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When starting a small business you can operate from your home, the golden rule here is to go with something that utilizes your talents and that you are passionate about. Your success will be almost guaranteed if you follow this advice.

Do you have a green thumb? Are you a "people person"? Do you love your pet even more than your spouse? Whatever the case may be, here are some ideas for you to try on for size:

SELL, SELL, SELL!

Sell direct marketing and/or network marketing products. Whether you choose catalogue sales, the home party plan, website sales, or any combination of the above, the product possibilities are almost endless.

Sell indoor house plants and accessories outdoors at your local Farmer's Market/Flea Market. You can raise these plants yourself or even buy them wholesale. You can also find wholesalers of silk plants through an Internet search.

Sell "House Warming" gifts, such as silk plants, to Real Estate Agents to give to their home buyers. You can start with the agents in your town and branch out from there with a website and make extra money by selling real estate-oriented advertising space on your site.

START ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SERVICE BUSINESSES:

An Errand Service

If there are a lot of senior citizens or disabled people in your neighborhood or hometown, you could start an errand service. Take people to/from the grocery store or doctor appointments, pick up prescriptions, groceries, etc. You could also do minor chores for these same people, such as lawn care or home maintenance. Run a small ad in your local paper and/or have business cards printed up.

A Lunch Delivery Service

Deliver lunches to hungry workers at local businesses. Print up and distribute fliers letting businesses know you deliver lunches from local restaurants. Charge a few dollars over the price of the food to cover your expenses and give you a profit and voila! This is a very easy business to get started. Just do some research on the net to get going.

A Pet Service

Become a pet bather, pet boarder, pet sitter, pet walker - the possibilities are only limited by your imagination. You can also sell pet accessories to local retailers and on the net to make even more income!

BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER

There are literally thousands of online merchants that offer commissions to marketers who promote and sell their products via the web. These products range from clothing, books, travel reservations, and how-to courses, just to name a few. You can sign up with merchants directly, or go through one of the websites on the net (most of them free to join) that bring merchants and affiliates together, such as Click Bank or Commission Junction. These sites allow you to search merchants by category. If you sign up through them, they handle collecting your commission payments from the merchants for each sale you make (for a small fee, of course). You will need to create a website(s) for your product(s) and do some keyword advertising to attract customers.

START A BLOG

Do you have a hobby or business background that would establish you as an expert in a certain field? If your answer is "yes", then start a website and write a blog (online personal journal). You could sell a related product or products on your website, or you can simply sell advertising. With advertising programs such as Google's Adsense, every time a visitor to your website clicks on an ad, you get paid! Search for "Adsense" and "pay-per-click advertising" sometime to see what I mean.

Remember to look into your local and state requirements for starting a home-based business in your area. Most important of all, don't give up on your dream of working from home. You can do it!

Learn more about this author, Barbara Mitchell.
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