There’s something alluring about chilling in your comfy pants while in the confines of your own home and getting paid at the same time.
No annoying co-worker to interrupt your day with the company gossip that you could give a rip about.
No mandatory meetings that leave you “zombified” that even a cup of the strongest black coffee can remedy.
Just you, your computer, and the freedom to get stuff done.
Before you get excited about starting your home based business idea, you first have to make sure you have the right tools in place. The main tool is a speedy Internet connection. Most home based businesses will require some sort of Internet connection. With a good Internet connection, you can also take care of a phone and fax. Isn’t technology great?
On top of the right tools, you should also have a dedicated office or work space that’s free from distractions. No TV’s! When’s it’s time to work you only want to be doing one thing: working.
Now that you have the right tools and workspace, let’s look at some of the top 65 home based business ideas you can start today.
Home Businesses Ideas That Require Training
All of these ideas require some background in the area, but they are an ideal way to use your already-acquired skills in a work-from home business. And even if you do not already have the necessary training, there is nothing keeping you from getting certified in order to start your home-based business.
1. Graphic Design. Businesses always need graphic designers to help them convey information visually, through logos, advertisements, posters, websites, and the like. While it is possible to be an entirely self-taught graphic designer, most have either a certification or a degree. Other than the cost of design software, this business has very little overhead and can be done anywhere with a dedicated computer. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graphic designers have a median salary of $45,000.*
*All median salaries listed are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unless otherwise noted.
2. Bookkeeping. This is a perfect business idea for trained accountants who would like to work from home, although it is not necessary to be a Certified Public Accountant in order to become a freelance bookkeeper—it’s just necessary to have the background knowledge that bookkeeping courses at any community college can offer. This kind of freelance work is especially helpful for small businesses that do not need or cannot afford a fulltime bookkeeper, making it possible for you to have full time work through several smaller clients. Median salary: $34,000.
3. Home Inspection. An important part of the home buying process is having a professional home inspector go through the house to determine the condition of the building and point out any potential problems. A home inspector needs to meet the state regulations for the profession, which varies from state to state, although anyone who has worked in the construction or housing industry will have a leg up. Median salary: $52,000.
4. Massage Therapist. While licensing requirements for massage therapy can vary from state to state, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork can help any budding masseuse fulfill their local requirements. Massage therapists can either work out of their own home or make house calls with a portable massage table. Median salary: $34,900.
5. Tax Preparation. No one likes doing taxes, and they need to be paid whether the economy is booming or tanking. This is why at-home tax preparation can be a great business for anyone with a tax background, or anyone willing to take training courses. Since there are annual changes to the tax code, you will need to refresh your training each year, and you will also need to register with the IRS as a tax preparer. This is more of a seasonal business than a year-round endeavor, but it can be a great way to earn some extra income each winter/spring. Median salary: $30,900.
6. Doula. A doula is a labor coach that can help a birthing mother in any labor environment, from a hospital to a midwife clinic to home. Doulas are non-medical professionals who offer information, emotional support, and physical assistance in the process of giving birth. While licensing for doulas is not required by most states, getting certified by DONA International, the only certifying body for this profession, is a good idea. Doulas do have to deal with unpredictable schedules, but they easily can do this work from home. Doulas generally charge between $500 and $1000 per birth.
7. Hairstylist. If you have experience cutting hair and giving manicures, opening up shop from your home is an excellent way to start your own salon. Make sure that you follow all of your state’s requirements for doing salon care in a home, as they can be stringent. Median salary: $22,500.
8. Interior Designer. While you do not need a degree or certification in order to set out an interior designer shingle, it is really necessary in order to make sure you can meet the needs of many clients. An education in the history and theory of design will allow you to understand trends that you may not like, but your clients do. Median salary: $46,280.
Meeting the Remote Needs of Companies
Many small businesses have gaps in what their employees can take care of. Hiring a full time employee to fill in those gaps isn’t necessarily feasible, which is where your work-at-home business comes into play. Here are some work-at-home ideas that every business needs:
9. Copywriting. These writers put together promotional materials for businesses, including ads, websites, newsletters, commercials, direct mailings, and many others. Copywriters generally have a degree in advertising, marketing, English, or communication, but any excellent writer can do a great job copywriting. Median salary: $55,000.
10. Virtual Assistant. This is a worker who handles any number of small tasks for a business or individual. Tasks include answering emails, data entry, scheduling, managing blogs, and even shopping. Anyone can become a virtual assistant. According to Indeed.com, the average salary for virtual assistants is $42,000.
11. Courier Service. If you live in a bustling area, chances are local businesses could use a local courier service. Unlike the big name services, you can offer more flexible pick-up and drop off times, which can be a godsend to many small businesses. According to About.com, half of couriers earn in the $17,000 to $27,000 range.
12. Marketing Consultant. Whether you are helping a business with traditional marketing materials or instructing them on the fine art of blogging (ahem) and social media, this is a business that has almost unlimited potential for freelancers. Median salary: $108,000 (!).
13. Editing. Like copywriting, this is a freelancing gig where it’s helpful to have a background in English or communications—but any eagle-eyed writer could do great job. Median salary: $51,470.
14. Web Design. Helping clients design the best website for their needs is a great way to make a living from home. About.com lists the median salary as of 2008 at $65,270.
15. Translation. If you know a second (or third) language, you can make a living at home translating documents. It’s a global marketplace, and even the best translation software can’t understand linguistic nuance. Median salary: $43,300.
16. Video Production. Everyone wants a piece of YouTube, so talented freelancers can make a great living producing videos for companies and organizations. Rates vary by area, equipment, and background.
17. Internet Security Consulting. If you’re tech savvy and understand the ins and outs of internet security, consider becoming a consultant for small businesses. Unlike the big boys, these companies can’t afford the huge security budgets, but they still want to be able to protect their internet customers.
18. Green Consulting. Many smaller companies would like to find ways to make their processes greener without spending more green. You can help them to figure out ways to improve their carbon footprint without sacrificing the bottom line.
19. Grant Writing. Non-profits, universities, hospitals and other community organizations all have a great need for grant money to supplement their budgets, but grants are notoriously tricky to write for the first time. If you have experience writing grants, or are willing to learn how to do it by practicing your skills without pay for a few non-profits, you can start a lucrative freelance grant writing business. According to eHow, grant writers can make anywhere from $40, 300 to $67,000.
20. Medical Transcription. You hear about these opportunities, and they often sound like scams. But the truth is that the medical industry has a great need for individuals to transcribe audio dictations into coherent reports. Transcriptionists do need education—generally a two-year degree—to make sure they are clear on the arcane medical terminology. Median salary: $32,900.
21. Debt Collection. It takes a very thick skin to go into this business, but debt collectors only need a telephone and a computer to work, making it a great work-at-home business. It’s also a recession-proof (or even recession-loving) business. Licensing requirements vary from state to state, so make sure you do your homework before setting up shop. Median salary: $31,300.
22. Call Center Representative. Believe it or not, it is possible to actually reach a woman named Peggy (and not a man with a Russian accent) when you call customer service. That’s because of the homeshore movement, which is trying to hire more independent contractors to work from home on customer service issues. If you’ve got a phone line and an internet connection, you can work from home as a call center rep. Median salary: $30,460.
Make Your Hobbies Pay
Anything you love to do for fun could also become a great at-home gig.
23. Blogging. It takes some time to grow an audience and find ways to monetize your blog, but if you love to share your point of view with the world, this can be a good way to work from home. Niche blogs are a particular area of growth in this ever-growing profession. Pay can vary widely, but the income potential is nearly limitless.
