As the internet has become more and more important in today's society, finding home business opportunities and starting a small business from home has become more achievable than ever. In this post I will share with you 5 successful home based businesses you can start today and begin to generate income right from your humble abode!

A very good business from home you can start, probably something that may not of crossed your mind or you may not of thought of doing, is acting as a consultant and giving advice on a particular topic. This can pay really well, as you can set a rate you want to charge per client.

You can start a consultancy today at almost no cost. All you need is a smart phone, computer, headset (with mic), microphone and a webcam. These maybe things that you already have, if so, then you already have the foundations for a consultancy business.

Your consultancy home business can be based on anything you feel you have good knowledge in, for example you can do consultancy on marketing, brand development, technology or even relationship consulting. Consultancy is a great small business opportunity and has the potential to be one of the most lucrative businesses that you can start from home.

One of the most successful home based businesses you can start at home can include jobs like graphic design and photography.

All you will need to do is invest in the necessary equipment and skills needed to perform them to a good standard, in addition to making sure you market yourself well online through things like social media and guest blogging for example.

Done correctly, and you will soon become a small business owner of your new ”stay at home” photography or graphic design business.

Even though this can be done from home, this is very much different from consultancy as this requires quite a high level of expertise, a deeper involvement and a high attention to detail.

Tech support definitely has been proven to be one of the most successful home based businesses that you can start, however, this is not limited to one specific role. You can be doing very specific jobs like programming, technical support and customer service or even help desk service.

Nevertheless, there are many companies out there that employ people to do this from home and also outsource this to other small businesses to do. For example you will be able to provide a service for things like user testing and bug testing.

As a technical support person you can create a very lucrative business from home especially if you are a stay at home mum or dad, this will enable you to be very successful under those particular circumstances.

If you have a creative flair for writing then one of the best business ideas to implement from home is copywriting or online writing. Places such as Upwork and Fiverr provide great platforms for building a lucrative writing career. This is definitely a small business worth pursuing especially if you’re into writing.  

You can create content for magazines, online publications, do copywriting and advertising for other companies working remotely from your home.

You can also get anything from $100 to $150  an article or you may have a rate that is based on the amount of words written, however, this small business home opportunity doesn’t have to be limited to writing you could do this for proofreading and editorial work.

Furthermore, you can literally create a business around content development for individuals, small companies, brands and ad agencies and above all,  it doesn’t need much investment to start.

All you need is a smartphone and a computer primarily, however, you may want to use other free online services to help you run your small business such as Dropbox which will help you with storing, organising and securing your personal files.

The last of these home based businesses that you can do is e-commerce. You can create an e-commerce business from home through affiliate marketing (selling other peoples products) online with companies such as Amazon or selling used goods on ebay.

You can also set up a DIY based business where you can sell DIY products through sites like Etsy that will allow you to reach millions of buyers around the world. So whether your selling other peoples products or your own, these are great ways to earn income from home and does not need much for you to get started with.

If you are looking to pursue affiliate marketing then the most you will really need to get started is a website, a social media outlet and a blog which are things that really do not cost that much and in some cases are absolutely free to set up and therefore these are very good businesses to start because investment is very low, leaving room for very high potential profit.

In conclusion, any of these home based businesses are fairly straightforward and simple to start. Ideal for anyone who doesn't like to commute or is sick of their their 9-5 grind.

It also provides a good alternative income for anyone who suffers from social anxiety, stay-at-home moms and dads, or anyone who wants more time freedom and a more flexible lifestyle.