $1.00 isn't much, but for a 5 minute survey you can be earning about $12 an hour, not bad. However, you're not going to have that many surveys to participate in. Normally the survey is going to be targeted towards a very specific niche demographic, so don't expect to be eligible for all surveys. For me surveys are an exciting way to make a little extra cash when they pop up and I need a little distraction.

Survey is something that many people know about and like. It is genuine and does pay. However, the pay isn't that large. In essence you'll accept an assignment, drive to the supermarket, obtain what they tell you to, interact with the workers, drive home, and put up an essay and all for five dollar as well as reimbursement for your purchase. To me it just isn't worth the time and effort. But, it is good if you get an assignment that is for something you already desire. In fact, most survey companies will promote it as just that, a way to get things for free that you would usually purchase and make a little extra at it. Nevertheless, this is not going to be your opportunity to financial success. But it is exciting and if an opportunity springs up to participate in a survey at a place you like or were thinking of trying out, definitely grab it!

Advantages

1. Fun and easy supplementary income.
2. No experience required.
3. Most often any cash you put out is reimbursed to you.
4. Great way to make some additional income to slowly pad your savings or treat yourself.

Disadvantages

1. It isn't a realistic full time income opportunity.
2. If you center too much on it you could be wasting time that would be better utilized elsewhere.

A Legitimate Home Based Business Opportunity - Dotcomology

I used to believe that you really couldn't make any serious income in this group and I began in it quite by accident. I was actually writing an ebook and searching for information about how to promote it and effectively sell it on the internet. That's when I first came across Stone Evans “Dotcomology”, an ebook that really taught me the basics of internet marketing in a way I could understand. During my online marketing day’s people often talked at investing money and wanted to find an opportunity that didn't require any initial investment. I insisted and truthfully believed that was unfeasible. Boy was I totally wrong! I eventually downloaded the “Dotcomlogy” because it had a topic on how to make people beg for your product. Well, as soon as I was through with reading it I decided to try out an affiliate program and certainly I made some money that day without spending a dime! It wasn't much. Since that day I have made online marketing my top rated home based business and my most victorious. However, just because it worked for me does not necessarily mean it will work well for you too, so let me highlight the advantages and disadvantages.

Advantage:

1. First of all it gives you the freedom to work anytime, anywhere, as long as you have internet connection.

2. It can generate a full-time income.
3. It is very interesting; each day offers new challenges, more or less like a game.
4. As your interests alter your business can. For example, lately I toke an interest in hypnosis and as I'm learning about it I'm also gaining from it.
5. Trouble free in that there is no politics or overhead.

Disadvantage:

1. This is an income that expands with time and may not be full time business for you right away. However, with as little as one to two hours daily you can get there.
2. You don't have to be computer guru, but you do have to have one that is connected to the internet.
3. It takes consistency and a lot of hours on the computer to make a full time go of it.
4. You have to be prepared to learn new things.

Another alternative for those considering at work at home jobs

It is becoming more and more common for corporations to subcontract their call centers. These can vary from client to service to order taking to telemarketing. More and more individuals are looking at this as a legitimate home based business opportunity, although it is more like a full time job.

There are a lot of third party companies out there that employ at home workers to manage their client's call center needs. You simply register for the shifts you want and then work from home with your computer. Majority of these companies make use of VOIP for you to call with and will have computer and internet conditions that you must meet. It is vital to note that this is a very competitive environment so you need to start applying to companies immediately if you feel this is for you. It might probably take several weeks if not several months for you to get employed anywhere. Then once you are employed ensure you watch for available shifts, it's common to get employed by some companies and then sit for days with nothing to do. When you do have a shift it is vital that you have no disturbances, your attention must be hundred percent on doing your task for every minute that you are logged in to your shift. If you're not, then you’re most likely to get fired and there are numerous people waiting to take your place. If you have little kids you need to have either an older sibling or babysitter watch them while you work. It is also vital that you feel comfortable on the phone discussing with other people. You don't have to be a salesman or have any experience; the company will offers you with training and scripts.

For many people that desire to work from home this option is very appealing. If it is to you then get started immediately to ensure you can get a job.

Advantages

1. Doesn't require any skill.
2. It is a job where you just clock in and clock out without the stresses of operating a home based business.
3. If you can get enough jobs you can make an honest income.

Disadvantage

1. It is VERY competitive, a lot of people complain of not having enough jobs or waiting for months to get hired.
2. Strict computer requirements and conditions.
3. Not too flexible.

The top rated home based business opportunity for you is the one that blends with your lifestyle

In summary, everyone is different and has different objectives, aspirations, abilities, dessire, and needs. I implore you to look into several different alternatives and try a few. Of course there will be trial and error and a learning curve, but stick with it long enough to find out if it will really work for you. I hope this hub has helped you realize that there are legitimate home based business income opportunities out there; you just need to find what works for you.

Be open to new opportunities and have fun! However, my favorite business opportunity is internet marketing, something that I never thought I could do and even had a very negative view about it at one time.