24. E-book author. Publishing is dead; long live the e-reader! Now that anyone can have their work e-published, it is possible for anyone to make a fortune off their writing. The biggest recent example is the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, but there are many authors taking advantage of the ease of e-publishing. If you love to write and are willing to do your own promotion (and having a blog can really help in that case), writing an e-book is an excellent way to make money at home.
25. Building furniture. Everyone loves a well-built and handmade piece of furniture. If you’re already spending time in your workshop, why not sell your wares? Etsy is an excellent place to start selling without having to have a physical storefront.
26. Sewing. Whether you’re making onesies and quilts for sale online or at local markets or doing repairs and alterations for locals with ill-fitting clothes, your sewing machine could be your ticket to a work-from-home business.
27. Personal Organizer. If you’re someone who reorganizes closets for fun, offer up your services to harried and disorganized individuals and businesses.
28. Home Staging. If rearranging furniture is your idea of fun, home staging is a great home-based business. You will help sellers get their homes looking beautiful so they sell as quickly as possible.
29. Herb Farming. Gardening can be very relaxing, and potentially very lucrative. With both the increased interest in alternative therapies and the demand for locally grown and organic foods, an herb farmer can find plenty of customers, particularly if you’re in an urban area. While this does require some space for growing, herbs are fairly small and nearly any home can be slightly modified to allow for an extensive herb garden.
30. Electronic Repairs. If you’re the sort who takes apart the computer for fun, operating an electronics repair shop out of your home is a natural decision. In particular, repairing iPads and other tablets would provide you with a great deal of business, as many tablet users are looking for a less expensive way to fix smashed screens and other damages that can be costly through the manufacturer. Median salary: $49,170.
31. Baking. Beautifully decorated cakes and cookies, artisan bread, and artful pastries have become all the rage, partially thanks to shows like Ace of Cakes. Median salary for bakers: $23,450.
32. Personal Chef. As a personal chef, you would spend your time whipping up delicious meals for those who don’t have time to cook but do have money to burn. The best way to make a name for yourself as a personal chef is to offer meals that fit stringent dietary or allergy requirements.
33. Mystery Shopping. For many people, the idea of getting paid to shop is a dream come true. There are many mystery shopping scams to beware of, however. Never accept a gig that requires an upfront fee—that’s a good sign it’s not legit. According to the website Scambusters, legitimate mystery shopping can pay anywhere from $8 per job up to $50 to $100 per job.
34. Bargain Hunting. If you love a bargain and know how to make coupons, specials, and unadvertised deals your penny-pinching bitch, then you could help others learn how to save money—and turn a profit. The Grocery Game’s Teri Gault is the most famous at-home bargain hunter turned millionaire, but you could be next.
35. Personal Stylist. You have an eye for clothes and know what styles look best on what body types. So turn your passion for fashion into a business by becoming a personal stylist/shopper. You’ll feel good about making others look great.
36. Catering. If you love to cook on a grand scale, why not start a catering business out of your home? How much you make depends on the scale of the assignments you take, and your ability to correctly decide how much your materials will cost. But this is also an industry where you can start small and work you way up to bigger gigs—and profits.
37. App Designer. Creating a profitable app for smart phones isn’t necessarily about having the best or most innovative idea: it’s about creating the best user experience for that idea. That’s how app designers are able to make their work-from-home a full time job—and then just live off the passive income.
38. Furniture Refinishing and Repair. You might have made a hobby of refinishing and repairing garage sale finds. Now, make your skills profitable by offering to make old furniture as good as new. After all, retro is definitely in.
39. Landscape Design. If you’re never happier than when you are landscaping your yard, landscape design might be the home-based business for you. This is a relatively new field, so you can get some background knowledge through a degree, although schools that offer these degrees are somewhat rare, or you can intern with another landscape designer.
40. Tour Guide. You may love exploring all the fun corners of your hometown, but it might not occur to you to make that hobby a business. This is an especially good idea if you can offer themed tours or other niche tours. Median salary: $23,620.
Necessary Services
Everyone needs a hand sometimes. Here are ways you can lend one and make a living.
41. At-Home Daycare. This is an especially good idea for stay-at-home-parents who need to bring in some money. You’re already staying home with your kids: why not invite a few others to the party? Licensing for in-home daycare varies from state to state, but you will want to make sure you comply with your local regulations. Median salary: $19,300.
42. Off-Hours Daycare. Though this is basically the same as above, it does deserve its own description. Finding someone to regularly watch children during off-hours, like second shift, weekends, or very early mornings, can be extremely difficult for parents. Offering care during off-peak hours means that you can command a higher fee.
43. Elder Care. In most cases, work-from-home elder care workers will make daily house calls to their patients to help with anything from meal preparation to self-care to minor home repairs. Median pay: $20,170.
44. Lawn Care. While once the province of teenagers, lawn mowing, gardening, raking, and snow removal can be a legitimately grown up home-based business.
45. Dog Walker. This job isn’t just for New Yorkers anymore. Any large community can use dog walkers to help the area Fidos and Rovers make it through the master’s long workday.
46. Pet Sitter. If you can find pet owners who are willing to bring their dogs and cats to you, this is truly a home-based business. Otherwise, you’ll need to be willing to live at other houses (or at least visit 3-4 times a day) while you’re working.
47. Pet Grooming. Most pet owners don’t quite have the stomach or the time to clip nails, bathe, or give haircuts to their animals. With a couple of small tweaks to a bathroom, basement, or laundry room, you could have a full service doggy salon in your home. Again, it’s important to double-check your local requirements for this.
48. Travel Planning. While anyone can check an aggregator site for the best price to fly to Saint Louis, planning a more elaborate trip might be too much for some travelers. This is where a travel planner comes in, using his skills to find the best trip—including flight, accommodation, rental car, and tours—for the budget.
49. Meal Planning. One of the best ways to keep a grocery budget—and a waistline—in check is to do meal planning. But for some, this kind of planning is a mystery wrapped in an enigma. A meal planner could put together a list of a week’s recipes, along with a grocery list, for a harried but budget-conscious shopper.
50. Resume Writing. If you have a knack for making a resume shine, you could offer your services to job seekers.
51. Party Planning. From weddings to birthday parties to corporate events to conferences, the details of putting on a huge bash can be beyond the average party-giver. That’s why they’ll turn all the planning over to you. Median salary: $45,260.
52. Child Proofing. Keeping our kids safe is so important, but the details of how to do so can be confusing. A professional child proofing business is inexpensive to start up, but there may be state regulations to follow. It’s also a good idea to apprentice with a child proofer in order to learn the business.
53. Digital Media Conversion. It’s time consuming to convert old school media like CDs into digital files. If you have excellent tech skills, this is a service you can offer to the tech-phobic and time-crunched alike.
54. Tutoring. A background in education is helpful for tutoring, but not necessary. All you really need are mad skillz in one or more academic area, and you can help local students do better in their classes.
55. Patient Advocacy. With the byzantine complexity of modern medical billing practices, there is a definite need for patient advocates. These individuals take the time to track down hospital billing paperwork and potentially argue with insurance companies. Considering the fact that many of those who need to hire advocates are either ailing or grieving, this is a very necessary service.
56. Personal Trainer. You love to work out and you know the ins and outs of nutrition and exercise. Share your passion with novice exercisers, either out of your home or through a local gym. Median salary: $31,090.
57. Junk Removal. Anyone who has ever had the unenviable task of cleaning up a house for sale after the death of the owner knows just how important this job is. Junk removal can be as simple as hauling away unwanted stuff to the dump, or it can be as complicated as separating out the trash from the treasures and handling the actual sale of the goods.
