The owner of our local video shop has a story which is all too often heard. He is working 9 hour days (11 on weekend days) and his family also work lots of shifts. In addition he spends hours and hours doing administrative type tasks such as books, planning, restocking and managing physical resources, advertising, and the list goes on. I worked out that if you don't count travel time he is working over 75 hours a week. In his `free time' he has had to take on a part time job to supplement his income. Worse still, his prospects are dim when it comes to selling the business and he doesn't expect to get back the money he's put into the business. This, I'm afraid, is a common trap good people fall into. I so admire his work ethic and drive, but I believe there's a much better lifestyle out there for him and for all those like him. That better lifestyle is achievable through working at home in an internet based business. But not just any internet business: these suggestions may help you to sort through the dross and find a work at home business right for you.

A good work at home internet business has the potential to make you NOT just a little extra cash, but rather a great business plan that can make you rich. It has a well organised system that can help change your lifestyle by radically changing your bank account. Like any business it will usually take some initial outlay, but nowhere near the tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars it takes to set up a physical retail type business with leases, staff, stock, store fittings; the list goes on! You want all that wasted cash in your pocket and not someone elses.

Some internet businesses require you to be a computer genuis to operate (even though they often promise simplicity). They can take many months to understand and operate and can therefore be as time-consuming as the job you're trying to leave behind you! Look for a business with proven simplicity and ordinary people who have found success. The key thing to look out for here is a highly structured and automative system in which most of the work has been done for you.

Take your time in assessing a business opportunity and do not be pressured into signing on the dotted line. Forget about any offer which lasts only that day as this will not enable you to do your due diligence in researach and question asking. The bottom line is that the business must be right for you. As in any other business, you are entitled to research, even try out if appropriate and ask advice before you make your decision. If they have nothing to hide, your prospective business will not be adverse to you comparing the various options before you make your decision.

Internet marketing is absolutely huge and growing daily. But consider carefully what to market. Did you know that the fastest growing and biggest selling item on the internet today is not tangible product but rather information? In other words, digital online information is the way to go. You'll have no need to worry about usual business costs such as stock production, storage, physical premises, couriers and other delivery costs such as postage. The information product is delivered at the press of a button, any time day or night.

Businesses are willing to pay lots of money to educate their staff through quality online education. It is the education method of the future. 40% of the developed world are infact employed in the industry of knowledge, not manual labout as you may have thought and manual labour comprises only 20% of the workforce. For these reasons, I recommend to market education style products in your internet business. There is an ever increasing desire for knowledge, especially in areas of financial literacy, and this is a trend set only to increase around the world in these times of change and opportunity.

The best online home businesses market only high ticketed items, because the profit margin then is also very high. I don't believe in marketing items with a profit margin of $20-$50 because frankly, it's just not worth my time, and I'd have to sell thousands of those things to see my income reach six figures. Instead, I can sell a product which makes me $2000 profit per single sale, and conceivably reach $100,000 within the year. I know which option I'd prefer. Don't allow yourself to become frustrated with thinking too small. Don't market small profit items.

How will you receive your earnings? This is an important question to ask of any prospective business. Most times, your earnings will be paid to you at some subsequent time from the company you work for. Personally, I don't like this system one bit, though I understand the protocol. There are companies out there which allow you to make a sale and receive the money for that sale instantly, no questions asked and no interference. A good business will enpower you this way and you'll never have to wait for you money.

When taking the plunge into a new business, the plunge can be the hardest part! How do you decide which opportunity is right for you when there are so many on offer? Examine the testimonials: how credible are they? are there any local people you could talk to on the phone? (It's one thing to read about someone's experience but quite another to meet them on the phone and ask them questions, etc). When you've completed your due diligence, and only then, take that plunge, get excited and begin an exciting, lucrative adventure, working from the comfort of your own home. There's big money to be made here.