2008 was another interesting year for being your Guide to Home Business and Working from Home. It was a year of economic challenges and an historical U.S. presidential election.
As my way of saying "Thank You" for your support over the past year, here's a look at what I consider to be the top 10 Home Business features of the year.
These stories may not have been the most popular - at least not yet. Experience has shown (at least so far) that features need to have been available for more than a year to rank among the most popular. But, they were still important and their popularity continues to grow.
1. How to Become a Freelancer
Becoming a freelancer is a way to work at home and be independent without needing to start an actual business. As a general rule, so long as you operate under your own name you do not need to register as a business (check your home state for any special requirements). This makes it possible to get started as a freelancer overnight without a lot of hassle and with the least amount of expense.
Even if you're not prepared to start your own home business, you can still freelance from home as a temporary or permanent way to earn money. Read more...
2. 5 Stimulating Work from Home Ideas for Stay-at-Home Moms
Joshua Ets-Hokin
After I first published, 10 Home Based Business Ideas for Moms in 2007, comments began spreading across the web like wildfire implying that I was essentially a "caveman" with the home business ideas I had suggested in this piece.
In order to present a woman's point of view on the subject, I requested an article from Misty Cryer-Davidson that might better reflect some challenging business ideas for today's stay-at-home moms. Read more...
3. 5 Money Making, Recession Resistant Home Businesses
In a recession, or in other times when the economy is lagging and jobs are being lost, most people consider it to be a very poor time to start thinking about starting a home business. However, tough economic times can also present great money making opportunities to those who prepare and are willing to take a chance on being successful.
Here are 5 relatively recession resistant, money making home business ideas to consider. Read more...
4. A Great Home Office - From Dream to Reality
Bryan Fenstermacher
Once you’ve decided to start a home business, have secured a work from home job, or have decided it’s time to stop working at the kitchen table, you’ll need a place you can use as your home office.
With proper planning and some old-fashioned common sense, you can create a home office work environment where you can thrive while still projecting a professional image for your home business or work from home job. Read more...
5. Starting a Free Online Business
Starting an online business isn't difficult and doesn't have to cost anything. Over time your free online business can grow to provide a side or primary income source.
If you've been wanting to start an online business but have been disappointed with the get rich scams on the web, here are six steps to get you up and running your own online business for free.
Just six easy steps to generate an online income at no cost. Read more...
6. Small Business Loans - Patriot Express Loans from the SBA
Department of Defense
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced their Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative for veterans, members of the military community and their spouses who want to start or expand a small business and need small business loans to do so.
What better way of honoring the sacrifices our military and their families have made over the years? Read more...
7. Do Affiliate Marketing Programs Really Work?
We've all seen the claims of affiliate marketing programs - make hundreds of thousands of dollars a month while doing absolutely nothing. Sure, there have been a few big-time affiliate marketers who have made lots of money by using one or more affiliate programs ads on their websites. When visitors click through to the affiliate sponsor and make a purchase (convert), the home business affiliate marketer makes money.
A reader's e-mail prompted me to look deeper into this potential home business. Is it a scam? Read more...
8. 9 Obstacles to Starting a Home-Based Business - And How to Overcome Them
PhotoLink
If you're thinking of starting a home-based business, you're probably aware of some of the obstacles you face. But, can you overcome them? Here's a look at 9 reasons NOT to start a home-based business - at least if you're not capable of overcoming them with a little work and determination. Read more...
9. 10 Best and 10 Worst US State Tax Systems for Small Business
The Small Business & Entrepreneurship (SBE) Council annually ranks US States in its Business Tax Index - Best to Worst State Tax Systems for Entrepreneurship and Small Business.
The study looks at 16 different tax measures and combines them into a single score in order to rank the 50 US states and DC in terms of their tax impact on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Following are the ten best and ten worst state tax systems for entrepreneurs. Where does your state rank? Read more...
10. Home Business Idea: Virtual Assistant (VA) Business
Andreas Pollok
The Virtual Assistant (VA) industry is growing fast and becoming a popular for those who want to run their own home business to get started - usually by doing the things they have done well in the past for prior employers.
It's a business that lends itself to low startup costs and one that can be started on a part-time basis. In short, this is an area that is seen as trendy with a good deal of growth potential. Read more...