58. Appraiser. We all love the moment in Antiques Roadshow when the owner learns how much their heirloom is worth. Becoming an antiques appraiser will allow you to live that moment every day. This does require a background education in the subject and access to an excellent reference library.
59. Music Teacher. Teaching piano (or guitar or violin or singing) lessons out of your house is a well-established way for stay-at-home spouses to make a little extra cash. If Lois Griffin can do it, so can any musically minded entrepreneur.
60. House cleaner. With very low overhead and a skill set that is very easy to learn, housecleaning is one of the easiest businesses to start. Depending on how much you want to grow, the income potential is pretty limitless.
Opportunities That Didn’t Exist 15 Years Ago
As technology develops, so do entrepreneurial opportunities. Here are some work-at-home jobs that our parents would never have anticipated:
61. Online Store. It used to be that if you had a product to sell, you also had to have a storefront and all the costs associated with it. These days, you can sell anything to anyone anywhere in the world. Whether you’re marketing the organic honey from your backyard apiary, or selling personalized linens that you embroider yourself, you can find a market for your products online.
62. eBay Sales. The other option for online sales is to simply become the eBay middleman. Millions of vendors sell their wares on the online auction house. If you can find an inexpensive source for (legally!) saleable merchandise, you can get into business.
63. Micro Jobs. With the advent of Fiverr, we saw a brand new way to assign and accept work: little jobs for small payouts. But it’s no party trick. Apps like Gigwalk and sites like Mechanical Turk make it possible to cobble together a living with lots of little assignment each day.
64. Internet Marketing Affiliate. If you already have your own website or blog, you can earn money by becoming an affiliate. You can either sell products directly and earn money that way, or you can sign up others as affiliates, much like multi-level marketing.
65. Get Paid for Social Media. Some Twitter users are able to leverage their huge following into a paid gig for advertisers. Prolific bloggers have been known to get paid for commenting on other blogs. If you are a social media expert, you can use that expertise to earn money. People want to reach your audience and are willing to pay you for it.
The Bottom Line on Working From Home
There’s no need to work for The Man. Home business opportunities are plentiful, as will be your opportunities to work in your pajamas.
LEGITIMATE WORK AT HOME OPPORTUNITY: 10 STEP CHECKLIST
Finding a work at home opportunity that meets your needs and pays well is tough enough, through in the additional requirement that is has to be a legitimate and you could be in a for a long search. Once you find a business that meets your check list, use the check list provided below to determine if it's a legitimate work at home job.
1. Has the work at home job been in business for more than 6 years? If so, this is a good sign.
2. Has the company been featured in any magazines? You can get a lot of information about a company by reading about them. Also keep in mind that magazines don't always give work at home jobs good reviews so be sure to read the article to see if the magazine thinks it's a legitimate work at home opportunity.
3. Does the company have a physical address? If a company does not provide an address that you can physically visit, pass them by.
4. Are you offered regular wages? Most legitimate work at home opportunities offer competitive wages. You're not paid an hourly wage but are paid by how long the project takes, the type of project or how many items you sell. If a company makes claims that you will earn a regular wage be wary. Online jobs offer the benefits of working at home they can't offer security.
5. Do you have to invest in inventory, training or equipment? If so, is the company willing to send you a sample? If the company denies your request to see a sample of the product it is probably not legitimate. Also how much is what your paying for actually worth. Obviously if the company charges an outrageous price it's a hoax but also beware of companies that charge too low. This usually means that they want to get their hands in everyone's pocket. Legitimate work at home opportunities only want to work with serious candidates.
6. Is experience necessary? Beware of opportunities that claim that anyone can be successful doing it. Any company that is legitimate will only want to work with the best. They're not only going to hire just anyone. If the company states that you earn a large income having no experience chances are it's a scam.
7. Who's involved with the company? Who are their sponsors or endorsees? Who are the founders and co-founders? Does the company allow you to meet them?
8. What exactly does the job entail? If you see an ad that says, no selling, no P/C experience, no telephone calls to make, no answering emails, no prospecting or cold calls you're probably walking into a scam. Most jobs, even offline, require you do at least one of the following. If the company will not give you a detailed explanation of what you will be doing it is not a legitimate work at home opportunity.
9. Do you have to pay for more information? No legitimate work at home opportunity is going to make you pay to find out about what the job is. If the ad or website says, "send money to find out more" walk away.
10. Can you talk to present employees to verify claims? Ask to speak to people (at least 4) in your area that are with the company and doing the job you're applying for. If the company refuses it may not be legitimate. Once you do speak with the workers find out as much as you can about the job and the company. Workers that only have positive things to say are probably trying to recruit you into a pyramid scheme. There is no perfect job, so find out the good and the bad.
Use this checklist whenever you're interested in applying or working with a work at home company. It will help you determine if it is a legitimate work at home opportunity.
1. Has the work at home job been in business for more than 6 years? If so, this is a good sign.
2. Has the company been featured in any magazines? You can get a lot of information about a company by reading about them. Also keep in mind that magazines don't always give work at home jobs good reviews so be sure to read the article to see if the magazine thinks it's a legitimate work at home opportunity.
3. Does the company have a physical address? If a company does not provide an address that you can physically visit, pass them by.
4. Are you offered regular wages? Most legitimate work at home opportunities offer competitive wages. You're not paid an hourly wage but are paid by how long the project takes, the type of project or how many items you sell. If a company makes claims that you will earn a regular wage be wary. Online jobs offer the benefits of working at home they can't offer security.
5. Do you have to invest in inventory, training or equipment? If so, is the company willing to send you a sample? If the company denies your request to see a sample of the product it is probably not legitimate. Also how much is what your paying for actually worth. Obviously if the company charges an outrageous price it's a hoax but also beware of companies that charge too low. This usually means that they want to get their hands in everyone's pocket. Legitimate work at home opportunities only want to work with serious candidates.
6. Is experience necessary? Beware of opportunities that claim that anyone can be successful doing it. Any company that is legitimate will only want to work with the best. They're not only going to hire just anyone. If the company states that you earn a large income having no experience chances are it's a scam.
7. Who's involved with the company? Who are their sponsors or endorsees? Who are the founders and co-founders? Does the company allow you to meet them?
8. What exactly does the job entail? If you see an ad that says, no selling, no P/C experience, no telephone calls to make, no answering emails, no prospecting or cold calls you're probably walking into a scam. Most jobs, even offline, require you do at least one of the following. If the company will not give you a detailed explanation of what you will be doing it is not a legitimate work at home opportunity.
9. Do you have to pay for more information? No legitimate work at home opportunity is going to make you pay to find out about what the job is. If the ad or website says, "send money to find out more" walk away.
10. Can you talk to present employees to verify claims? Ask to speak to people (at least 4) in your area that are with the company and doing the job you're applying for. If the company refuses it may not be legitimate. Once you do speak with the workers find out as much as you can about the job and the company. Workers that only have positive things to say are probably trying to recruit you into a pyramid scheme. There is no perfect job, so find out the good and the bad.
Use this checklist whenever you're interested in applying or working with a work at home company. It will help you determine if it is a legitimate work at home opportunity.
The Top Home-Based Business Ideas
Which Business Is Best for Me?
If you're thinking about starting your own home-based business, the available options can seem overwhelming. What type of business is the best fit for your background, skills, and interests? If you don't have a lot of initial capital to invest, which ones can be started at a low cost? And, most important, which home business has the best chance of succeeding, especially with the U.S. economy still on the rebound?
Narrow down your search with these 25 home-based business ideas that have growth potential, both now and in the future. Your new life as a small business owner awaits!
