Searching for an alternative career in an economy that has recently idled millions of workers has many people looking in the broad area of the home based business opportunity of network marketing. Network marketing using the internet has given a new prestige to multi level marketing.Those of us who are familiar with the old, conventional model of the MLM business where you contact your local “warm” market of friends and family to get started has been updated by the newer, internet-based strategies of contacting prospects for your business using online methods.Successful MLM businesses can be launched today without reliance on your local network of acquaintances. The enhanced ability to contact prospective and interested customers and/or partners among a world-wide web audience of home business opportunity seekers has raised the possibilities for success for anyone considering getting involved in this industry.A home based business opportunity in network marketing has never experienced a better time for potential explosive growth than right now. If you have already been impacted by the massive job lay-offs and idling of the workforce, and feel the pinch of joblessness or partial employment; well, you are not alone…There is a virtual army of idled white collar workers who have been displaced in the current economic maelstrom. Job security and career certainty has become a thing of the past for many. No wonder thousands are searching the internet for a home based business opportunity. Network marketing has its place when filling the job-loss gap.Examine Your Resource Base…A word of caution however is advisable to the newly-minted, career-seeker in the home based business arena. Working any kind of legitimate business opportunity takes adequate resources and some initial capital investment – no matter what anybody tells you.You will hear from those who want to steer you into their own network marketing program that if you don’t have much money to invest you can at-least invest your time. Well that’s true up to a point. Remember, we all only have so much time and you’ll want to spend your time wisely too.Today’s savvy home based business person leverages their time by using modern technology to extend their reach and influence in the marketplace. Having sufficient tools and resources to sustain your home business launch is a requirement. Only you (in consultation with your mentor), can correctly gauge the level of commitment you can afford when starting out in a new home based business opportunity, whether it’s network marketing or any other type of home business.As with any business, you’ll need a modicum of income to support the ongoing needs for marketing and promoting your fledgling start-up. Most successful network marketers have built their home based business careers in parallel with working another job or have some other fixed way to finance their part-time career as an online network marketer.If you’re really strapped for cash, the home based business opportunity in network marketing may suffer for lack of the necessary funds to really put yourself in the proper position for impressing others to join your program and/or learn about your products.Realize too, that in many respects you are opening a virtual “store”. Most network marketing programs require a commitment of buying a batch of product monthly to remain an active distributor. It’s usually an estimated $100 monthly which isn’t much, but it does represent an additional outlay of monthly expenses to your household budget.To put things in proper perspective, most start-ups for a part-time home business opportunity are financed on a credit card. Initially, most any kind of home business will normally require you to spend more money than it will return immediately.But considering the relatively low investment cost, the risks can usually be borne by those with some existing assets, or savings already padding their financial situation. Compared with many other business opportunities, unless you have a lot to invest, network marketing (along with affiliate marketing) remains the most viable option for owning your own business.The upside of course is the main attractor; it still remains true that more millionaires are created (not only in the U.S.A. but world-wide), in the home based business opportunity of network marketing than any other enterprise.