Its the American dream, or the world’s dream for that matter, to ditch your stale old 9 to 5 job and start a successful home based business. Working from home has never been more possible than it is right now and loads of people are already making the transition. Even large and small companies are realizing the benefits of the work from home industry and moving employees from the office to the living room. Of course to truly enjoy what you are doing, you need to work for yourself because lets face it, nobody wants a boss standing over their shoulder all day.

Surprisingly, the biggest problem most people face is not getting their business started, but rather deciding what type of business they want to run. Developing ideas requires creativity and a lot of you just haven’t tapped into that right side of the brain yet. Well, now you don’t have to, because I have done all of the work for you, just check out the ideas below, there’s something for everyone, or check out our other article with some great ways for teens to make money if you are to young for these ideas.

57 Home Based Business Ideas:

Caution… this incredible list of home based business ideas may cause your brain to go into overdrive! Please proceed with caution as you discover that there is an opportunity just waiting for you.

Running Website(s) – Well this is easily one of my favorite home based businesses and of course one I take part in on a regular basis. You read a lot of fluff on the Internet about the perils of running websites, but it is much easier than they say and very cost effective to get started. Finding a niche to target will more than likely make or break your chances here, so do your research and you will be rewarded.  You could even run online directories in any niche, like helping someone find a real estate agent for example.

Landscaping/Yard Work – Landscaping can be a very profitable home based business. You can build your business to serve homeowners, businesses or even both. Some of the popular jobs would include mowing, weed eating, tree trimming, debris removal, irrigation repairs and installation and during the winter, many landscapers make their money with snow removal. If you love being outdoors and don’t mind a little hard work, owning your very own landscaping business may be the way to go. Here are some tips to get your landscaping business started.

House Cleaning/Maid Service – While cleaning up after others may not be for everyone, the job does come with instant gratification. After cleaning your heart out for a little while you can look back and say “Wow, this place looks great! What a difference my work made.” Really that is what owning your own business is about, feeling good about what you have accomplished. On top of that, cleaning businesses do make good money once you build up a list of clients. Here is some information to get your cleaning service started.

Computer Repair – If you are the tech junkie type and love working with computers, owning your own home based computer business would be a great opportunity. You can do mobile computer repairs and diagnostics along with offering training on specific programs and new computer installations. You should be able to find new customers through Craigslist, local newspapers and other forms of advertising.

Pool Cleaning Service – The best candidate for running a pool cleaning service would certainly be someone in a warmer maybe tropical climate that would allow you to maintain your company throughout the year. You would need a certain level of knowledge in the field, knowing how to change out pumps and filters, testing ph levels and things like that.

Freelance Web Designer – If you have a special talent for building websites, creating logos and graphics and love the Internet, a freelance web design business is the way to go. Have you seen the prices some companies charge to build even the most simple websites? Plus web design serves as an outlet to unleash your creativity.

Automotive Repair – The automotive business always seems to be booming and mechanics make very good money. If you you have the desire and knowledge to work on cars and trucks but don’t have the space at your home to do so, you might consider starting a mobile car repair service and take the work to them. On top of being convenient for the customer you can also charge more money.

Pet Sitter/Doggy Daycare – If you have a large enough home, no allergies and love animals here is a fun business. Imagine people dropping off their pets for you to play with and watch over while they work, then you get paid for it, does it get much better than that? The key here is advertising, office places apartment communities anywhere you can find busy people with pets. Here is some information for starting your doggy daycare.

Daycare Service – This is especially great for stay at home moms that obviously have experience taking care of their children and would like to make some money for doing it. Of course that’s not to say that you dad’s can’t do it to, just don’t make a run for it when little Timmy does a number 2. Most states will require you to have a license for this so check your local laws before beginning. Here is some information on starting your own day care service.

Selling on Ebay – The online auction giant, Ebay.com, has made many millionaires and built hundreds if not thousands of successful businesses. People sell everything from antiques to electronics to the kitchen sink(literally), and there is an ample supply of customers. If you love working from home and don’t mind offering a little customer service, Ebay might be worth a shot. Here are some tips for starting your own Ebay business.

Home Typist/Transcriber – This is a highly sought work from home job and most of the work or leads that you do find tend to be scams, junk or whatever else you want to call it. If you are a great typist and interested in starting a home based business in this field, I would suggest checking out Rat Race Rebellion for some legit opportunities.

Dog Walker – This is a particularly great business opportunity for those of you that live in large metropolitan cities, I am thinking New York right now, but there are others as well. Dog walking is pretty easy, great exercise and fun too. Aside from that, this is an easy busy to start. Try hanging some fliers in local apartment and office buildings, you can even pass them out on the street or bus to busy professionals.