1. Personal Trainer
An aging baby boomer population eager to invest in longevity, along with a growing concern over childhood obesity, make it a great time to join this expanding field. As a personal trainer, you can visit clients in their homes and work with fitness centers on a contract basis.
Check out the National Federation of Professional Trainers for information about the certification process, insurance, marketing, and more. To make yourself stand out, think about taking extra courses in specialized fields, such as nutrition or Pilates.
2. Yoga Instructor
It's undeniable -- yoga is a trend with staying power. And it's especially appealing to an aging population, as seniors benefit from low-impact workouts. Yoga is also gaining attention in the medical community; according to a 2008 study by Yoga Journal, nearly 14 million Americans reported that a doctor or therapist had recommended yoga to them. And yoga is attractive to today's price-conscious consumers who don't want to spend a lot of money for exercise equipment.
You don't need a studio to teach yoga; just like a personal trainer, you can visit clients at their homes or offices. The Yoga Alliance website provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and more.
3. Tutoring
This field no longer only caters to struggling children or those with learning disabilities -- ultracompetitive parents are flocking to tutors to help their children get ahead and, ultimately, into the best colleges. The tutoring industry has also seen a boost from the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires government-funded schools that have fallen short of performance goals three years in a row to offer federally financed tutoring.
You can start by tutoring students in their homes, at schools, or at local YMCAs or other child-care organizations. Talk to your local school district officials and school principals to determine their needs. To have a successful tutoring service, you'll need excellent credentials, competitive pricing, relevant experience, and glowing references.
4. Child Care Services
If you enjoy working with children, you can start a home-based daycare center. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, self-employment opportunities in this easy-to-enter industry are among the best in the current economy.
Before making the leap, find out about your state's regulations and insurance requirements. The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education provides helpful information on its website. Aside from insurance, licensing fees, and advertising, you'll need enough startup capital to buy things like play equipment, toys, and educational supplies -- and don't forget to get CPR and first aid certified. If you set up your business as a nonprofit, you'll have better access to grants.
5. Business Coaching
In a tough economy, businesses need all of the help they can get. As a business coach, you can empower individuals -- often business owners and managers -- to improve their work performance through personal change. The most successful business coaches have plenty of experience in the business world, along with specialized expertise (e.g., marketing, finance, or sales). Whatever your niche, you need to have the ability to help your clients set and achieve their goals.
Network with others in the business world, both business coaches and owners, to find out what clients want and how to market to them. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.
6. Consulting
Business consultants analyze businesses, identifying problems and implementing solutions. To be competitive, you'll need to be an expert in a special subject. Think human resources, IT, inventory management -- the possibilities are nearly endless. Many consultants have master degrees, and all have plenty of real-world business experience.
Once you've identified your niche, find out if there's a market for your services and what the competition is like. To set yourself up as the expert in your field, you'll need to make yourself heard in the local community (via speaking engagements, business events, interviews) and online (via your website, blogs, and social media).
If you're thinking about starting your own home-based business, the available options can seem overwhelming. What type of business is the best fit for your background, skills, and interests? If you don't have a lot of initial capital to invest, which ones can be started at a low cost? And, most important, which home business has the best chance of succeeding, especially with the U.S. economy still on the rebound?
Narrow down your search with these 25 home-based business ideas that have growth potential, both now and in the future. Your new life as a small business owner awaits!
1. Personal Trainer
An aging baby boomer population eager to invest in longevity, along with a growing concern over childhood obesity, make it a great time to join this expanding field. As a personal trainer, you can visit clients in their homes and work with fitness centers on a contract basis.
Check out the National Federation of Professional Trainers for information about the certification process, insurance, marketing, and more. To make yourself stand out, think about taking extra courses in specialized fields, such as nutrition or Pilates.
2. Yoga Instructor
It's undeniable -- yoga is a trend with staying power. And it's especially appealing to an aging population, as seniors benefit from low-impact workouts. Yoga is also gaining attention in the medical community; according to a 2008 study by Yoga Journal, nearly 14 million Americans reported that a doctor or therapist had recommended yoga to them. And yoga is attractive to today's price-conscious consumers who don't want to spend a lot of money for exercise equipment.
You don't need a studio to teach yoga; just like a personal trainer, you can visit clients at their homes or offices. The Yoga Alliance website provides information on yoga schools, certification, insurance, and more.
3. Tutoring
This field no longer only caters to struggling children or those with learning disabilities -- ultracompetitive parents are flocking to tutors to help their children get ahead and, ultimately, into the best colleges. The tutoring industry has also seen a boost from the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires government-funded schools that have fallen short of performance goals three years in a row to offer federally financed tutoring.
You can start by tutoring students in their homes, at schools, or at local YMCAs or other child-care organizations. Talk to your local school district officials and school principals to determine their needs. To have a successful tutoring service, you'll need excellent credentials, competitive pricing, relevant experience, and glowing references.
4. Child Care Services
If you enjoy working with children, you can start a home-based daycare center. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, self-employment opportunities in this easy-to-enter industry are among the best in the current economy.
Before making the leap, find out about your state's regulations and insurance requirements. The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education provides helpful information on its website. Aside from insurance, licensing fees, and advertising, you'll need enough startup capital to buy things like play equipment, toys, and educational supplies -- and don't forget to get CPR and first aid certified. If you set up your business as a nonprofit, you'll have better access to grants.
5. Business Coaching
In a tough economy, businesses need all of the help they can get. As a business coach, you can empower individuals -- often business owners and managers -- to improve their work performance through personal change. The most successful business coaches have plenty of experience in the business world, along with specialized expertise (e.g., marketing, finance, or sales). Whatever your niche, you need to have the ability to help your clients set and achieve their goals.
Network with others in the business world, both business coaches and owners, to find out what clients want and how to market to them. The International Coach Federation provides certification and a coach referral service for its members.
6. Consulting
Business consultants analyze businesses, identifying problems and implementing solutions. To be competitive, you'll need to be an expert in a special subject. Think human resources, IT, inventory management -- the possibilities are nearly endless. Many consultants have master degrees, and all have plenty of real-world business experience.
Once you've identified your niche, find out if there's a market for your services and what the competition is like. To set yourself up as the expert in your field, you'll need to make yourself heard in the local community (via speaking engagements, business events, interviews) and online (via your website, blogs, and social media).
Small Players Seek an Alternative to the Expense of Pay-Per-Click
When Tom Telford helped found a vacation rental management company, Blue Creek Cabins, in 2001, he wanted a quick and easy way to connect with people looking to rent the 20 cabins he and his partner managed in and around the mountains of picturesque Helen, Ga.
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That is when he heard about a program called AdWords being offered by a new company, Google. Finding the system relatively easy to use, Mr. Telford selected a few keywords, like “Helen GA cabin rentals,” and agreed to pay Google 60 cents every time someone performed a search and clicked on his ad.
Before long, the calls and e-mails started pouring in. “The results were phenomenal,” said Mr. Telford, whose company is used by property owners to market their cabins. Encouraged, he invested more in his pay-per-click advertising efforts, which in time included similar programs offered by Bing and Yahoo.
By 2010, Mr. Telford had started a new management company, Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals, and was spending $140,000 a year on pay-per-click advertising to promote the 45 cabins in his charge. The programs had become increasingly popular and competitive, which meant that in order to retain his ranking in search results, he had to pay about $1.25 a click, double what he had paid initially. “The cost per keyword climbed dramatically over the years,” he said. “And it’s still going.”
