I often hear people complain about how they shouldnt have to pay for a business opportunity because "you wouldnt have to pay to get a job outside the home." It irritates me when I read that. Not because I think you should have to pay for a job - even a work at home position - its because they think that their should be no investment to start up a work at home business.

Business is not the same as Job. Obviously that doesnt mean a business will always need a down payment to get started. Of course that really depends on the type of business and how youre getting started into it.

What is a work at home job?

A work at home job [aka WAHJ] is simply a job that you can do from home. Through a WAHJ you still have a boss, even if s/he isnt hovering over you the whole time. Youre still expected to do everything thats wanted of you that fits under your job description. Common WAHJs tend to revolve around being a call center employee. This is where you receive calls for support from whatever business it is you work for, at home. Also called homeshoring, taking support calls from the comfort of your home is becoming a big job opportunity.

If youre applying for a job, and they ask you for money you should walk away. Theirs no reason for a job to ask you to make an investment. Applying for a job outside the home wouldnt require an investment, so a job that you do from home shouldnt either.

What is a work at home business?

A work at home business [also known as WAHB] is simply a business you can run from the comfort of your own home.

Most of the time a business opportunity, like one through a Multi-Level Marketing [also known as MLM] style business, will cost money to enter into. Its a very rare opportunity to find that it is free. Nearly impossible, actually. If you start a work at home business from scratch youre still not saved from needing to make an investment. Starting a business takes money.

Their are a few benefits from starting a business that can usually be found once you get past the costs of starting up. A big one being the fact that youre your own boss. In an MLM opportunity you might have the person who recruited you above you, but theyre not your boss. Youre your own boss. A WAHB started from scratch may not have the benefit of having a motivator working above them, but they dont have to worry about someone giving them advice based solely on the fact that they will get paid if you follow it. It all comes to that you dont have a boss. Then theirs the flexibility that you receive from your business. If you have an appointment in the middle of the day, you wont have to miss out on a full day of work just because of it. Although businesses can take up a lot of time, you can adjust what times they will take up.

Highlights: So what are the differences?

* Theirs no need for an investment to get a job, starting a business generally does. * Someone with a work at home job will generally have a boss, where as someone who has a business is their own boss. * Someone who has a job will generally make a flat rate whether its an hourly wage or measured in some other form, but someone who runs their own business will see profits that fluctuate. This is a good benefit when the business takes off because theyll be making quite a bit more than they would have with a flat wage from a job.

I hope you can see the differences now, and you can understand why a business takes an investment. As well as the other differences that can be found between the two work at home styles.

Spending her time as a work at home mom, Angel enjoys sharing advice on her advice weblog, Ask Angel, and answering questions sent in by her readers. For more articles like this one, check out Ask Angel at: http://www.angelashupe.com