Is bird dogging a doorway or a job you keep

Everything I read frames bird dogging as the thing you do for six months before you start wholesaling or buying, which makes it sound like an internship you assign yourself. But some of the people in this room are running it as an actual service with clients paying every month, and that's a different shape entirely. One is a stepping stone, the other is a small business with recurring revenue and no capital requirement.

The case for doorway: the whole reason it's the lowest barrier entry is that it costs nothing and teaches you a market. Once you know the market, why hand deals to someone else?

The case for business: because finding is a skill and closing is a different skill, and the second one needs money. A reliable lead source serving four investors can earn steadily without ever taking on a mortgage or a rehab crew.

Which one is it for the people actually doing it?