How much money do you want to earn every month Are you looking for a steady second income Are you ready to make a commitment to be successful – financially and personally Are you prepared to invest a small amount of time or all your time Are you looking for satisfaction of position, financial security and social respect

You don’t have to be clever or creative to answer these questions. If you have the desire and determination to achieve your goals home based business opportunity and a penchant for smart work, you are on the path to success.

There are literally hundreds of home based business opportunity to make money at home.

Some of the businesses that gross millions of rupees a year got started in small ways. Nirma washing powder is one such success story. Nirma, the proverbial ‘Rags to Riches’ saga of Dr. Karsanbhai Patel, is a classic example of the success of Indian entrepreneurship in the face of stiff multi-national competition. Starting as a one-man operation in 1969, today, it has an employee-base of about 14,000 with an annual turnover of above Rs. 25, 000 crores.

Although every one of us cannot expect to achieve the same level of success as Nirma’s Karsanbhai Patel, your chances of building a profitable home business increase if you possess four vital qualities: imagination, persistence, honesty and knowledge.

You seem to be sceptical. Well, it’s not your fault.

Most of us have a notion that only people like Bill Gates, Narayana Murthy, and the Ambani brothers can earn big money. Newspapers also make us believe that only rich can make more money. When we hear that our neighbour or a relative or a housewife is earning money, not in billions, but just a few thousand rupees every month through a home based business opportunity , many of us refuse to believe that it is true.

This is because we set false limits on our income potential. And we generally believe that people known to us are incapable of earning big money. But when the actual happening is contrary to our belief, then we get disturbed and start raising too many questions.

Instead of wasting our energy on trivial doubts, we should use it to analyse our skills and realistic income opportunities that are available to us.

Self-employment specialist Ken Gold of the website http://seekluck.com/ recently wrote in the Money Spinners column in The New Indian Express, “When we hear some positive news about others, our heart must flower. Every successful entrepreneur knows that the financial success of any venture depends on the attitude ‘goodwill for all and goodwill from all.’

Couple of months back I met Padma while I was travelling by train to Nagpur. She was from a decent family. We picked up conversation and during our talk, I asked Padma, “What do you do”

For a couple of seconds Padma went silent and then slowly said, “I am doing nothing now. I am a housewife. I got married five years back and now I am the mother of a three-year-old boy.”

When I asked her about her qualification, she said that she did her B.Sc. in Home Science in Hyderabad. When I asked her whether she would be interested in doing business, Padma said, “I wish to, but I cannot. Neither my husband nor me can raise that kind of money and take a risky step. What my husband earns today is just adequate for our existence.”

I told her, “Suppose I tell you that you can do business from home and with minimum investment, say Rs 2,000 to 3,000, would you be interested” She said, “Yes. But what kind of business can anyone start with that small amount And, I don’t have any business ideas or the skills to make anything and sell it.”

I assured her that she did have the required skills to manufacture some product at home itself. I told Padma, “You said you did B.Sc. in Home Science. During your course, they must have taught you how to make chocolates.”

She said yes.

“Then you can make chocolates at home and market them initially from your home and through some select super markets. There is a great demand for homemade chocolates in the cities. There could be many multinational companies selling several varieties of chocolates, but there is a growing demand for homemade chocolates in India. I was recently in Udhakamandalam (Ooty). There I found at least 100 shops exclusively selling homemade chocolates. Most of them owned by housewives like you. In my enquiries, I found that many of them started their home based business opportunity and slowly grew and saved sufficient money to open retail outlets. Today they take home profits worth Rs 500 to Rs 1,500 ever day. This means, they earn a minimum of Rs 15,000 every month. Is that not great”

Padma agreed. She told me that she would seriously discuss this with her husband and start off immediately. I then lost touch with her.

Last week Padma suddenly called me and said, “Thanks to you I am in the chocolate business and I am earning Rs 20,000 every month. My husband has decided to quit his job and join me. We are soon going to float a company and have plans to sell our chocolates in other cities. Had it not been for your timely suggestion, I would have wasted my life as another other housewife. However, home based business gives me an opportunity to be at home when my family needs me and also earn money.”

So, what have you decided How much do you want to earn sitting at home Do you want to offer your services like Rajeshwari, or do you want to make agro-based food items like Akash and Kalpana, and or chocolates like Padma and make money from home

I am sure you would be happy to be your own boss and decide for yourself as to how much money you would like to make each month.

Home business not only gives you the satisfaction of success, but also allows you to spend quality time with your family. The resultant money that you earn will surely smell sweet.