Popular Home Business Ideas
Working from home has become more popular as technology has provided more workers with the ability to handle day-to-day workloads from a home office. High-speed broadband Internet and reduced costs of technology has enabled more workers than ever the ability to hold traditional jobs from the comfort of their home in the form of telecommuting. Whether in a full-time or part-time capacity, you may be surprised at the different business ideas which can successfully work from a home based office. Becoming self-employed and therefore self-sufficient has never been easier but some home-based businesses are more suitable than others so lets a look at a few.
Computers
Anything that can be done on a computer can be done at home from simple data entry to bookkeeping and accounting. If you're technologically inclined and self-motivated to continue learning advancements in computers and programming languages there is nothing to stop you from becoming the next Apple or Google. Website development and software creation only require a decent desktop or laptop computer and a few pieces of software such as Photoshop or Dreamweaver. You can actually keep cost down even more by using open source solutions like Ubuntu Linux and Eclipse. Many small businesses often do not have the financial resources to hire an IT staff and will often outsource technology services to individuals or tech companies. If you're a whiz with computers then the sky really is the limit when starting a home-based computer business.
Customer Service
If you're a people person and enjoy talking on the phone, more and more customer service jobs are being relocated to people's homes. There are many companies who hire a virtual staff of customer service representatives located around the country who work either part-time or full-time for multinational corporations. Before high-speed Internet this would not have been technologically feasible which is why many customer service jobs were outsourced overseas. By having virtual operators working from their home it allows large corporations to have a fluent native English speaking population handling customer service calls while keeping costs down. There is virtually no overhead to this type of customer service operation which allows representatives to make good salaries and retain flexibility in their work schedules.
Consulting and Training
Many individuals who decide to start a home-based business often have many years of experience in a given field. It is not unheard of for a Director of Marketing or Senior Vice President of Consumer Affairs to leave a job in the corporate world they have been at for decades to become their own boss. Thousands of small to medium-sized companies often don't have enough capital or cash flow to higher upper-level management with specialized skills in Human Resources or Communications. This is where offering consulting or training services allows highly experienced individuals to make a significant living while working from a home based business and calling their own shots. It is not unheard of for consultants to make thousands of dollars for a week long consulting gig or training seminar when they start offering their services to the public.
Summary
These are some of the most popular home based business ideas which many individuals can do either part-time or full-time to become more financially independent. But really this is only the tip of the iceberg as there are many other ideas such as medical or legal transcription and clerical support. The best home business ideas won't necessarily be the most popular but will more importantly be those ideas which interest you most. It is often said that if you can turn your hobby into a business then you'll always be happy going to work. Take this to heart and try to find a home business idea which is both popular and something you'll love doing everyday.
