If you're at the place in life where you're looking for work, and more specifically a work from home job, you are bound to be inundated with hundreds of ads and offers that seem to be (and are) too good to be true. Stories of how you can make $20,000 a month by doing nothing from your computer lure in all sorts of people who want to make a fast buck, but the reality is that earning money requires hard work, and if there was some easy way to make tens of thousands per month by doing nothing, #1 everyone would be doing it and #2 the people who knew how to do it would hold onto that information like it was the recipe for Coca-Cola.
As you look a little deeper, you'll find that there actually are a plethora of legitimate home based businesses, and each of them requires some initial investment, a lot of hard work and self-marketing, but can be very lucrative if you put in the time and effort. Here's a few trustworthy sources online for home based businesses.
HomeBusinessBug.com (of course!)
HomeBusinessBug.com is a home business web site where individuals can find legit home based business opportunities and read helpful work from home articles. Home Business Bug has multiple ways for you to find the right home business that fits you!
Entrepreneur.com
Entreprenuer.com provides a comprehensive listing of home based businesses and business ideas. It can be a little tough to navigate, as they tend to highlight articles related to home business rather than actual business opportunities. You will have to wade through 3 or 4 links before finding the good stuff, but they do highlight the typical home sales (Ebay, half, etc.) as well as some more inventive ideas.
About.com
While about.com offers articles on nearly every subject, the specific subdomain of about (homebusiness.about.com) has some quality links. The nice thing about about.com is that many of the articles are written by users, rather than staff writers, so while much of the content is link bait, when you find articles about specific businesses, you'll know you're hearing it from the horses mouth and not just reading a re-hashing of a press release.
Albertarose.org
Most sites that list home based businesses take money from the businesses in order to list them on the site, and thus can become biased in their information about the businesses. Albertarose.org is unique in that their spin and their goal is to help people get out of debt through home based business. They host and link to guides by FabJob which focus on teaching you marketable skills that you can then use to launch your own home based business. If you have the drive to run your own business but are looking for a good idea or a way to learn a good skill, this is a great place to start.
Buzzle.com
Buzzle, (or more specifically http://www.buzzle.com/articles/work-at-home-based-business-opportunities/) is a content aggregator that pulls together hundreds of thousands of articles from all over the web. Think of it as a more focused web search that will allow you specifically look at curated content related to your search. Rather than listing a bunch of specific businesses, they host a bunch of articles and content about businesses and business strategies that can not only help you narrow down the right home based business, but also help you learn more about business in general and prepare for your new venture.
Google Directory
The google directory for home based businesses (http://www.google.com/Top/Business/Opportunities/Home_Based/) is also a great index, because it not only allows you to sort by pagerank, but also lets you view by category or alphabetically. Often, businesses will use search engine optimization to ensure that their businesses show up high in the google pagerank system. This is a common practice, but it can make it hard for some of the smaller businesses to get exposure. The google directory allows you to see some of the businesses that may otherwise slip through the cracks during a cursory search.
There are plenty of other repositories for small businesses online, and before you get started you should make sure that you do plenty of research. Look everywhere you can, and when you've settled on something, look some more to make sure that there's nothing better out there. This is a big decision and it shouldn't be rushed, because never before have there been so many home business opportunities out there for the taking.
Mon, 04/2/2012 - 01:56 AM | viewed 422 times
In February, 2012, Facebook held its 'fMC Conference' which introduced upcoming features and changes to the site, including Timeline for Pages. All of these changes impact the way an entrepreneur or smb can best utilize their Facebook presence to increase traffic, interact with fans, and ultimately, convert these fans into customers. Here we'll take a closer look at the changes to Facebook, how you can use the new features to your advantage as part of your business plan, and some helpful tips on creating a successful Facebook promotion.
Sat, 03/10/2012 - 05:35 PM | viewed 492 times
In the initial stages of a business startup, most entrepreneurs recognize that they'll need the expertise of an accountant at various times, but few realize that they'll no doubt need the help of another professional, an attorney. Their logic would be that they don't plan on breaking the law or getting sued, so legal services aren't necessary. The truth is quite the contrary, however.
Sun, 03/4/2012 - 01:54 PM | viewed 531 times
Now that you've developed a great startup concept, and you're in the business plan development stage, the time has arrived to come up with the right name for your new endeavor. There are a number of differing theories on what makes a great business name, but one thing is certain, choosing the right name can play a big part in how your business is perceived by your customers, and it can make or break your image.
Sat, 03/3/2012 - 12:55 PM | viewed 411 times
On average, roughly 600,000 Americans start new businesses each year. If you're one of the millions more contemplating taking that giant step into business ownership, don't let fear of the unknown stop you. Some of the stumbling blocks for would-be entrepreneurs include indecision about the right kind of business, a fear of putting their money and time into a business that fails, or they may simply have no idea where to start. Generating an idea for a small business isn't always easy, but with some good advice and common sense, you can learn how to choose a viable concept.
Thu, 03/1/2012 - 12:16 PM | viewed 617 times
If you're a small business owner or an entrepreneur involved in your first startup, you're well aware of the impact that successful Facebook marketing can have on your bottom line. Finding your way through the maze of available apps and tools is time-consuming, tedious work. If you're on the hunt for the latest and greatest ways to reach a larger audience and build your business, check out our recommended Facebook tools and apps that are specifically geared toward taking full advantage of your fan page.
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