On-Site Car Cleaning – A little fun in the sun anyone? This is actually something you don’t see to often, which is what makes it such a great market. People would find it a huge time saver if you came to their work and washed their care without them losing a minute of productivity. You could even setup a stand at local malls or shopping centers offering to wash their car while they shop. I would suggest getting yourself some liability insurance, should a scratch show up.

Elderly Care – Growing old is a sad part of life, but it happens and sometimes the elderly need a little help. This would be a great business opportunity for registered nurses interested in starting a home based business, though if you are offering standard care services a nursing background is not necessary. Aside from in home health care, you can also just run errands and maybe most importantly just be a great companion, which is sometimes all they need.

Property Maintenance – Have you ever wondered who picks up the garbage in a shopping center parking lot, or who straightens the signs and patches the potholes? In most cases it is a property maintenance company and they usually hit the property for cleaning and inspection in the early hours of the morning before you and I go shopping. This is a pretty easy business to start because you can simply go to local properties, look for a lease sign on a vacancy and call the number. The person who answers will usually be the property manager and then just offer your services at a great rate.

Vacation Planner – You talk about fun! Try building a home based business around arranging the perfect vacations for your clients. They pay you a fee to schedule flights, hotels, rental cars and even dinner reservations. What about a helicopter ride over the grand canyon followed by a perfect dinner at the hottest restaurant in L.A., you can make that happen. Once you get your name out there, try to cater to the rich and famous with exclusive trips and Lamborghini rentals.

Sales Representative – Chances are that you have probably heard of companies like Avon and Tupperware, but maybe you think there is no money to be made. The fact is that some Avon Reps. make a very good living selling Avon products, if you have an uncanny ability to sell anything, this may be a great business idea for you.

Business Consultant – Those of you that have a proven track record for running businesses and/or hold a college degree in the business and finances field, might consider becoming a business consultant for other less knowledgeable business owners. Consultants are usually paid very well and there is an endless supply of new customers, if you can find them.

Personal Shopper – Its important to note that in order to run a successful personal shopper business, you should not only love shopping but also have a great sense of style and current trends to really wow your customers.  Although personal shoppers don’t have to stop at clothes, you could shop for antiques, foreign specialty products like Belgium Chocolate(yummy)  and anything else people want.

Interior Designer – Do you have an eye for style and a taste for flair? Why not put your creative visions to work in your very own interior design business. While schooling may benefit you in the beginning in regards to getting new clients, it will eventually boil down to your talents and passion for the beautiful. Oh and in case you were wondering, interior designers get paid very well.

Wedding Planner – A wedding is often said to be the best day in many peoples lives and you can make that day even better and more memorable for the lucky couple and their guests.  Wedding planners often work out every detail from the beginning all the way through the honeymoon, to make a magical day seem almost effortless.  If you have style, passion and an eye for detail, maybe this business is for you.

Handyman Service – Homeowners are always looking for someone to make repairs around the house. If you have the skills and tools to fix anything, starting your own handyman service is a good idea. Repairs can range from appliances to drywall and flooring, so there will never be a dull moment.

Music Teacher – Are you musically gifted and love to teach others your extraordinary talent?  There are people out there interested in learning every instrument imaginable and you can get paid to teach them in the comfort of your own home.

Tutor Service – This job would work extremely well if you live in a college town and of course if you are really good at a certain subject, math for example.  Try advertising your one on one tutoring services on Craigslist to see if you get any hits.  You might also want to advertise in the newspaper and on college bulletin boards.

Sewing/Alterations – Can you get creative with a needle and rock that sewing machine? If you already have the know how, a sewing and alterations business may be the way to go. If your talent allows it, try going for higher priced jobs like custom wedding gowns to bring in the bigger bucks. You might consider advertising your services in the newspaper, online classifieds, website and print magazines.

Window Washer – For a while there I used to get paid to wash windows in business complexes and indoor at the local malls.  The work couldn’t have been easier and the pay was surprisingly good, often bringing in around $350 for an entire business park, which would take roughly 12 hours by myself.

Freelance Writing – I have very little bad things to say about freelance writing, in fact it was my main source of income when I started working from home. The pay was great and the work was fun and rewarding, but I will tell you that it can be difficult when you are first starting out. There is a lot of competition so finding writing jobs can be difficult at first, so just really focus on getting your name out there and make as many contacts as you can. Actually, if you just want to get a few articles under you belt you might be able to guest write on this blog.

Janitorial Service – This lands right up there with the last home based business idea of window washing.  Get yourself a business license and start contacting local property owners with your janitorial services.  I suggest calling the competition in your area to see what they are charging, undercut their prices a bit to get a few jobs and some exposure, then start pricing your work competitively.

