You’ve been thinking about a home business for years. But all the choices make you dizzy.  Here are some tips to help you open your own home business.

Hobbies
One of the first places to look for a home business that may just be perfect for you is to look at your hobbies. Love to bake? Then you might want to consider becoming a wedding cake baker or a caterer. Love cars? Maybe a car cleaning home business is right for you. Love to knit? Sell your scarves, afghans and sweaters to upscale boutiques who are always on the lookout for unique handcrafted items.

Online Auctions
Another place to look for a home business is in your closet and garage. Yes, you read that correctly. Ebay and other auction sites are great ways to start a home business. Sell items online, then take the profits and buy higher-ticket items for even greater profits. There are also drop-shipping companies that allow you to sell their products and do all the shipping for you. Just be sure to research any of these companies carefully to be sure they’re reputable ones.

Computer Home Business
If you love working on the computer, then you may want to look into online job opportunities for your home business. There are literally thousands to choose from. The key to selecting the one that’s right for you is to ask yourself if it’s work you really like to do. In other words, don’t take an online typing position if you hate typing. Maybe you’d rather be in there selling and promoting. Whatever you choose, again, be sure to do some research to ensure the company you’re working with has a good record.

Buy a Franchise
You may also want to look into buying a franchise as your home business. There are franchises available in all sorts of areas from car repair to fitness centers to restaurants. You can set up your franchise and then do the daily business from home. The costs of these vary, but are a good value simply because they’re generally already proven to be successful and provide a blueprint to follow. This is especially good if you’ve never been involved with a home business before and have no idea how to get started.

Do your Homework – and Plan!
Finally, no matter what home business you decide on, do your homework. Deal only with reliable companies that have ample resources and make contact information easily available. And make a business plan. Then follow it-all the way to the bank!

Careers Perfect for Home Businesses

More people than ever are pursuing the dream of a home business. While it’s possible for most any business to be operated from home, some are far more suited to being run from home than others. Here are seven careers that are perfect for being operated from home-and a couple of them may just surprise you.

Architect
Believe it or not, this is an ideal home business. First of all, the work is mostly solitary and having clients come by your home can sell your services better than any other sort of marketing. Why? People see the home an architect lives in as proof of his or her abilities.

Interior designer
Again, some of the same dynamics are the same as for an architect. The emphasis shifts, however, to how his or her home is decorated. So quick, hide those yellow smiley face pillows!

Home builders
Yes, the reasons are similar when it comes to how the home looks. Further, though, most of the management issues can be handled by phone and email. Trips to construction sites ensure that all is going according to plan.

Cooking related professions
A person can write great cookbooks, restaurant reviews, or food reviews as a home business. Having a full service kitchen available at all times is a huge bonus.

Caterer
Most foods for catering can be easily prepared at home, then transported to the event being catered. It can also help cut costs dramatically because you don’t have to rent space and appliances.

Computer professionals
Computer professionals of all types make great home businesses. Computer related jobs don’t require a lot of space and is usually work done by an individual. Client meetings can take place in the client’s office or in a neutral environment if you don’t have an appropriate meeting place in your home.

Service professions
Even if your home business is an office cleaning service, it can be run from your home. The work itself may be done off-site, but the management can be done from home. Actually, many large service franchises have their beginnings in basements-maybe yours will be next!