5 Business Models to Earn Online

We promise to be a guiding light in your search for ways to earn additional income.

Let’s talk briefly about 5 common business models you may consider that allow you to work from the comfort of your own home. They range from businesses you start from scratch, to Network Marketing which is our preferred model.

Starting from Scratch 

Starting from scratch is the hardest of them all, and you have the greatest chance of failure, because you’re going it alone with little or no guidance from any sort of parent company or up-line sponsor. You have to source, or make, your own products, and deal with everything yourself. However, you do have the most flexibility with how you want to run your business… it is truly all up to you.

We are very talented creative people and have considered marketing hand-made crafts online. Christmas ornaments are a favorite, and an absolute joy to make. However, the marketing potential in extremely limited. Today’s online and retail markets are saturated with imported, very low-cost, mass-produced items that approach the quality most people would consider ‘hand-made’. 

Sourcing raw materials (glass, paints, brushes, etc.) from wholesale/retail outlets is itself, a cottage industry. In today’s economy, it is more difficult for individual craft artists to actually make ANY profit, much less even justify (from a business perspective) all the personal time, effort, and talent it takes to create. We actually get far more enjoyment out of gifting our creations, made with love, to those we love, rather than selling them.

 

Franchises

Buying a franchise gives you the advantage of a proven business system to duplicate and follow. However, they typically have the largest start-up costs and you will usually have to give a portion of your revenue back to the parent company in the form of royalties! Why should we pay another company for the ‘privilege’ of marketing their products? (hint: we don’t)

Franchises can also be quite restrictive in how you do business. Certainly every supplier wants their products to be shown in a positive light, but purchasing a franchise can be more like trading your independence for another full-time job. Franchisees must still report back to the parent company on a regular basis, justify sales projections and results, and are subject to inspection and ongoing re-approval just for the privilege of staying in business!

If you’re like us, you want mobility and freedom without all the restrictions, qualifications, administration and oversight. Plus, traditional franchises are ‘brick and mortar’ operations that require a physical storefront. We haven’t found any franchise yet that you can operate exclusively from your laptop or smart phone. (Hint: our business model does).

 

Direct Sales

Direct Sales offers you a mix of flexibility and a system you can follow. However it’s based on your ability to specialize in selling alone and doesn’t offer the same freedom and residual income potential, a Network Marketing business can offer.

One of the challenges with Direct Sales is that it’s based solely on your own efforts. If you get tired, get sick, or just want to take a break, your sales will be dramatically affected and so will your income. 

In our case, the symptoms of chronic illness are very unpredictable and inconsistent. Symptoms vary in intensity and duration from time period to time period. For these reasons, we have ruled out any traditional “linear income” approach, in favor of building a residual income.

To be clear, if you ask us about our supplier’s products, we’re happy to share what we know and have experienced. We are Ambassadors of goodness! But when/if we recommend something, it is not with the hidden intention of creating a sales transaction or separating you from your money.

Our goal is to educate, enlighten, and guide others towards whatever will help them best. Our ideal customer is an educated consumer. This takes the ‘pressure’ off us to meet expectations, AND off the inquisitive person who no longer feels fearful of being taken advantage of, or obligated to purchase.

 

Internet and Affiliate Marketing 

This business model has many similarities to Network Marketing and Direct sales. With this you’re marketing direct to a consumer using the internet, as your main or sole method of marketing and promoting your products or someone else’s products.

However unlike Network Marketing, you don’t focus on developing other companies that you earn a royalty from. You may find an army of affiliates, however you have to set up complex payment systems and most, if not all, of the administrative work is in your lap. Many of us do not have, and do not want to specialize in, all the technical skills required to build such an enterprise. Even for those who do, technology is changing so fast, in-depth knowledge learned quickly becomes obsolete. This is not sustainable.

The Internet/Affiliate model gives you the mobility and freedom of Network Marketing, however it typically has far more complexity. The average person usually struggles to gain momentum unless they can afford to get good training from experienced internet marketers, hire virtual assistants and a team of developers/designers to take care of the back end work. Those expenses are money out of your pocket.

 

Network Marketing, Our Preferred Model 

Networking, on the other hand, offers a greater income potential than direct sales. The creation of sales volume is focused more on training and leadership development in order to build an organization of distributors, and less on specializing in selling by direct sales alone.

Developing an online Networking business also means that you can take a rest after you’ve built a solid organization of distributors. Having a trained team, all using the same turn-key system, unencumbered by locality to you, or dependency on you, means everyone already knows exactly what to do next. This is True duplication.

We’re focused on helping motivated people reach their goals and dreams. Therefore, we have the most flexibility in how to grow.

We choose:

• who to work with
• when to work, and
• at what pace we wish to build.

Actually, Network Marketing is similar to franchising in that you pass on a turn-key business model to people interested in having a business of their own. However unlike a traditional franchise, YOU get the royalties. The parent supplier actually PAYS YOU for building your own business!

This is the only business model that you can operate from home (or anywhere), which offers residual income. Meaning you can get paid for things you did in the past. Residual income (aka Royalties) are usually associated with authors, performers, investors, and movie stars. Why shouldn’t YOU be able to earn royalties on YOUR hard work too? (Hint: you can).

This is also the business model we prefer because of its income potential. It is not just based on our efforts alone, but the cumulative effect of lots of people. Each one does their own little bit, that they are already doing every day! We feel it’s by far the most suitable for working online, and for capitalizing on the growth potential of the health and wellness industry.

As promised, this guidance was not intended to inform you about everything that’s out there. Like the Lighthouse on our favorite island, we are simply shining a light in the direction we know from experience. This is what qualifies us to help you start a legitimate online business in the health and wellness industry. You will always be the captain of your own vessel.

Don’t have time to learn HTML and master marketing? 

Most people we meet just want a turn-key system and they want to work with a company and products that virtually sells itself. Discover what we found…

Watch the short movie here

See you Online!