In this article I am giving you several new business ideas that are specific, practical and can be operated from your home.

Commenting on some business ideas published in certain books, Peter Hupalo, the author of Getting Rich In Your Underwear: How To Start And Run A Profitable Home-Based Business, once said, Im always amused at books that try to predict the hot jobs for the future. Leafing through one book, I saw Underwater Archaeologist. Im not sure why thats a high-growth area, but I noticed the book failed to predict any Internet-based careers, such as web designer! Perhaps the book did not foresee the growth of the Internet.

Now, coming back to our topic, the ideas that I am going to give out offer real-time opportunities for entrepreneurs. But the catch is they should match the entrepreneurs personality and desires.

Information Researcher People who use their research skills to obtain information for others are known as information researchers. If you are good at studies and academic research work, then you can make money through information research. Researchers dig up information from several sources including the Internet, libraries, and courts. Private detectives are also known as professional researchers. Others include freelance content developers, ghost research writers, and speechwriters.

Since time is precious in todays Information Age, companies and individuals prefer to outsource this type of time-consuming jobs to freelancers. Also, there are some individuals who may not know how and where to collect information. They could hire people to do specific research oriented jobs for them. Organisations can afford to spend on research.

For instance, when the Indian petro-refinery giant Reliance was planning to launch its Infocomm business, it needed at short notice information on the global Infocomm market and potential rivals. It did not have either the time or the manpower to compile such huge data at such short notice. So it simply outsourced the activity to a small Hyderabad-based knowledge provider. They in turn hired the services of 10 researchers, who generated a 1,000-page document in 24 hours. A satisfied Reliance paid for the services.

However, there could be some downsides in this business, which like any other consulting activity is a personal service that essentially limits income to billable hours.

You, therefore, will have to find a niche research activity to succeed in this business.

Seminar educator/professional speaker You can organise seminars and become an instructor if you are an expert in a specific topic and interested in teaching. My friend Narasimha Rao is an expert in sales tax and other business taxation issues. He regularly organises seminars on these subjects for accountancy students and fulltime accountants of various companies. He earns sufficient money through the registration fee, which he collects from every participant.

Similarly, identify your own area expertise and become a successful professional speaker.

Seminar educators provide latest information on specialised topics. If you establish yourself as a top class educator, then big organisations or even pro-active universities will invite you to be the key speaker at their Management Development Programmes (MDPs) and pay you up to Rs 10,000/- per speech!

The downside in this business is travel. Since you cannot organise the same seminar several times in the same city, you need to reach out to newer people in different cities. This naturally involves lots of travel. Hence, there are very few star speakers around.

As a professional speaker you can either run your own show or you can associate yourself with plenty of professional bodies that look for speakers. If you are on your own, you need to be good at event planning and management.

Financial planner He is also known as an asset portfolio manager. He advises clients on their fiscal planning. Jeffrey H. Rattiner, the author of Getting Started as a Financial Planner, says, Usually, you work with your clients one-on-one to help them plan for retirement, college savings, and major purchases. You help them select appropriate investments. There are several mutual fund professionals who manage hundreds of millions of rupees in assets from their homes.

He also says that many people who have solid incomes lack financial planning skills or dont have the time or the interest to handle all of their personal finances in a do-it-yourself fashion.

You can start this business only if you are a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). To become successful you need to build a solid client base and this could take time. So, if you want to en-cash on the present middle classs dream to make big money on the stock market, get yourself a qualification to become an asset portfolio manager.

Niche retailer (online or offline) Suppose you are interested in herbal healthcare products, you can buy them at a discount from the far off manufacturers and sell them through your own website and or give advertisements in the newspapers and market the products.

One of the main drawbacks in this business is that it involves a significant capital investment. As a small time home operator if your stock doesnt get sold at the rate at which you calculate, then there is the risk of getting stuck with the products. However, if you plan and execute your market strategy carefully, then you can a decent profit.

Now with this data in your mind sit back and contemplate about any other ideas that you may have in your mind. Answer the statements given below to evaluate your ideas:

1) What does your business do Describe what you wish to do in one or two sentences;

2) Why the business provides value to customers

3) What could be the possible problems in your business idea

Start a Soya candle business Home business specialist Randy Wilson says, If you love candles, and spend money on them constantly, maybe you should consider establishing a Soya candle business of your own. These candles tend to sell themselves. Many Indians burn candles on a regular basis and this is a lucrative business that is easy to start.

Most of the Soya candle businesses are MLM companies. This is truly a win-win situation for all involved.

Research this business before starting it. A Soya candle business can be started with as little as Rs 2000/-. If you dont wish to manufacture these candles, then sell the products made by some good company.

These companies offer up to 50% commission on each sale. However, some tell you to purchase for a minimum amount each month, while others let you order when you need them. Find the companies you are comfortable with and then look at other things in the company.

Photography business My photographer friend Satish says, If you want to start your own photography business, it is a good idea to check what competitors you have in your area or the competition in your style or subject of photography.

You shine as a photographer when you take photos of things you really love and are interested in. This is the best way to create your own niche market.

Fascinating photographs tell the onlookers something that they have not seen, felt or heard of before. If you believe in yourself then take up photography as a business.