And that is a problem. While Mr. Telford agreed to pay more for his keywords, he said he did not see a commensurate increase in sales. “For a while, I was spending more than I was getting,” he said. “It finally hit me to ask, ‘Can I sustain this?’ ”
This concern has become increasingly common as online advertising has become a standard channel for large companies. Attracting those additional advertisers has been great for Google, which reported a 42 percent increase in paid clicks, year over year, for the second quarter of 2012. But the heightened competition has driven up the prices for keywords and made it harder for small companies like Mr. Telford’s.
While about 96 percent of pay-per-click advertisers spend less than $10,000 a month, according to AdGooroo, a research firm that studies the pay-per-click market, big-budget advertisers spend hundreds of times more. In the first half of 2012, Amazon reportedly spent $54 million, and the University of Phoenix $37.9 million. “AdWords can bleed many a small business dry,” said Sharon Geltner, an analyst at the Small Business Development Center at Palm Beach State College in Boca Raton, Fla.
“The only way for smaller advertisers to get an edge is to spend a lot of time improving the quality and relevance of their ads,” said Richard Stokes, author of “Ultimate Guide to Pay-Per-Click Advertising” and the founder of AdGooroo. “The problem is that everyone else is doing that as well.”
Until recently, Byron Udell, founder and chief executive of AccuQuote, a life insurance agency based in Wheeling, Ill., was spending several million dollars a year on pay-per-click campaigns. But after watching the price of keywords like “life insurance” rise to more than $20 from about $1 over the last 10 years, he decided to scale back greatly.
“The cost to get someone just to visit your Web site has, in some cases, become prohibitive,” Mr. Udell said. “Something that cost $3 might be a no-brainer, but at $20 it becomes absurd. It’s basic math, and if it doesn’t add up, we won’t do it.” He said he planned to redirect some of his advertising dollars to print, television and radio.
Google does not dispute the accounts of owners like Mr. Udell. A Google spokesman released a statement saying that small businesses can compete by making their ads more relevant to consumers and that they should use multiple strategies to pursue customers: “search, social media, earned media and more.”
Many analysts agree. “AdWords is still doable and reasonably profitable for local businesses or those that have narrow niches and high barriers to entry,” said Perry Marshall, the author of “Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords.” “But you cannot put all your eggs in one basket. The ultimate goal for any business should be to drive as much unpaid traffic to their site as possible.”
The increased demand for unpaid, or organic, search results has given rise to an entire industry specializing in search engine optimization, or S.E.O., with countless professed experts who promise to improve a Web site’s search ranking.
Mr. Telford said he was approached by dozens of such experts. “My competitors were inching up in organic traffic because I wasn’t doing anything,” he said. “But I also wasn’t comfortable hiring a S.E.O. expert, because none of them could explain exactly why what they were doing would work. It felt like they were selling me black magic.”
As he looked for alternatives, Mr. Telford came across a number of companies like RhinoSEO, Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot, which sell online services that promise to automate a company’s marketing efforts and improve organic search results. The basic idea, Mr. Telford concluded, was that investing in social media content like blogs and Facebook pages could attract unpaid traffic.
“It hit me like a brick, because I finally understood how you get better search results by creating content around the keywords people are searching for,” he said. “As we become more relevant to Google, our quality score improves in our AdWords campaigns. This enables us to bid lower, yet because we’re more relevant, we pay less per click.”
As a small-business owner without a full-time marketing staff, Mr. Telford wanted a tool that could help him manage both his social media content and his pay-per-click expenditures, which he planned to continue on a much-reduced basis. After conducting his research, he chose to sign up for the services offered by a company called HubSpot, which is based in Boston.
Available online as software-as-a-service, HubSpot helps business owners set up a blog and optimize it to be recognized by search engines. The site, which has more than 8,000 customers, most of whom pay $200 to $1,000 a month, helps users populate and manage their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, along with any pay-per-click campaigns. It also tracks visitors and helps subscribers calculate the return on investment for their marketing initiatives.
Even though Google is one of its investors, HubSpot cut back on its own pay-per-click expenditures after realizing that organic searches were accounting for 60 percent more traffic than paid searches. “Most of our paid efforts shifted to platforms like LinkedIn, where we could target for the right kinds of job titles in line with our target customer profiles,” said Dan Slagen, who is in charge of advertising at HubSpot.
In March 2011, Mr. Telford started blogging through HubSpot about topics like where to find the best fishing holes, and despite fears of a devastating loss of traffic, he reduced his pay-per-click budget to $100,000. By the beginning of 2012, some six months after he began blogging roughly five times a week, his organic traffic was up 91 percent over the previous year. And the number of conversions, or visitors who took an action on the site, had increased 37 percent.
Mr. Telford was so encouraged that he cut his pay-per-click budget again, to $33,000. “I still love Google because they got me there,” he said. “But that ride can’t last forever.”
Enlarge This Image
That is when he heard about a program called AdWords being offered by a new company, Google. Finding the system relatively easy to use, Mr. Telford selected a few keywords, like “Helen GA cabin rentals,” and agreed to pay Google 60 cents every time someone performed a search and clicked on his ad.
Before long, the calls and e-mails started pouring in. “The results were phenomenal,” said Mr. Telford, whose company is used by property owners to market their cabins. Encouraged, he invested more in his pay-per-click advertising efforts, which in time included similar programs offered by Bing and Yahoo.
By 2010, Mr. Telford had started a new management company, Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals, and was spending $140,000 a year on pay-per-click advertising to promote the 45 cabins in his charge. The programs had become increasingly popular and competitive, which meant that in order to retain his ranking in search results, he had to pay about $1.25 a click, double what he had paid initially. “The cost per keyword climbed dramatically over the years,” he said. “And it’s still going.”
And that is a problem. While Mr. Telford agreed to pay more for his keywords, he said he did not see a commensurate increase in sales. “For a while, I was spending more than I was getting,” he said. “It finally hit me to ask, ‘Can I sustain this?’ ”
This concern has become increasingly common as online advertising has become a standard channel for large companies. Attracting those additional advertisers has been great for Google, which reported a 42 percent increase in paid clicks, year over year, for the second quarter of 2012. But the heightened competition has driven up the prices for keywords and made it harder for small companies like Mr. Telford’s.
While about 96 percent of pay-per-click advertisers spend less than $10,000 a month, according to AdGooroo, a research firm that studies the pay-per-click market, big-budget advertisers spend hundreds of times more. In the first half of 2012, Amazon reportedly spent $54 million, and the University of Phoenix $37.9 million. “AdWords can bleed many a small business dry,” said Sharon Geltner, an analyst at the Small Business Development Center at Palm Beach State College in Boca Raton, Fla.
“The only way for smaller advertisers to get an edge is to spend a lot of time improving the quality and relevance of their ads,” said Richard Stokes, author of “Ultimate Guide to Pay-Per-Click Advertising” and the founder of AdGooroo. “The problem is that everyone else is doing that as well.”
Until recently, Byron Udell, founder and chief executive of AccuQuote, a life insurance agency based in Wheeling, Ill., was spending several million dollars a year on pay-per-click campaigns. But after watching the price of keywords like “life insurance” rise to more than $20 from about $1 over the last 10 years, he decided to scale back greatly.
“The cost to get someone just to visit your Web site has, in some cases, become prohibitive,” Mr. Udell said. “Something that cost $3 might be a no-brainer, but at $20 it becomes absurd. It’s basic math, and if it doesn’t add up, we won’t do it.” He said he planned to redirect some of his advertising dollars to print, television and radio.
Google does not dispute the accounts of owners like Mr. Udell. A Google spokesman released a statement saying that small businesses can compete by making their ads more relevant to consumers and that they should use multiple strategies to pursue customers: “search, social media, earned media and more.”
