After driving to work in the morning and spending about nine hours in the office, one might think starting a work from home business would be a good idea. After all, working on your own time schedule and without the expense of traveling to and from the office sounds like something we'd all like to do.

Have a newsletter or email list. You can use it to advertise your new products or good deals of the moment. Organize contests and games where people can win free samples. The goal of a newsletter is to keep your customers interested in what you are doing as well as attracting new customers.

A great tip for your home business is to become as knowledgeable about your product as you possibly can. This is extremely important to maximize your growth potential and to provide the best service possible. It is hard to stand behind a product that you are not an expert of.

When setting up a website for your home business enterprise you need to make sure that it is catchy and easy to remember. If you chose a domain name that is too hard to spell or too long, it could be difficult for potential clients to remember what it is. Simple and catchy is always best when creating domain names.

The homepage of your business website should be an advertisement for your product. While this doesn't mean you should go for over-the-top, flashy presentation, you should make sure your content points out why they want to explore your website. Convincing your customers to familiarize themselves with your product is the first step to convincing them to buy it!

Don't fall into the trap of buying every home based business book you see. There is a wealth of information available for free, and spending so much money is not a good business plan. Of course, you can buy a few things that you feel will help you learn, but set a limit on how much you will spend on learning materials.

Home owner's insurance is NOT enough to cover your online business, so contact an independent insurance agent to find out what else you need. Examples of insurance types that apply to a work from home business are disability, health, liability, licensing, life, property, and workers' compensation. Talk to your accountant as well about how much money you can afford to spend on insurance.

Create and maintain a business goal plan. A business plan is your road map to success; you need to know where you want your business to go. Some people think you only need to have a business plan if you are going to have investors, but a business plan will help keep you on track with your business goals.

Provide yourself with a special space designed solely for your home based business. If you don't have your own office space established, you will find it harder to get motivated or even comfortable enough to get down to business. Even though you don't want to stuff yourself in the office and stay forever, you want your own space that holds all the tools of your trade.

To start building a client list for your new online business, consider posting your shingle online. Sign up for elance and craigslist and offer your services there. I found an amazing client when I started my web design business on elance and we worked together for the next decade!

Attend seminars that discuss how to start a online business. The Small Business Administration is one organization that offers such seminars free of charge. Look online for other organizations offering seminars or classes in your area. Be wary of anyone offering a seminar that promises dramatic results in a very short time frame. Starting and running any business takes time, effort and dedication.

Home base businesses are generally very easy to run and operate on a budget. From owning and operating a website, to Internet sales and independent consulting, there are few limits to what you can do. Find something that you are passionate about and look for ways that you can do that at home. Start small to keep your costs low and then slowly grow your business over time.

There is only one problem with this idea - it usually doesn't work out the way we planned. Small businesses have hidden problems and expenses, and unless you really know what you're doing and have a pretty good cash stash besides, chances are your business will fail. It does work for some people though, so plan carefully and give it a try.