Four Real Stay At Home Businesses You Can Start

By now you've probably gone through a hundred links and checked out a dozen websites offering you what they often call as the 'opportunity of a lifetime' in your search for a genuine home business. Missing out will mean the regret of your life, something you will be kicking yourself for. But knowing what you already know, you're probably about to give up, frustrated with all the promises, the hype, the cheerleader giddiness that these home business opportunities present. So if you want the real deal, here are four stay at home businesses you can start. Really.

Web design

If you're creative, have the right training and experience, this could be a lucrative stay at home business. You simply have to keep current with the trends (Web 2.0 sites have certain design considerations that were not present in Web 1.0 sites, for example) and have the right equipment.

What you will be doing:

As a web designer, your job will be to create web pages and websites depending on your clients' specifications. You could also just design websites and web pages (the more creative, unique and innovative, the better) and sell them from your own site. In some cases, some of your clients might even ask you to help host their sites, for which you could charge more.

Copywriting

There's business to be made with words. As a stay-at-home copywriter, you have the excuse to never leave the house just work in your pajamas, order pizza for lunch and work in front of your computer in the study.

What you will be doing:

Write copy. To get clients, you can start with small businesses, organizations and individuals who need someone to help write copy for ads, content for newsletters and websites or even ghostwrite novels and requests for grants.

You could charge per word (in which case you can charge up to $1 per word depending on your skill as a writer) or you could charge a flat fee, depending on the extent of the assignment.

Public relations and marketing

Business remains sharp and active, in spite of setbacks. Even if the economy slows down a little bit, new businesses appear. If you have a background in public relations and marketing, this is an excellent choice for you. Shannon Cherry, for example, who runs her own marketing and PR firm, mainly uses the Internet to do business with her clients.

What you will be doing:

You will be providing assistance to small businesses (or large clients who's stopping you?), professionals, even individuals who need someone to handle and manage their brand image and product press releases. This is a very exciting job and quite challenging but if you're up to the task, it can be very rewarding. Just be prepared to get out of the house once in a while, though, since you might be required to meet with clients from time to time.

Sales

Someone needs someone to sell him something? You could be the guy for the job. Whether you sell from your own website or from public use sites such as Yahoo! Auction and eBay, you could make money by simply having the goods to meet someone else's need.

What you will be doing:

Sell stuff, either through direct contact with clients or through an auction. Set up a website or create an account.

This is the perfect stay at home business for you, one thats allows you to negotiate, deal, close a transaction and communicate with clients all from the safety and comforts of your own home.