Not the eligibility rules themselves. An eligible spouse and unmarried children under 21 may seek status with the principal investor either way. The structure affects the household differently: running a business personally usually means relocating and working in it, while a sponsored investment may leave the family's location and employment plans open.
Match the household plan to the management burden
Ask who in the family would actually run a standalone enterprise, how many hours it demands, and what happens if that person is unavailable. Then check timing for any child close to twenty-one, since age protection turns on specific facts and should be assessed by counsel rather than estimated. Remember that a filed petition does not itself permit anyone to work in or travel to the United States, so plan school years and employment around lawful status.
Add the mechanics of how each family member obtains status, because these differ according to where the person is and what status they already hold. Some households proceed abroad through immigrant visa processing while others may be eligible to adjust status within the United States, and the two routes carry different documents, medical requirements and travel constraints. Confirm which applies to each person rather than to the household as a block.
Hypothetical example: an investor in a produce cold-storage facility is already in the United States in another status while the spouse and children are abroad, so one file follows one route and three follow another.