Many analysts agree. “AdWords is still doable and reasonably profitable for local businesses or those that have narrow niches and high barriers to entry,” said Perry Marshall, the author of “Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords.” “But you cannot put all your eggs in one basket. The ultimate goal for any business should be to drive as much unpaid traffic to their site as possible.”
The increased demand for unpaid, or organic, search results has given rise to an entire industry specializing in search engine optimization, or S.E.O., with countless professed experts who promise to improve a Web site’s search ranking.
Mr. Telford said he was approached by dozens of such experts. “My competitors were inching up in organic traffic because I wasn’t doing anything,” he said. “But I also wasn’t comfortable hiring a S.E.O. expert, because none of them could explain exactly why what they were doing would work. It felt like they were selling me black magic.”
As he looked for alternatives, Mr. Telford came across a number of companies like RhinoSEO, Marketo, Eloqua and Pardot, which sell online services that promise to automate a company’s marketing efforts and improve organic search results. The basic idea, Mr. Telford concluded, was that investing in social media content like blogs and Facebook pages could attract unpaid traffic.
“It hit me like a brick, because I finally understood how you get better search results by creating content around the keywords people are searching for,” he said. “As we become more relevant to Google, our quality score improves in our AdWords campaigns. This enables us to bid lower, yet because we’re more relevant, we pay less per click.”
As a small-business owner without a full-time marketing staff, Mr. Telford wanted a tool that could help him manage both his social media content and his pay-per-click expenditures, which he planned to continue on a much-reduced basis. After conducting his research, he chose to sign up for the services offered by a company called HubSpot, which is based in Boston.
Available online as software-as-a-service, HubSpot helps business owners set up a blog and optimize it to be recognized by search engines. The site, which has more than 8,000 customers, most of whom pay $200 to $1,000 a month, helps users populate and manage their Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, along with any pay-per-click campaigns. It also tracks visitors and helps subscribers calculate the return on investment for their marketing initiatives.
Even though Google is one of its investors, HubSpot cut back on its own pay-per-click expenditures after realizing that organic searches were accounting for 60 percent more traffic than paid searches. “Most of our paid efforts shifted to platforms like LinkedIn, where we could target for the right kinds of job titles in line with our target customer profiles,” said Dan Slagen, who is in charge of advertising at HubSpot.
In March 2011, Mr. Telford started blogging through HubSpot about topics like where to find the best fishing holes, and despite fears of a devastating loss of traffic, he reduced his pay-per-click budget to $100,000. By the beginning of 2012, some six months after he began blogging roughly five times a week, his organic traffic was up 91 percent over the previous year. And the number of conversions, or visitors who took an action on the site, had increased 37 percent.
Mr. Telford was so encouraged that he cut his pay-per-click budget again, to $33,000. “I still love Google because they got me there,” he said. “But that ride can’t last forever.”
Your Business Can Suffer Due To Absence Of Virtual Certificates On Your Website Online
Your Business Can Suffer Due To Absence Of Virtual Certificates On Your Website Online
It is important to to take the safety against online information larceny, as a result of it is getting really easy for folks to proportion virtual products. Data robbery is a type of pc security and safety possibility and it is outlined as thieving any individual’s non-public or personal information. It’s very dangerous to get the ideas stolen as it will lead to as much injury, or possibly extra then hardware or software theft.
A few of the techniques at the way of your data can see what you send. A lot of firms attempt to stop knowledge from being stolen via making use of some consumer id and authentication controls. These constrictions are such a lot promising for protecting computer systems alongside an organization’s premise. Then again, to protect knowledge on the Web and on networks, corporations use a handful of encryption strategies like virtual certificate and SSL security. SSL is an trade standard and is used by millions of websites within the protection in their online transactions with their customers. Encryption refers to the technique of changing knowledge into an unreadable form. Encrypted knowledge is like every other knowledge as a result of you’ll send it via a large number of options, however to read it you must decrypt or decipher it right into an extra readable form with the help of private and non-private keys provided. All the way through the encryption procedure, the unencrypted knowledge or input is known as plaintext and the encrypted data, or output is known as cipher text. To be able to create an SSL connection an internet server calls for an SSL Certificate. Whilst you select to turn on SSL on your internet server you’re going to be triggered to complete quite a lot of questions about the id of your site and your company. Your internet server then creates two cryptographic keys – a Private Key and a Public Key. To encrypt information, the programmer converts the plaintext into cipher textual content using some form of encryption key. An encryption key is the programmed method that the person who receives the information uses to decrypt the cipher text. There are forms of encryption or set of rules methods. Then again, with an encryption key formula, you will be using more then one of these techniques.
So much not unusual instance is an unpleasant person stealing credit cards so they are able to make unlawful purchases on another person’s account. If knowledge is transmitted over a network then it has an overly top probability for nasty users to capture the information.
A virtual signature is a type of encrypted code that a person, web site, or corporate pastes to an electronic document to be sure that the person is who they claim to be. The code will perhaps encompass the consumer name and a hash of frequently a part of the message. The complexities of the SSL protocol remain invisible on your customers. As an alternative, their browsers supply them with a key indicator to let them realize they are these days secure by an SSL encrypted session – the lock icon within the decrease proper-hand corner, clicking on the lock icon presentations your SSL Certificate and the main points approximately it. All SSL Certificate are issued to both companies or legally accountable individuals. The principle goal at the back of using virtual signatures is to make sure that it’s not a swindler collaborating in the transaction. So, virtual signatures help slim down e mail frauds. A digital signature too can be sure that contents of a message have now not been changed.
Normally, an SSL Certificates will contain your area identify, your corporate name, your cope with, your city, your state and your country. It will also include the expiration date of the Certificates and details of the Certification Authority answerable for the issuance of the Certificate. When a browser connects to a protected web site it’s going to retrieve the site’s SSL Certificate and take a look at that it has not expired, it’s been issued by means of a Certification Authority the browser trusts, and that it’s being utilized by the website for which it’s been issued.
American Express Business Platinum 2013 Review: Worth $450?
American Express Business Platinum Card is a prestigious charge card for those of you who are business owners that have a strong business credit history, and are often flying for business. This card offers a myriad of benefits, such as free airport VIP lounge access, plus it rewards you with 25,000 bonus points as a signing promotion. However, this card has an annual fee of $450.
Considering that some business credit cards out there do not have any annual fees, the question to ask is, is this card worth such a high annual fee? Read on to find out if the benefits outweigh the costs, and if the Business Platinum Card is as good as they say.
Things We Like About This Card
Receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months. This is a limited-time offer that is only for new applicants who apply for this card before November 4, 2013. Only people who haven’t had a Business Gold or Green card in the last 12 months will be eligible to receive these bonus points.
No pre-set spending limit. Since this is a charge card, you won’t be capped by a spending limit, thus giving you more spending flexibility. Remember that you must pay off your balances in full each month.
Free airport lounge access. When traveling by plane, you will have access to the airline’s airport lounge by showing your card and plane ticket. You won’t have to show a plane ticket to gain access to US Airways Clubs.
Priority Pass Select benefit. Once enrolled, you can access participating Priority Pass Select lounges for free, and if you bring an accompanying guest to the lounge, you pay $27 per guest. This pass gives you access to more than 600 airport VIP lounges worldwide, and more than 70 US airport VIP lounges. Great benefit for the frequent flyer since a comparable Priority Pass Prestige membership alone costs US$399.
