Top 10 list of the best home based business ideas, 2012

If you are looking to start up a home business then look no further than this top 10 list of the best ways to make money online, from home.
I hope you’ll find something to inspire you to startup today. There’s no time like the present (and don’t forget about me when you’re sipping pina-coladas off the deck of your yacht ;)

1. Specialist consulting

If you have experience or skills then one of the best ways to make money is by providing niche industry wisdom and expert advice. It doesn’t matter what industry you are in.
Start blogging about what you know. Offer to help people by providing knowledge. Answer questions other sites, blogs and forums.
Once people recognize you as an expert they will trust you, and you can start leveraging that trust to make money by offering services and consulting in your niche.

2. Boutique online store

Do you have a passion for designing cushions? Do you love making gourmet cupcakes? If there is something you love doing, then do it online.
Set up an eCommerce store. Blog about what you do. Make your content exciting and visual so that your passion transfers to visitors who just have to buy.

3. eLearning content

If there is a subject you are knowledgeable in, or know plenty of people who are knowledgeable about something, then use that to make money.
Set up a subscription based service to train people. Offer them courses, complete with exercises and marked online quizzes. Award them with certificates upon completion.

4. Specialty reviews

Do you love fine dining? How about wine tasting? Does staying in luxury hotels appeal to you?
Start up a blog and begin reviewing local products and services. Do a good job and local merchants and retailers will quickly catch on to the value of being reviewed by you. Leverage that demand to make money, as well as using ads and affiliate links to generate additional cash from readers.

5. Innovative local services

There are a million and one things that get in people’s way each day. If you have a smart idea about how to help, then set it up.
idea: If you have a pickup you could offer to pick up people’s old furtniture for free. It saves them time and money taking it to the dump. You can then resell it via your website.
idea: People hate queuing at local grocery stores after work. Why not let them pre-order from your website and have it waiting for them. They don’t have to pay for parking, fight with crowds or wait in queues. Well worth the small amount you charge for the service.
With limited resources, you’ll have to start local. But franchising to different towns and cities is a great option for growth later down the line.

6. Online real-time tutorials and lessons

Google+ offers incredible resources for video conferencing and online hangouts. Why not offer one hour lessons by video online? People can sign up on your website and access live tutorials and lesson, possibly followed by some Q and A for added interactivity.
You don’t have to charge much, and as the word spreads you could end up with thousands of students attending each lesson.

7. Niche blogging

Blogging is a great way to make a residual income. It’s definitely a medium term investment though, so it’s only viable if you are passionate about your niche topic.
Use social media, SEO and Internet marketing to build up traffic volumes, engage with readers and earn their trust. Make money from advertising and affiliate links.

8. Remote PA

If you’re planning on working from home full-time, then why not offer to help people who can’t find enough hours in the day to do everything they need.
Preferably offer services that you can perform online such as research, administration, writing, editing, and so on. Otherwise, focus on the local market… especially if you need to run errands.
The more you can work online, the more scope there is to hire low maintenance virtual office workers to expand your business.

9. Discounts & deals

Times are tough. People appreciate finding high quality services and products at low prices. Scour the web for the top deals and pass them on to your readers. Make sure you do it in an exciting, interesting and unique way – there is a lot of competition in this industry.
Alternatively, start local. Approach local merchants and retailers and get them to run specials which you promote. As you build up a following, the tables will turn and it will be merchants who approach you to write about their specials. Leverage that demand to make money.

10. IT

Do you know how to build mobile apps? How about games? Are you a guru in a forgotten programming language? Are you an incredible graphic designer?
Hardcore IT and technical skills are well suited to online home based business. All the coolest companies were started in garages, bedrooms or dorm rooms by IT nerds.
Use your website to show off your abilities. Convincing clients to take you on is difficult at first, but, providing you do a good job, referrals will keep new clients coming in.

Using Free Web Tools To Make Money On The Internet

When you decide to take the plunge and use free online website tools to help you make money on the internet, which ones do you choose? How do you know which sites are worth investing your time on?Just like you should research and investigate before spending money on something that claims to help you make money online, it’s also a good idea to decide which free tools are worth your time. After all, if you’re investing your time without money, you’ll have to spend more of it on your internet marketing efforts and time is valuable enough to warrant portioning it wisely.
You might have several questions to ask about the free internet tools you intend to use such as:-

Which blog platform is the best. Is WordPress or Blogger better?
Which social bookmarking tools will bring me the best traffic?
Which keyword research tool should I use?-What SEO tools will bring me the best results?
Which online article directory will bring me the best search engine results?
Which tools will help me make money without actually costing me money?

You probably already know that organic SEO is more useful than sponsored advertising but you also know that getting good organic results will require a lot of effort on your part so finding out which tools can shave time and effort off the process is helpful.How do you find out which free online website tools are the most useful?
Visiting forums in your niche are a good idea. If you’re a webmaster or an article
marketer you can find out what tools other people are using and how they’re getting success from free online tools. If you’re a newbie, you can also use forums to ask questions, get ideas and find out how other people are making money.
Read blogs and product reviews as well. A lot of people are out there talking about the topic of making money on the net and are more than willing to share their story with anyone who wants to listen. Some of these people want to sell you something but for the most part, you’ll find a lot of free valuable information about what’s hot and what’s not. You can find a lot of free reports online as well which will tell you information about making money on the internet through various methods. Many of these reports require you opt in to a newsletter but you have the ability to read the report and if you no longer want information from that person you can simply
unsubscribe from their mailing list. There’s a wealth of information available for helping people make money online via blogging, online stores, freelancing, affiliate marketing and other methods as well. Not all of it will be relevant to your circumstances and goals but looking at free website tools is a great idea because it enables you to get started without any investment. Once
you get going you can decide if you want to invest more time, effort or invest some money into this.