Title: Home Based Business Basics Word Count: 557 Summary: Many people are striking out today to begin their own home based business. With the advent of the Internet and e-mail, one could get the impression that the only way to run a home based business is by the Internet. What if you want to run your own home based business in a more traditional manner? Where should you begin? The easy part is actually to begin your home based business. The hard part comes when you must decide which home based business you should be in. You ... Keywords: Article Body: Many people are striking out today to begin their own home based business. With the advent of the Internet and e-mail, one could get the impression that the only way to run a home based business is by the Internet. What if you want to run your own home based business in a more traditional manner? Where should you begin? The easy part is actually to begin your home based business. The hard part comes when you must decide which home based business you should be in. You must screen each business opportunity with objectivity and patience. You must also be methodical and realistic in your selection of a home based business that suits you. One of the very first steps you should take when considering a home based business is to take a personal inventory. You must take note of your skills, personality characteristics, experience and interests. When taking into consideration your personality characteristics, you should answer these questions: What is your personal background, what kind of training and education have you had, what kind of special interests and hobbies do you have, and what kind of work and volunteer experience have you had? These are just a few of the questions that you must ask yourself when you are thinking about starting your own home based business. The second step you must take is to identify what you like. You may know about a lot of different things, but you must ask yourself what you are really good at. You should make a list of everything you like doing and then with a lot of insight cross off the things in which you have no interest or you just do not like to do. It just may be your luck to like what you are good at. That will give you a good clue for your home based business. If you have come up with a suitable home based business, then perhaps it would be well to review the following different subject areas to see if your interest lies in any of these. You may take into consideration such things as: Crafts, household services, health and fitness, professional and personal services, wholesale and retail sales, computers and business services. The next thing you want to do in trying to ascertain which home based business is for you is to go down the list of your skills and interests and see which ideas may be marketable as a home based business. In order for your home based business to be successful it must be unique, must create or satisfy a need in the market and must have longevity. You must also be able to price profitably yet competitively. Your home based business must also suit your lifestyle. If you have been a stay-at-home mom and are looking to start a home based business, you naturally are not going to want something that is going to take you away from home for long periods of time or something that you would have your clients coming to the house for. Whatever home based business you decide to go into, it will take a lot of forethought and preparation on your part. Remember that people are succeeding at home based businesses each day, and you could very well add to the rank and file of those who are successful!