Reply #3 by backlinktalk
Editorial follow-up: compare business models by the work they require
A service sells delivery effort and needs clients. A digital product needs creation, distribution, support and updates. An affiliate site needs credible content, an audience and qualifying referrals. A physical store adds inventory, fulfilment and returns.
None of these is automatically passive. Compare the cash needed to start, time to deliver, cost of acquiring a customer and what remains after a sale. For a beginner, the most useful next step is often a small experiment that tests an assumption cheaply, rather than choosing the model with the most impressive earnings screenshot.