work home home based business opportunityHave you ever wondered what it would be like to set your own schedule, work when you please and have more time and money than you know what to do with?

If so, it’s time to quit your 9 to 5 and bring your work home. Home based business opportunity ideas are a dime a dozen, but the reality is that some are far better than others.

So, what’s the best home business that can work for you?

Affiliate marketing.

Related Post: Access a free internet marketing course here.

In this post I’ll explain why.

A Brief Overview

Affiliate marketing is the act of earning commissions by referring customers to relevant companies.

Think of it as the online version of a commission based salesman. The only difference si that instead of picking up the phone or pounding the pavement, your customers come to you by finding your website.

It’s one of the best examples of pull marketing, since your readers find your site naturally through organic search and social media channels. You provide your opinions and knowledge, and earn revenue if a user clicks one of your links and purchases a product.

Learn more about the basics of affiliate marketing here.

Tremendous Opportunities

Affiliate marketing represents a huge industry…nearly $5 billion all told.

It’s a concept that permeates commerce, so much so that I can practically guarantee you you’ve already seen affiliate links in action and have probably made dozens of purchases that earned someone, somewhere, a hefty commission.

From a business perspective, that means that you can tap into the industry regardless of your existing skills or knowledge, because for almost any product sold online, there’s an affiliate program that will let you promote it.

Whether you’re passionate about biodegradable diapers or the next great tablet, you’ll be able to earn a living by writing about it online.

With a $5 billion a year market, you only need to capture a fraction of 1% of the opportunities to make your financial dreams come true.

Residual Earnings

Secondly, affiliate marketing is one of the rare sources of valid passive income.

Once you get your business up and running, the content you product will begin to rank well in search engines and drive traffic to your website for years.

That means that you can work today and continue to earn money from your efforts well into the future.

The best analogy to use is that it’s like buying an apartment building. Once you have the building, you can always rent out the rooms and earn money.

Low Barrier To Entry

The amazing difference from the apartment analogy, however, is that affiliate marketing has an incredibly low barrier to entry.

You can get a website started for a few dollars, and a realistic budget for a new affiliate business is only a few hundred dollars, which the website will easily earn back in less than a year.

That makes it an affordable option that anyone can do to get started.

Flexible Work

Another great benefit of affiliate marketing is that the work is extremely flexible.

You can decide whether you want to work part time or full time, and you can choose your hours and location with complete freedom.

Whether your goal is to spend more time at home or be able to travel the world, as long as you have an internet connection you’r good to go.

Easy To Learn

Finally, affiliate marketing is a home based business opportunity that is accessible to just about everyone.

There are a few key principles you need to learn, but there are plenty of great beginner courses that will teach you the basics in no time.

With the tools that are available today, you don’t need to have any specific skill set nor any technical knowledge about how to work with websites.

As long as you can write a few hundred words on a topic you enjoy, you’ll be able to figure out how to translate that knowledge into real profits.

How To Get Started

So, what are you waiting for?

The best way to get started is simply to dive in and create your first website!

I know that seems daunting, but there are free courses available that will walk you through the process step by step.

My #1 recommendation is Wealthy Affiliate, since it includes not only a complete affiliate course, but free hosting and site setup as well, so you can get started in just a few clicks.

While you obviously won’t be an expert from day 1, building your first website is an important step to earning money with a home business. You’ll realize that the process is easier than you think, and you’ll even be able to start earning money while you learn!

Click here to access the free introductory course.