Enjoy $200 airline fee credit each year. You must select a qualifying airline to be able to enjoy this benefit (you may change your airline of choice in January of each year). This credit will cover incidental fees incurred on the airline of your choice, and each card account may get up to a total of $200 in statement credit a year. Do note that claimable amounts must be charged by the airline company itself onto your Business Platinum card. You may receive your credit 2-4 weeks after the qualifying incidental air travel fee is charged to your account.
No foreign transaction fee. When using this card to pay for purchases in non-US currency, you won’t be charged with a foreign transaction fee, which some credit cards charge a 3-5% for.
Earn points through the Membership Rewards program. You will automatically be enrolled in this program, and you won’t have to pay any enrollment fee. You will earn 1 point for every dollar spent on your Business Platinum card.
Receive 20% additional points when redeeming your points for American Express Travel through the Pay with Points program. This means you will earn 1 additional point for every 5 points you redeem. Note that you need at least 5,000 points for redemption.
Purchase protection. Your purchases will be covered if they get accidentally damaged or stolen within 90 days of your purchase being made.
Concierge services anytime. You will have access to 24/7 concierge service to help you when planning events, shopping or whenever you need help both personally and professionally.
Enjoy extended warranty. You will enjoy extended warranty on your purchases which will double the original warranty period to a maximum of one additional warranty year.
Premium car rentals will allow you to save time and money when renting a car. Age restrictions and the terms of the car rental company may apply.
Our Least Favorite Things About This Card
High annual fee of $450. You must pay this annual fee each year for this card. Is it worth it? We think that if you frequently fly for business, this card’s many benefits will outweigh its cost.
Our Verdict: 4.5/5 Stars
Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN is a high-end charge card that will benefit business owners who travel often by plane and want to enjoy special travel-related privileges whether they are in the US or overseas.
Although this card has an annual fee of $450 that you must pay every year, if you travel often, this fee will be worth it as you will enjoy free airport lounge access each time you travel, as well as up to $200 in statement credit to cover your selected airline incidental charges. What’s great too is you’ll receive 1 point per dollar spent on this card.
Something I really like about this card is that you will earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. You will also enjoy additional benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty and car rental services.
If your business is more than 2 years old, has a strong credit history with a positive cash flow, and you would like a charge card with exclusive privileges especially travel-related ones, the Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN would be a great choice of card for your business needs.
Considering that some business credit cards out there do not have any annual fees, the question to ask is, is this card worth such a high annual fee? Read on to find out if the benefits outweigh the costs, and if the Business Platinum Card is as good as they say.
Things We Like About This Card
Receive 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months. This is a limited-time offer that is only for new applicants who apply for this card before November 4, 2013. Only people who haven’t had a Business Gold or Green card in the last 12 months will be eligible to receive these bonus points.
No pre-set spending limit. Since this is a charge card, you won’t be capped by a spending limit, thus giving you more spending flexibility. Remember that you must pay off your balances in full each month.
Free airport lounge access. When traveling by plane, you will have access to the airline’s airport lounge by showing your card and plane ticket. You won’t have to show a plane ticket to gain access to US Airways Clubs.
Priority Pass Select benefit. Once enrolled, you can access participating Priority Pass Select lounges for free, and if you bring an accompanying guest to the lounge, you pay $27 per guest. This pass gives you access to more than 600 airport VIP lounges worldwide, and more than 70 US airport VIP lounges. Great benefit for the frequent flyer since a comparable Priority Pass Prestige membership alone costs US$399.
Enjoy $200 airline fee credit each year. You must select a qualifying airline to be able to enjoy this benefit (you may change your airline of choice in January of each year). This credit will cover incidental fees incurred on the airline of your choice, and each card account may get up to a total of $200 in statement credit a year. Do note that claimable amounts must be charged by the airline company itself onto your Business Platinum card. You may receive your credit 2-4 weeks after the qualifying incidental air travel fee is charged to your account.
No foreign transaction fee. When using this card to pay for purchases in non-US currency, you won’t be charged with a foreign transaction fee, which some credit cards charge a 3-5% for.
Earn points through the Membership Rewards program. You will automatically be enrolled in this program, and you won’t have to pay any enrollment fee. You will earn 1 point for every dollar spent on your Business Platinum card.
Receive 20% additional points when redeeming your points for American Express Travel through the Pay with Points program. This means you will earn 1 additional point for every 5 points you redeem. Note that you need at least 5,000 points for redemption.
Purchase protection. Your purchases will be covered if they get accidentally damaged or stolen within 90 days of your purchase being made.
Concierge services anytime. You will have access to 24/7 concierge service to help you when planning events, shopping or whenever you need help both personally and professionally.
Enjoy extended warranty. You will enjoy extended warranty on your purchases which will double the original warranty period to a maximum of one additional warranty year.
Premium car rentals will allow you to save time and money when renting a car. Age restrictions and the terms of the car rental company may apply.
Our Least Favorite Things About This Card
High annual fee of $450. You must pay this annual fee each year for this card. Is it worth it? We think that if you frequently fly for business, this card’s many benefits will outweigh its cost.
Our Verdict: 4.5/5 Stars
Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN is a high-end charge card that will benefit business owners who travel often by plane and want to enjoy special travel-related privileges whether they are in the US or overseas.
Although this card has an annual fee of $450 that you must pay every year, if you travel often, this fee will be worth it as you will enjoy free airport lounge access each time you travel, as well as up to $200 in statement credit to cover your selected airline incidental charges. What’s great too is you’ll receive 1 point per dollar spent on this card.
Something I really like about this card is that you will earn 25,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months. You will also enjoy additional benefits such as purchase protection, extended warranty and car rental services.
If your business is more than 2 years old, has a strong credit history with a positive cash flow, and you would like a charge card with exclusive privileges especially travel-related ones, the Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN would be a great choice of card for your business needs.
The BLUE CASH for Business from American Express - A Card For The Business Owners
Founded in 1850, the American Express is a financial organization that is highly respected. Now, it has around 78200 employees. American Express cards are renowned for their remarkable benefits and excellent customer service. They promise the customers immediate purchasing power.
One such card, the BLUE CASH for Business from American Express is a cash back version of the BLUE Card, which was introduced in 1999. The BLUE CASH card is basically a business credit card, which is specifically made for the small business owners interested in a cash back rewards program and having an average credit.
What Does The Card Offer?
The BLUE CASH Card from American Express is equipped with a 0% introductory Annual Purchase Rate (APR) available for the first six months on your purchases and 7.99% rate on the balance transfers, also applicable for the first 6 months only. After the end of the introductory period, the purchase APR remains within a reasonable range. The card has no annual fee.
The card creates enough scope for the cardholders to earn rebates through a reward program. The rebates are offered for the expenses you make within the "OPEN Savings" network, which include general purchases, Hertz, Staples, AT&T, FedEx and others. Here, the cardholders can earn up to 5% cash back on purchases.
As a cardholder, you can earn up to 2.5% cash back on purchases even outside the network of the "OPEN Savings". The high-rebate percentage scheme will be valid until the annual spending on your card reaches the $15000 limit. After you reach the limit, the purchases made within the OPEN Savings network will fetch you 2% cash back and the other purchases will get you 1% cash back.
Package Of Benefits
The other benefits offered by the BLUE CASH for Business from American Express includes unlimited extra fee-free cards, business advice from experts, travel and emergency insurance, extended warranties on certain purchases, travel accident insurance, car rental insurance, emergency card replacement, various Internet account related services, purchase protection and more.
The OPEN Savings Network
The BLUE CASH for Business from American Express provides you access to the OPEN Savings Network, which is a small business network. This offers you the resources and associations to help you in the smooth functioning of your business. Other than the unlimited fee-free additional cards and savings, the network permits you to manage your account online with the Small Business Dashboard. You can also track charges with the Expense Management Reports.
