The benefits to having your own home based business are very exciting. You can be your own boss! You decide when you want to work. You go to work straight from the bedroom. Not having to deal with traffic, rude clients or demanding bosses can be quite a relief.

But wait a minute, have you seriously thought about what kind of small home based business opportunity you should bank your future on?

Before you start your own small home based business, do the following and you'll get your home based business off to a good start.

What marketable skills do you have that you can use to work from home? Some examples of people who have made a good transition to home based businesses are accountants, sewers, teachers as tutors or educators of toddlers, musicians who teach musical instruments, etc... If you have a skill, you can market it and have a home based business.

What's your capital and operating budget? Even businesses from homes need capital investment. Find out what your home based business needs. It can be as simple as having space for office files and to meet clients. Your home based business still needs the veneer of professionalism.

How do you get clients for your own based business? You can start with your present company. Some companies are happy to pay for outsourcing services. The specialist they've hired is knowledgeable about them and can be trusted. From there you can add on more clients.

Advertising and promoting your home-based business is crucial. That's right...even if it's a small home based business, you'll need to advertise and promote. Print your business cards on the home printer, and distribute them. Or put your company details on a promotional calendar and give it away for the holidays. These are small things to do for your home based business, but they do make a big difference.

Lastly, add up your monthly expenses and check your savings and insurance. When your home based business starts, you may not gross enough. Make a projected budget and see what the bare minimum you can live on while the home based business is just starting out.

By doing your research on home based business opportunities and educating yourself on the various scenarios, you'll set yourself up for success. For you'll be better equipped on solving future problems such as competition taking business from you, low cash flow and any other problem that may crop up as your home based business grows.

Forum Publishing started out back in 1981 as a home-based business. With $100 and a great deal of perserverance we parlayed our $100 investment into a very successful publishing business. You also can start small and grow! Takes time and dedication! Join us every month for great articles and to find wholesale merchandise for your business.