A Legitimate Home Based Business

Ready to move to the country, but scared that you’ll never replace your big city income? If you’ve been surfing the web for any amount of time, looking for a legitimate home based business, and been confused by some of the opportunities, please let me help you.

You see, I’ve been working from home in the country, with an online business, since late 1995. Before that time I held a perfectly normal job but always did a little moonlighting on the side with a home based business for about 5 years.

As I re-write this (it was originally written in 2002), in 2009, that adds up to 18 years working from home – from part time to full time.

But you didn’t come to this page to read about me, and you shouldn’t follow in my footsteps. Your path to a successful home business will be different than mine, after all.

However, I can offer plenty of sound advice – almost two decades in the making – if you’re looking for a legitimate home based business; especially if your interest is geared to working online.

But first, let’s get the offline, the real world, legitimate home businesses out of the way…

Non-Internet, Non-Computer Business

There are opportunities for you to work from your home even if you don’t have access to the internet or even a computer. You’ve likely explored, researched, read about, or considered these opportunities already. A business as a daycare provider, home care for the elderly, bed and breakfast business, party planner and more. We’ll discuss these more later in the article.

With A Computer and Best with the Internet

My favorite businesses are the more tangible and include voice work, transcription, virtual assistant, translation, photography, programming, data entry, and writing. All of these have a better chance of success when a computer and an internet connection is present.

Why do I think that legitimate home businesses run best when an internet connection is involved?

Because:

a) They make it easier to pick up and deliver projects.

b) It is easier to market your business online than anywhere else.

Anything that makes running a business easier has my vote – even if I can only list two easier components right this moment.

Let’s Talk About A Legitimate Internet Business Then…

Of course I love the internet, working online, promoting my business this way, picking and choosing my markets, and so on. But truly most of my passion for the web has to do with the way the internet has facilitated a home based business no matter where I live on this planet. For the past ten years this ‘anywhere’ has been a little hobby farm in the middle of nowhere. Tell me what other legit home based business could thrive here unless that business is completely managed, marketed, and profitable online?

The problem, (my challenge really when talking to you) is convincing you that this type of business is legit.

That’s because so many online businesses are not legitimate. They have been set up to scam people out of their dreams, money, and time. The proposed business models are not viable and the only results achieved are frustration, disbelief in future possibilities and failure.

Thankfully I have not been sucked into many of them, but have to admit I’ve been scammed a few times in my quest to uncover the truth about the claims. However a sharp business eye served me as each time I knew that one call to my credit card company can have the charges reversed within days. You have that same option, no matter what type of home business you investigate and invest in.

"Tell me then Laura, what Is legit?"

A legitimate business venture is one that provides a:

• service,
• information,
• education,
• assistance, or
• product offering.

Therefore:

• Freelancing is legitimate – whether you’re a writer, programmer, photographer or customer service specialist.
• Website stores are legitimate – whether you’re selling products on or for eBay, drop shipping, or selling digital information products.
• Coaching or membership website ownership is legitimate – whether your sessions are online to the masses, or one-on-one coaching calls.

Opportunities to Steer Clear Of – No Matter How Good it Sounds…

As the years of our internet’s life have rolled on, and more people have found their way online, so have a number of new business opportunities that are specific to the online world.

And with them have come many scam artists.

Make no mistake while you travel around the internet looking for your perfect opportunity. The online scams are as slick as used car salesmen and the offers are just too good to resist.

They’ll tell you the opportunity is only available today or falsely guarantee your success. They’ll twist words in a way that make you believe they’re a legitimate business, but keep themselves safe legally nonetheless.

When it comes down to the wire (once your money has been invested) all too often the want-to-be entrepreneurs are left with little but an inflated credit card bill and information that makes little sense to them.

Those are not a legitimate home based business.

My job is to ensure that such a thing doesn’t happen to you.

Home Based Business Ideas

There are two ways this letter to you continues.

First we’ll cover working from home at a legitimate in-house business that includes interaction with the public or close personal contact with clientele. After that, we’ll cover working from home with a legitimate online business (also covered in other pages on GoodByeCityLife.com).

Working from Home – In House Business

Love to cook? Love kids? Love to shop? Love people? You can put all or any of these personal traits of yours to work for you – doing something you love, while working from home, in your new home based business.

7 Reviewed Legitimate Home Based Business Ideas and Guides:

• Run A Child Care Center – If you love children and know there’s a need for child day care in your area, this could be a lucrative and satisfying home based business for you!

  You can pick up some really good books at your local Chapters or online from Amazon that cover everything from getting startup funding, naming your daycare, setting your rates, menu planning and activities for children, plus all the business forms you’ll need to get this business comfortably off the ground and into profits. Ideas and help are here.

• Run A Home Based Bed and Breakfast -  Getting away from it all seems to be on most people’s mind, but when we get away we often find that we’re in the same stresses, just in a different town.

  As a result more and more people are looking for the comforts of home while on their vacation. Don’t believe me? Bed and Breakfast businesses are now the fastest growing sector in the tourism industry.