Research online to see how other people managed to create their business. Find out what they have learnt from their mistakes, and read their tips and advice for beginners. By uploading your photographs onto a website will give you a much greater advantage in being recognised either as an artist or as a businessman compared to other options that are available. If you are passionate about certain people, music, animals, or food in life, capture them in your camera and express your artistic feelings through your photos. This will stir up an interest and draw people to your work. You should maintain your passion for photography through a sustained effort throughout your business endeavours because passion is visible, and your work will reflect your attitude, says Roy Barker, who works closely with Profitable Photography Business.

Greeting cards business - Do you like to create pictures and designs, or write catchy sentences Then, start a greeting cards business from your home. This is a business that has potential for incredible growth and income. You have several options at your disposal when you establish a greeting card business at home.

Another home business specialist, Randy Wilson says that this business gives you the opportunity of specialising in one of the several activities like drawing or writing. It also allows you to sell your products through stores or Internet.

The first step now is to decide what specialised activity you would like to take up in the greeting card business. One option is that you can design greetings cards for big companies as a freelancer. There are costs associated with this option and they include the purchase of a computer and graphic art software.

If you decide to be a freelance greeting card writer, you only need a computer and a quick turnaround time.

Of course, to get job works you must contact companies that entertain freelancers. Per assignment you get paid anywhere between Rs 50 and several hundred rupees. However, jobs can be hard to be found unless you build a portfolio of samples, says Randy.

One option is to become a vendor of a larger greeting card company. You have start up costs that can run from several hundred to several thousand rupees in inventory. However, when you take the cards to the clients, you receive your payments right then.

If you want to start your own brand of greeting cards, your business plan can focus on all aspects of this business. You can design and write each greeting card. You dont have any bosses to curb your creative freedom.

It is near impossible for you to compete with big greeting card companies. You should, therefore, create a niche for your cards on the web and in small local stores. Internet could be your best marketing tool in this business.

This option requires research before creating the greeting cards. You also need to price your products. Once you have these ready, go ahead and start creating cards. At the same time, think of a name for your greeting cards business and create a website.

Home inventory The recent spurt in the Indian insurance business has thrown up several opportunities in this sector. One such is home inventory.

Natural calamities, thefts or man-made accidents may destroy your home or business, turning you into a pauper. This is very painful. However, the real pain strikes you when you approach your insurance company, which asks you proof of ownership and valuables. Apart from the ownership documents, if you have a detailed inventory of the valuables in your home or business, your net worth can be calculated. The inventory can also help you to get your things replaced (or returned) if they should be stolen.

If you are a house owner you will naturally be worried about property loss due to fire, burglary, or a natural calamity. Hence, home inventory has today become important and necessary. Demand for this service is bound to grow when property owners are educated about it. Customers like a service that extends professional documentation that can be done quickly, efficiently and confidentially. This is a professional service for the new century!

Some of the individuals and businesses that need and want your service:

• Homeowners and renters

• Insurance companies

• Financial and real estate planners

• Lawyers

• Collectors

• Couples combining two households

• People planning to move

• Small Business owners

• Antique Dealers

• Hear are some more practical, low-investment home business ideas.

Interior decorating If you are a good homemaker and are particular about the way your house looks like, then you can establish a business in interior decoration. Many successful and not-so-successful film stars have taken up interior decoration as their full time vocation after their retirement from acting. There is big money in this field.

Commercial cleaning: This is also known as House Keeping. Thanks to the organic growth of IT and ITES organisations in India, this business is in a big demand today. Several people have successfully taken up commercial cleaning and are earning big money. Offer clients to do their office/home cleaning work.

Relocation consultant/specialist: A relocation specialist is one who helps people moving into a new city find a home/apartment, job, schools etc. according to their needs. This works best in high-population cities.

Perfumer: Develop your own brand of perfumes and market them.

Personal chef: As a personal chef, your work is to create and prepare great-tasting customised meals for individuals and families (that can afford the service, of course).

Bed & breakfast: This is also known as Paying Guest. You can let out an extra room in your home for PGs and make money.

Export agent: Learn the basics of exporting from the experts and then offer your services to small-medium companies / manufacturers for a commission.

Resume writer: Writing a resume is a scary affair for many people. They would, therefore, be glad to pay someone else to write a resume for them. You can make a full-time living in resume writing!

Hair care: If you're good at cutting/styling hair, offer to cut or style at home or at work. Charge slightly lower than the barbershop/salon.

Lunch/dinner delivery: Thanks to the rat race, people today dont have time to cook their meals. Also, they are too tired to prepare meals after a hard days work. They would rather prefer to buy ready-made food and eat hot and fresh meals at home. If you are a good cook, you can supply home cooked meals to your clients. You could also specialise in ethnic dishes if you have a large population of a certain community in your area. There are several families in cities like Hyderabad are earning Rs 15,000 to 20,000 every month by exploiting their culinary skills.

Crocheting: Crochet is a form of needlework used to make clothes or decorative items from wool or thick stiff thread, by looping it through itself with a special hooked needle crochet hook. If you're good at it, you can make some extra cash from this. This website gives ideas for low budget home businesses, work at home, and work from home, as well as self-improvement.