You can avail expert opinion and advice for help on business matters; you may as well discuss business issues with other business owners online.
Work At Home Craft Business
An at home craft business would be like a dream come true for many people who have that creative flair. They would be able to do something they love, and earn their living by doing it, the best of both worlds.
There are many different kinds of at home craft businesses, all of which can be very successful for the owner. Many artists have made their favorite craft into a business for themselves, crafts such as woodworking; flower pressing, soap making, candle making, crocheting, and beading all have turned profits.
If you are a man, don’t automatically assume that you couldn’t have a successful at home craft business. It is often thought that crafting is something that only women are good at, but that simply is not true. All you have to do in order to have a successful at home craft business is to focus on your talent, use it to create beautiful items, and then enjoy gaining the profits from the sale of those items.
Woodworking is often thought of as an old-fashioned craft, but the reality is, that very few people can turn down a beautiful, handmade wooden piece. From furniture to handmade wooden toys, you shouldn’t have to worry about people not wanting your crafts, as they are all very popular, especially of late.
You should be familiar with all of the ins and outs of woodworking, and it should be something that you really enjoy doing. If this description fits you, then you would likely be very happy with your own woodworking business. You should be able to earn a living with it as well!
If you like the art of flower pressing, and consider yourself to be good at it, then you could probably make a good profit by turning it into a home based business. Pressed flowers are used for many purposes, including gifts for special occasions, weddings, and home décor.
The art of flower pressing is pretty simple and quick to learn, and you don’t have to be a famous artist or even have a lot of creativity in order to be good at it. You can do something that is pretty easy, and still make a nice chunk of change doing it.
One home craft business that is sure to give you plenty of profits and enjoyment is a soap making business. People are gaining more and more interest in all natural products, so if you make special soaps that contain only all natural ingredients, you are filling a need that not many people in business recognize or cater to.
There are many resources that can teach you the basics of soap making; you can find them on the internet, or in your local library. Your local craft store may also have a soap making kit to help get you started.
Many people have become successful with their own at home candle making business. It is a very popular craft, so expect a lot of competition. But, the good news is, candles serve many purposes, one of which is great gifts for all occasions, so you shouldn’t have any problems with not having customers.
Candles can be scented, and used for relaxation purposes, as well as beautiful home accent pieces as well. Any size, shape, or color that you think of can be made into candle form, so let your imagination run wild.
As of late, beading has been regaining in popularity, and now is one of the most successful types of at home craft businesses that you can have. If beading is your thing, chances are you can turn out many lovely, high-quality pieces each day.
Now all you have to do is sell them for a decent profit, and you are in business. You probably even have pieces that you have done just lying around, that could be sold for a tidy profit as well. To be successful with a beading at home craft business, it has to be more than just your hobby; you have to be skilled enough to make your work unique.
People who buy crafts are looking for something that is different, something that no one else has, so making your work stand out above all others in quality and design is the key to you having a successful business.
Why Hoping In Search Traffic Can Doom Your Business
Most reports peg search traffic at about 10% of total internet traffic. However, most businesses spend 90% of their website efforts on search engine optimization and marketing. Below I outline why this disproportionate emphasis on search traffic can be spell disaster for an online business.
If only 10% of people are searching, what are the other 90% doing? The majority are returning visitors. They may have found a site initially by search but now they return. If someone is comparison shopping, they'll usually bookmark five or six sites, comparing each one with the others. There's another small percentage that are simply typing in domains. Looking for lawn furniture? I'll just type in lawnfurniture dot com. Another even smaller proportion actually type the domain name into a search box, then click on the domain in the search results.
I think as webmasters we get search engine tunnel vision when we're marketing our businesses. When someone tells me they're having trouble getting top 10 search positions, I usually ask about the other types of online marketing strategies they're engaged with. The common response is, what else can I do?
There's a lot you can do! The great thing about online marketing is that we're only limited by our creativity. Social marketing is wide open for the creative and savvy marketer. What better way to get traffic than to create word of mouth referrals. How do most offline businesses get clients? Through word of mouth. It's no different online.
How people get to your site is important. But, what you do with a visitor after they come to your site is even more important.
I would argue that our existing clients are our top marketing vehicles. Do you offer great service and support? You'll get referrals. Are you hard to work with, arrogant, or stingy? You won't get referrals. A happy client will tell one other person. An unhappy client will tell at least four other people.
One of the few points I think professional internet marketers get right is traffic diversification. Yes, they focus on getting free, organic search traffic but they also spend a great deal of time on list building, customer service, and word of mouth.
If your only focus is search traffic, sooner or later you'll be disappointed. My business goal is to have as many traffic streams as I can develop. I'm slowly getting to a point where even if my search traffic went to zero, I'd still keep plugging along.
Search engine algorithms change all the time. Time spent surfing forums to find the best ways to beat search engines is time better spent on other marketing methods. Time spent tweaking a page for keyword density is time better spent handing out business cards with your website address.
For those of you stuck in a search engine rut, step back and look at your options. What else are you doing to drive traffic to your site? There are so many more options than we think if we would just look around.
7 Ways To Advertise Your Business For Free
1. Free directories: directories are perfect for customers that are searching for a particular topic. What’s great about them is that you only have to post once and they are good for long periods of time. It saves a lot of your time when you don’t have to resubmit your information every week or every month. The bad news is most of your traffic won’t come from here. I still feel it is worth it to get your link out there. Just take one day and set it aside for posting to free directories. You won’t need to do it again for at least 6 months.
2. Classified Ads: These are great for work from home businesses. Think about it. Where do people go when they are looking for a job? That’s right-the classifieds. The only downside to classified ads is that you have to resubmit them quite frequently. Once you find which classifieds bring you the most traffic you can concentrate on them and weed the others out. So it is really more time consuming in the beginning, and doesn’t have to be later on when you get the hang of things.
3. Free article submissions/ezines: The best way to inform others about your product or service is to write an article about it. In your authors resource box, you can tell readers about yourself and where they can go to check out your product or service. This is also an excellent way to get free links to your site if you have one. There are a lot of webmasters out there who are looking for good articles they can post on their site. If they post yours, that is another site that is doing the advertising for you. All for free.
4. URL Submissions: Probably the quickest and easiest thing to do to advertise your site. Just type “Free URL submission” in your search engine. When you get a list just enter the URL you are promoting and click submit. That’s it. It only takes a few seconds and your done. Just set a day aside once every 3 months and do this.
5. Forum Posts: Put your product or service website in your signature file when you sign up on some forums. It will be displayed every time you make a post. Try to look for topics that you have some knowledge on, and can give a relevant answer too. Do not spam anyone, you will get kicked off the forum and you will get a bad reputation. Get involved asking and answering questions that pertain to your area of business. Forums are great because once you make a post it stays there forever. It will get moved to the archives eventually, but someone could still find it if they were searching the archives. Yes, there are many people who do.
6. Traffic Exchanges: Probably the most time consuming way to advertise for free, but definately the most effective. Most forums I have visited have said in many posts that they received a lot of their profit from traffic exchanges. If you don’t want to spend the time surfing for credits, you do have the option of buying them. I would look into a program that lets you surf multiple websites at once like crazy browser. There are others and they are free to download. That way you can just spend one hour a day and get all your surfing in at once.
7. News-groups: Become involved in a group that has to do with your kind of business. You can usually mail the group once per day, but I would encourage you to find something fresh to talk about each day. People will tune you out if they see the same message all the time. Remember to never Spam anyone. Only join groups with the same interests as yours. In other words, don’t sign up for a recipe swapping group when you are advertising shaving cream.
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