  If you’ve got a spare room in your home, you like meeting new people, and you’re looking for an interesting, lucrative and fun home based business, this may be just the right opportunity for you.

  Learn the ups and downs before you start though as you may have to invest a few dollars in room decor, advertising, accessibility, etc. before you begin to make any money.

  You’ll need a guide on running a bed and breakfast – including forms, business plans, as well as tips and tricks to market, promote and run your new home based business! See a pay to learn resource here.

• Run a Gift Basket Business – Love to Shop and Give Personalized Gifts? This could be a great business for you – at any time of year! You’re not going to want to start this business cold either because there are a lot of ways to save money on the items in your baskets, plus ways to beef up the perceived value so that your customers will love giving your baskets to friends and family!

  This home based business also  how to sell gift baskets online, and the type of customers you want to attract – so they come back to you over and over again and bring their friends! Resource for this basket business.

• Run A Catering Business from Your Country Home

  This could be a great business for you if you like to cook and organize. But be careful – it could also be a money pit where you end up working long hours for very little pay.

  You need to know what you’re getting into before you start so you don’t waste time waiting for the money to start rolling in. I’ve just reviewed this new guide that will give you the inside’s edge from the start. You’ll learn what is required to get your catering business off the ground on the right foot, how to cost out meals, what to charge for your unique menu ideas and how to attract your first clients. Also included are some very helpful resources on accounting, invoicing and record keeping.

  If you’re serious about this, don’t wait, get the info before you decide if this is the right home based business for you. Here’s the resource I reviewed.

• Caring for Seniors, Elders or the Aged in Your Home

  September 2004’s issue of Entrepreneur’s Be Your Own Boss magazine projected that seniors are the fourth hottest market for a lucrative home based business.

  The article stated that:

  "In 2003, 35.8 million Americans were older than 65; this year, 36.1 million will be older than 65…In 2002, MarketResearch.com estimated U.S. consumers older than 65 had $713 billion in buying power. By 2007, their buying power is expected to increase to $974 billion."

  And yet they’re wildly under-served and we’ve no place to care for them on a grand scale.

  This could be your ticket to the most rewarding and profitable home business right now.

  Find out what it takes by grabbing the Elder Care Provider information kit. Interested? More information here.

• Do you like to plan parties, social events, or business meetings? Is organization one of your strongest skills?
  

  This lucrative and legitimate home based business may be just up your alley then.

  Many years ago, while working at City Hall, this was one of mypositions and it was both challenging and exciting. Back then, City Hall had the budget to keep staff on for party and event planning, but not all companies have that luxury – and they’re happy to hand the task and the money over to a small business owner like you!

  As people become more and more stressed about all they have to do, and corporations become more and more under-staffed, Event Planners become more and more in demand!

  Of course you’ll need to know the secrets of the profession and how to get your foot in the door before you venture out in this business. That’s why I’m suggesting this report before you start – Event Planning.

• Start Your Own Cleaning Business

  If you know me personally you’ll know that this type of a home based business isn’t really up my alley. I just don’t like being away from home enough to work elsewhere, meet with clients, assess rates and so on.

  But I’ve had friends that ran their own cleaning business who barely ever left home. How? They hired staff to perform the work while they stayed home and ran the business.

  Again, if you’re planning on pulling something like this off, you should really arm yourself with some good advice and knowledge before you start. Remember my motto: "Learners are Earners!"

  So I found this extensive info resource on running, organizing, marketing and managing your own cleaning business.

  It also includes all the contracts, forms, examples and scales you’ll need at start up, whether you want to work at it full time or part time. Cleaning Business

Other Legitimate Home Based Business Ideas

If one of the above ideas fit your personality and mandate, great! However, if you’re anything like me, you’re happy to work alone, at your own pace and from the comfort of your home.

If that’s the case, I urge you to consider starting an internet business –
I explain why, below.

The internet is still growing at an alarming rate. This means that the market for any site you own, product you sell, or information you’d like to share could quickly have a worldwide audience.

Yes, there is a learning curve to become successful, but if you keep one thing in mind – your audience or customer – you can make a great, rewarding, legitimate, ethical living, online.

Getting
started couldn’t be easier than it is today, but first you must decide what type of business (service, product, or information/education/knowledge share) you want to run online from home.

If you’re unsure, you can learn while you earn by buying up an established website on eBay and work away at owning a legitimate online business. You can do this without investing too much money and you don’t need to get stuck learning all the behind the scenes technical skills before you’re in profit (i.e. how to create a website, source products, and so on).

You can find a number of established website for sale in our online store at www.GoodByeCityLife.

Or read a little more about online home based businesses that offer the chance to jump right over the learning curve of how to create websites and head straight to the front of the class (to learn how to promote and grow your business).

To your success,

Laura Childs

Living the Dream

Life in the Country, Working from Home

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Related Posts

• Setting Up A Home Business Web Site
• Staying Home and Making Money