Our Top 12 Home Business Ideas

We have put together a list of very simple work at home ideas that can be started with literally no cash outlay and no Phd. Each one of them however lends themselves to additional exposure on the Internet with a simple website and a local listing set-up with Google or Yahoo, but is not necessary. They aren’t in any order of importance so any of them will produce a profit for your efforts. In the kind of economy we are in today it makes sense to hedge against the day job. Here's our even dozen:

1. Dog Sitting Service: One of the easiest home businesses to start up. If you live in an urban area chances are that you’ll have some competition, however you can set yourself apart by offering other services such as grooming, walking and simple training. Advertise on community bulletin boards, visit local vets and animal shelters.
2. Medical Billing: This is a big field right now and it’s getting bigger. Many Community colleges, High Schools or Universities offer continuing education classes in this field so check out local sources. This is red hot right now. Steer clear of Internet based instruction. Some of it may be good but there are a lot of scams out there.
3. Personal Shopper: I know, it’s been done, however there is still a big need for all types of shopping, not just clothing. With husband and wife both working in many households today its needed more than ever.
4. Home/Garage/Closet Organization: If you have a knack for organizing why not get paid for it. It’s not just for closets it’s everything from the garage to the office, especially the office. Many people just don’t have the organizational skills.
5. Article Writing: If you are on the Internet a lot these days you have seen many adverts for article writing because it’s a very big field for search engine optimization. Website content is extremely important for good rankings. If you have the talent for writing make some money from it. Tip: Offer additional services for distribution using article submitters and spinners. Advertise on sites like elance.com or rentacoder.com .
6. Home Data Entry Jobs: This has been around for years but it continues to be in demand. If you don’t mind the monotony you can charge by the job or item. It’s not rocket science. Check out elance.com for pricing ideas etc.
7. Auto Detailing: I personally like to clean my car and I really get into it by detailing every little thing. If you feel the same start a business doing it. It can be pretty lucrative.
8. Lawn Service: I’m not talking about walking around your neighborhood with a lawnmower but putting together a team of people to do full service lawn care such as weeding, spring and fall cleanups, gutter cleaning basic pruning. Nothing that requires heavy lifting or a degree in horticulture. Believe it or not there is a market for this especially for older folks who can’t do it anymore.
9. Party Organizer: Like to party? Why not make a few bucks organizing parties for others. Even simple backyard barbeques need to be planned. Make it full service and do all of the shopping as well. There’s good money here.
10. House Cleaning: I know, you have a hard time keeping your own home clean, but this type of work is in high demand these days and it requires no large outlay of cash to get started. Tip: carve a niche out by using only organic cleaning products. These are good for a lot of reasons but my be even more desirable for people with allergies to harsh chemicals.
11. Crafts: Often overlooked as a home business but making crafts can be lucrative especially around the holidays. I don’t just mean Christmas, Chanukah, Ramadan or Kwanzaa either. There is a demand for all types of crafts throughout the year.
12. Travel Agent: There are tons of places to learn this ever increasing service. You can differentiate yourself by specializing in different types of services such as low cost, high end, full itinerary planning etc. It’s also a great way to get super discounts for your own travel. May be worth it just for that.

It's easy to start any one of these businesses but sometimes you can't think of every little thing that you may or may not need so it's recommended that you use some kind of planning tool. Palo Alto has been around for a long time and their Business Plan software has over 500 Different Business Plans to choose from.