Event Planner – You might be amazed to find out just how many people are looking for event planning services.  Imagine planning a wedding or huge birthday bash for a lucky someone and getting paid for it.

Buying and Selling Domains – A lot of entrepreneurs are making great money buying and selling domain names, since they are such a hot commodity these days.  Some people say nay, but you can still register some great domains, you should also check out the webmaster forums for plenty of great deals to get business rolling.

Pet Grooming – If you don’t mind smelling wet dogs and chasing after upset kitty cats this may be the perfect home based business for you to get involved with.  You can buy a van and offer mobile services, or simply allow people to drop off their pets for a day of pampering, while the owner gets a little peace and quiet.

Artist/Crafter – Believe it or not, I actually work as an artist in my spare time creating one of a kind golf gifts for people around the country.  But even if you don’t have the strongest artistic ability you can still make money creating and selling simple crafts at local fairs, flea markets and even online through services such as ebay.com and craigslist.org.  Pick up a crafting book from your local library and see how many cool things you can make in your spare time.

Application / Software Developer – If you have the skills in this industry, there are a lot of people looking for them!  People are making millions of dollars developing Facebook apps and various types of personal and commercial software these days.  Hmm, come to think of it, I could use a good data encryption software. :)

Home Inspector – Sure it takes a license in most states, but home inspectors can make some very good money and in most cases they work as much or as little as they want.  As the real estate market continues to rebuild itself, home inspectors are going to be more in demand, which means more work for those of you that get in on it.

Junk Hauler/Recycler - Do you have an old pickup truck sitting around rusting to pieces?  Why not put it to work and start making some money by hauling junk.  Collect scrap metal to recycle it for cash, haul garbage for people to the dump, and even just offer odd jobs such as yard debris removal.

Flip Websites – Setup some good website hosting, I have a great vps through Geek Storage, and start buying websites.  Build some new links to them, do a quick redesign, add a little advertising and when they make a bit of money sell them off for a large profit.  You can sell these websites in popular webmaster forums or on ebay.

House Painter – This is especially good business during the summer months, though you can offer interior painting year round.  A business license, van or truck and the willingness to work is all you need for this home based business.

Grocery Delivery – There are a lot of opportunities when running a grocery delivery business, so don’t just offer your services to the elderly. Try marketing your services to busy professionals and even college students to expand your customer base. Be sure that if beer and cigarettes are on the list that you verify their age, buying for minors will get you shut down quick.  Of course you could always recommend that they quit smoking, use these smoking facts, though that may hurt your business.

Bed and Breakfast – This is really only an option for those of you that have really nice, and spacious, homes.  Preferably out in the country with beautiful views of something other than a freeway, but if you have that and are willing to let people into your home, you can make some money at it.

Animal Breeder – Turn down the lights, play some soft music and let the love happen!  Only joking, but seriously, breeders make some very good money, have you seen the price of a pure bred puppy these days.  Besides that, there is hardly any work involved in it for you, the dogs have to do it all, you just need to set the mood. :)

Landlord/Rentals – Have you ever given any thought about buying rental properties for some residual income?   If you have good credit, or the funds needed to buy a rental property you can get going fairly quickly, now is a great time to own rental properties since many people just don’t have the money to buy a new home.  In fact, if you have any vancouver wa real estate for rent, let me know!

Virtual Assistant – This is a great job and one of the ways I really broke into the online working world.  I started out with big dreams of making money online, just as everyone does I suppose, but when it didn’t work out I began working as a virtual assistant for people overseas.  It was a great opportunity for me to get my feet wet, so to speak, and learn a little before moving forward with my own projects.  I was making around $3000 per month doing the virtual assistant gig, so not to bad at all.  You can usually find webmasters in the forums that are looking for a good “va”, just keep your eyes open for an opportunity.

Personal Organizer - This is one of those home based businesses that I just couldn’t do, but I might hire someone else to do it for me!   Needless to say I could use a bit of organizational education, though if you are a well organized person, why not make some money off of people like me?

Bounty Hunter/Bail Bondsmen – Now here is a fun business to get started.  Imagine getting paid to chase fugitives and kick in doors, I think I missed my calling!  Most states do require a license for this, however, depending on the state it can be really easy to get licensed.  Some states only require that you pay like a fifty dollar fee and fill out a paper, while others require a certain amount of training hours.  Check with your local law enforcement for some tips to get started.

Instructor or Coach – There are a lot of people out there that want to learn new things, probably new things that you know how to do, like playing an instrument, cooking, sewing, auto repair, boating, I mean the ideas here are endless.  If you are really good at something, there may just be a market for your gift.

Public Notary – I can’t imagine that they make a whole lot of money, but being a notary has got to be one of the easiest jobs I have ever seen.  Now you do need some licensing, but once you get that you can watch someone sign a paper, go over the paperwork and stamp it.  Sounds good to me, worth looking into anyways.

