How do you answer the question: What do you do for a living? Many home based business owners struggle with the answer to this question every day. Do you simply say you own your own business? Call yourself a CEO, Partner, Entrepreneur, or maybe you call yourself a "tester." Many home business owners have to think of something to define what they do. Why? Because as soon as you say you own your own home based business a red flag goes up in the mind of whomever you're with.

They think "oh one of those MLM schemes." Then it's a pyramid scheme. You suddenly find yourself on the defense. Over the years Network Marketing and Multi-Level Marketing opportunities have seen their share of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Even the king of kings, Amway had an issue with the FTC in 1979 and found guilty of price fixing.

And there have been many company's who have tried to sell themselves as legitimate MLM's, only to close their doors and walk away with millions leaving their distributors holding the goods. So its not wonder people have a problem answering the question: "what do you do for a living?" What should you say? The problem is it's still a dilemma even if you believe in the product or service you sell and have no problem talking about the benefits. It's getting past the awkward first question, and the perception of the answer. Here are a few suggestions. Business Coach - This sounds professional and many people will just slide right over it. If your product is a diet bill you could be the person who guides them through the weight loss process.

Marketing Specialist - Marketing is a black hole for most people; many when asked don't really know the difference between sales and marketing. So you can be the person who assists others in selling and marketing a product or service for their home based business. And this one I really like Tester - You test internet marketing opportunities. It's your job to evaluate each opportunity for profitability. This works really well for those seasoned MLMers who have been around the block and tried most of them anyway.

It really doesn't matter what your answer is as long as you're comfortable with what comes next. If you like 20 questions or a healthy disagreement, respond with I'm in Network Marketing or I work for an MLM company. If you would rather avoid that awkwardness, go for the Tester, its fun try it.

Bob and Cindy are both home based business entrepreneurs with 15 years experience in owning Real Estate and Network Marketing businesses. You can own your own business today that provides residual income for your future. To learn more about how you can secure your financial future... Go to: http://www.ThingsLookGreatIn2008.com For advice and strategies on building success with your online business visit our blog at http://www.BuildingOnlineBusinessSuccess.com