Katina Z. Jones - The 200 Best Home Businesses: Easy To Start, Fun To Run, Highly Profitable

There has never been a more exciting time to start your own business. New businesses are springing up every day across the country, and the majority of them are started right at home. Whether these new ventures are inspired by stay-at-home moms looking to earn extra cash, young people starting their careers with their own businesses, previously employed middle managers, or just regular folks looking to increase their monthly income, many are finding themselves caught in the entrepreneurial spirit.

As companies are learning to be leaner and meaner, career-minded individuals are learning that the only place to find true job security is right in their own home. They already know that the best way to prevent a layoff is to open up shop for themselves. Changes in government programs and tax benefits for these entrepreneurs have created a market situation for which it has never been easier to start and operate a new business. It's almost as if you'd be foolish not to try your hand at running your own show.

New technology in both the communications and computer industries has made home offices the norm, instead of the exception. Many entrepreneurs have been able to start their own home ventures while still employed, thus increasing their capital and minimizing their day-to-day financial risk.

This book, revised and updated with twenty-four new business opportunities, emphasizes the potential for many businesses that might start out as hobbies, personal interests, or an expansion of a particular skill you might already have. Take time to read through all of the business opportunities included here. You'll find that there is a balanced mix of part-time and full-time opportunities. Many jobs listed are considered white collar, but there are plenty of businesses listed that require a more hands-on approach and specific technical skills.

As you read each business description, you'll notice some specific statistical information at the beginning of each entry. It is organized as follows:

Start-up costs: Start-up costs can include everything from outfitting your home office with furniture, computer equipment, and business cards, to advertising campaigns and staffing. We've calculated these costs by adding together all potential equipment, advertising, and operating capital estimates (such as payroll, benefits, and utilities). We considered every possible cost, and then asked the question:What's the least amount of money you would need to start this business the right way?

Potential earnings: For most businesses listed in this book, this range is calculated by multiplying typical fees by a forty-hour work week. However, the market for some of these jobs is such that, while they would provide great extra or part-time income, they are not likely to provide forty hours of pay per week, year round. Obviously, your potential earnings will change dramatically if you are only considering starting any new business part-time. Please note: Potential earnings do not take into consideration the costs incurred during startup.

Typical fees: Each business idea has been thoroughly researched to find out what people who are actually in the business are charging their clients. For many entries, you will see a range instead of one flat fee, since pricing strategies often vary depending on geographic location.

Advertising: Here we have listed all the possible ways you could promote your business, from methods that cost nothing, such as networking, to developing actual media campaigns that might cost thousands of dollars a year. These expenses have been figured into initial start-up costs.

Qualifications: This category contains everything you need to know about professional certifications, licenses, and other information pertinent to what it takes to work at home in a particular field.

Equipment needed: The equipment purchases you are likely to make to run your business efficiently.

Staff required: A high percentage of these businesses won't require anyone but yourself, but those needing additional staff are identified, often with a suggested number of employees.

Hidden costs: This is probably the most important element of each entry. The costs that you don't think about are often the ones that drive your business into the ground. They include insurance coverage, workers' compensation, and even fluctuating material costs. Many of these are expenses that you simply can't predict or that you might not have realized are incurred by state and federal government requirements. Some may be as simple as the cost of additional gasoline.

The rest of each entry provides detailed descriptions of what the job entails and what you would need to be effective in your new venture. With each job, you'll get a total picture of what's involved in successfully running the kind of business that matches your skills and interests.

What You Do: This section supplies the details of exactly what each business demands of its owner, what your daily activities would be, and who your customers would be. This section also includes information on specific marketing opportunities.

What You Need: Here you'll find an in-depth breakdown of your start-up costs, including office furniture, computer equipment, and advertising costs. You will also find valuable information on how to arrive at specific income goals for each business.