Gift Basket Business – Gift baskets sell really well year round, but even better around the holidays.  Most of the products you stock the baskets with can be bought wholesale, if you have a business license, but you could also use homemade items such as homemade soaps and perfumes to add a more personal, unique touch to each basket.  The Internet would certainly be a great way to market your baskets, but you could also place fliers in shopping centers and around town.

Become a Blogger – Running a blog is all the rage these days, heck even I run blogs, take this self improvement blog for example.  Why start a blog?  Well, blogs aren’t just for personal thoughts any more, now days it has become the “to do” thing for virtually every business we come across.  It is an excellent way to drive traffic and make money  via advertising, email marketing and many more methods.

Horse Boarding – Do you have a big open property and a stable/barn?  How about boarding other peoples horses for a while to make some cash.  There are a lot of people looking for a good place to leave their horses and they are willing to pay well for the service, maybe you could give it a shot.  Try placing some advertisements in your local feed shops and similar stores along with advertising online through Craigslist, feed and tach websites and so on.

Catering Service – Will all great chefs please step forward!  Here is the perfect opportunity for everyone who loves to cook to finally run their very own home based business.  The catering business will always be around and in fact will continue to grow as Americans find less and less time to do these types of things on their own.  There are a lot of different routes to take with this business, that might be large function/gathering catering, small scale catering(small parties etc.), a combination of both and then there are even opportunities like owning a food truck that delivers to job sites and so forth, believe it or not they make pretty good money.

Financial Consultant -People are now and always will be bad with money, numbers and anything remotely similar to these.  Your inner entrepreneur should be telling you that this is a perfect opportunity to capitalize on these types of people.  What could be better, they need help with finances and you need to increase your finances, its a match made in heaven.

Disk Jockey(DJ) – Only those who love music need apply.  Surprisingly, being a disk jockey isn’t all that easy.  There is a lot of competition out there, which means that you need to be a good dj, you have to know your music, love the nightlife and knowing one or two club promoters wouldn’t hurt either.  The best way to start in this business is just to get your name out there, post up fliers, start a website, cold call some nightclubs, try out at some open mic competitions, anywhere you can get your foot in the door, take it.

Process Server – Have you been a bad boy or girl and not payed your bills or been sued?  If you have, then there is a good chance that you have had a run in with a process server at some point.  Thats right, they are the ones that track you down and serve papers to you, they serve as a witness to show proof in court that you did in fact receive the papers you were sent.  Some states allow you to freelance this position, often paying around $20 to $30 for each paper served.  It is a great way to make some money and work for yourself.

Affiliate Marketing – Oh, affiliate marketing!  Personally, I am not a huge fan of affiliate marketing, all of my money is made through advertising and I do like that, but affiliate marketers tend to bother me sometimes with their poorly though out emaiol campaigns and marketing pitches.   But hey, what doesn’t work for one person, makes dreams come tru for another and there is no denying that you can strike it rich with this line of work.  I highly suggest that you travel around the web and learn as many tips and tricks as you can, there is more than enough information out there to get you started.

Personal Trainer – Every where you turn, you are bound to find at least one person who wishes they were in better shape, probably a lot more than only one person.  The diet and health niche is one of the most profitable and fastest growing industries out there, hence why we constantly see new diet products popping up on an almost daily basis, I mean come on people, diet spray?  It doesn’t get much stranger than that, but guess what, that stuff sells, people are willing to try anything to lose some weight and get in shape.  You don’t need your own gym to become a personal trainer, you can train your clients at the same local gym that you use, in fact the gym may pay you to train their clients.  This is a great business for the fitness oriented individual.

Mobile Photographer – If you have the skills with a camera you can bet there are people out there willing to buy your services.  Imagine cruising around to weddings and other big parties taking pictures and having a good time, sounds like a great career to me.  You will most likely want to do your own developing and own your own equipment to make the most money in this business, photo developing can get pricey.  It would be even better if you have a way to film the footage and offer a dvd of their big day as well.

Flip Houses – We have all seen the tv shows, you know the ones, Flip This House and Flip That House.  Even if you haven’t seen the shows, you have undoubtedly heard people talking about how much money house flippers are making, even in a upset real estate market.  Now, the truth is that not anyone can make money in the house flipping arena, you are going to need some skills to be truly successful.  Experience in construction and project management would be a big plus, even real estate agents would have the upper hand, but if you don’t quite have these skills just yet, don’t worry, just do your research and move forward slowly.

So there you have it folks, a whole bunch of great home based business examples to get your gears moving and the ideas flowing.  Try to build on the list, or an individual idea to make your next business unique and profitable.  Good luck and here is to being an entrepreneur!

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