Massive job losses in the last year and a half have prompted many into searching for a home based internet business opportunity. The primary attractor is that many home based businesses that utilize the internet can be started with a relatively low investment. Another top reason an internet business gets a serious nod is that a college degree is not a prerequisite to beginning a home based business.

There are different categories to consider when looking at a home based internet business opportunity. Generally there are 5 main areas that could be classified as potential internet business opportunities:

Sales and shipping of one’s own or others’ physical products (including drop shipping)

Sales of personally produced digital products

Service- based business as a freelancer, independent contractor or consultant, etc.

Affiliate marketing ( or referral marketing)

Network marketing or multi level marketing ( & Internet lead generation)

Actually, running a profitable internet business can include different combinations of all the above or a partial mix using some or most of these elements.

As an example of this strategy; look at the business of a web site designer/developer. Obviously she is providing a service to the marketplace by taking on web design projects as a freelance contractor. On her own web site featuring her credentials and portfolio, she advertises and links to other peoples’ products/services that are related to her own niche. These are her affiliate marketing links for which she gets sales commissions if a purchase is ultimately made on clicks referred from her site.

Looking closer, you notice she is selling an ebook tutorial that she has produced. It instructs buyers on how to make their web site look more professional themselves using her web mastering techniques. Also you might see an instructional DVD or CD being sold that covers the same material as the ebook but in a more graphical, hands-on format.

The only element missing in this example of a home based internet business opportunity is using a network marketing business to add to the potentially profitable revenue stream.

The idea here is that many home based internet business careers rely on multiple revenue sources to remain profitable. Unless you already have plans to produce and sell a physical or digital product yourself that you market from a web site, many get started in their own home based internet business by selling another company’s products.

If for instance you get involved in a successful affiliate or network marketing program that proves to be a good niche for you; then you can later develop your own information product that shows others how to succeed in the area where you have gained winning experience.

The now classic example of this is the books and training materials that successful network marketers write and sell to other aspiring mlm’ers that need guidance on building a profitable home business of their own.

If the stuff they market is really good, it won’t be long before they assemble an affiliate program that allows others to get a commission on the sales of these how-to information products. This tactic adds a secondary affiliate revenue source to working a primary network marketing program.

If you have been exposed to the home based internet business opportunity arena for any length of time, you probably have noticed that affiliate marketing is a hot topic on the internet. Successful affiliate marketers love to put together bundles of their own in combination with others’ information products showing you how-to succeed in…

Well, you guessed it: affiliate marketing. The strategy often employed is to partner together and combine in joint ventures or they’ll become affiliates for each others products. They band together in a virtual syndicate to try to dominate the internet with their shared offerings and promotions.

On the upside, the internet is saturated with all kinds of how-to information products that collectively cover all the angles on starting a home based internet business opportunity. The downside could be getting lost in the process of picking and choosing among all the opportunities out there – or not being able to see through all the hype that can go with it.

Once you decide on a profitable niche that you’re passionate about, please heed this cautionary advice: avoid getting side tracked by the numerous offers that you are bound to be exposed to. Follow-through with the original overall strategy and plans you began with. Reinforce the intensity of your convictions by constantly networking with or viewing/listening to media from those already successful in your arena.

It’s all too tempting to get distracted by the allure of easy money on the web. A home based internet business opportunity deserves the same level of professionalism as any legitimate offline business if it is to endure.

Ken Mueller is a freelance web publisher and author. He lives in Montana and spends time networking with affiliate wizards bent on liberating the world from job drudgery overlords. For more home based internet business opportunity info. or for sharing your comments on your own alternative career change options and successes on the internet, visit http://www.altcareerchange.com

Internet Business Opportunities At Home And Work