Many Americans are now starting home based businesses because it provides them with the extra cash they need to meet their expenses. It also allows them to have more time for their family and friends.

With tons of opportunities available today, it's surprising that many have the opportunity to start their own businesses but they decline it. Why? Many are skeptical about running a business online and don't really understand what an online business is. They also don't understand how to get started or what works when starting a home based business.

Then there are those who prefer the idea of doing business the traditional way, i.e. building a brick and mortar business.

However, there are several advantages to starting a home based internet business. Here are several:

1. You get to work at home. This allows you to have a flexible schedule and work when you need to, as well as when you want to.

2. Start up costs are really low compared to a traditional business, and you can generally get started for just a few dollars. This makes starting a business available to everyone.

3. You have lots of choices in the kind of businesses you can start, and you can automate many of the processes, like shipping of goods, credit card processing, building your customer lists, and sometimes even marketing.

4. You can create a presence online that makes you look like a big business even when you aren't.

When first starting your home based business, the first decision you need to make is whether or not you are ready to invest in it. This can be money, or if you don't have a lot of money to get started, investing your time.

You'll want to investigate as many business opportunities as possible before spending your money so you can decide exactly what kind of business you want to create. With millions of products available for sale online, the choices you have available to you are endless.

The downside is that with millions of businesses already available on the internet, you'll need to decide how you will make yourself different. You can do this by offering coupons, free ebooks, or other premiums not available anywhere else. Even if you are selling affiliate products, you can still create premiums for those products.

If you don't know anything about how to build websites, or how to get traffic, as well as the other start up tasks you will need to learn, then you'll need to make sure you do your homework first. Laying a firm foundation for your business is crucial to your success, and although these tasks won't make you money when starting up, don't neglect them.

Once you get your business started, then I would recommend that you follow the 60/30/10 rule unless you are offering services, then it's slightly different. Under the 60/30/10 rule, you spend 60 percent of your time creating products, 30 percent marketing, and 10 percent on your admin tasks, like keeping your business books. If you sell affiliate products, then you'll spend 60 to 90 percent of your time marketing.

Starting a business online is easy. Getting it to make the kind of money you want is a little harder. With a little hard work, you can do it.