How long have there been home businesses operating in the United States?Home businesses date back centuries in the United States. Of course, many of the first business owners in the United States ran their business out of their homes – blacksmith shops in barns, candle making at home, and carpenters working from home work shops, just to name a few. As towns and cities became urban centers, these businesses were either replaced by new technology or moved into store fronts to service customers.Home businesses were never completely extinct. While the bread winning businesses may have moved into retail outlets, women kept the business market alive by adding to the family budget through their home projects. Many women took in laundry, altered clothing, and sold jams, jellies and other craft items from their home. These women may not have been making a fortune, but they were certainly creating viable businesses.The home business that we recognize as a “true” business got its start in the ’60s and ’70s. This period was the golden age of business with the introduction of multi level marketing companies like Tupperware, Avon, Mary Kay, and Shaklee. While many business executives scoffed at these businesses as mere methods for women to earn a little “pin money”, they soon changed their tune after following a few pink Cadillac’s down the highway.The success of these companies and others like them paved the way for the businesses of today. The introduction of the Internet just made home businesses that much more viable. Now people were able to work their chosen career from home, or start a whole new career.How many home businesses are there in the United States?The number of home businesses in the United States has exploded in the last decade. Recent surveys indicate that there are 38.7 million households in the United States with some form of a home business. Of that number, 21.8 million businesses are actually generating income.It may be surprising that only 57% of the home businesses are generating income. Remember, you have to factor into the equation the number of people that have a home business as a “hobby business”. These home businesses are owned by individuals who choose to work merely a few hours a week or month. They are often not concerned about the amount of money made (their primary income isn’t dependent on it), but instead use the business as entertainment outlet. And of course, there are some people that become involved in fraudulent or scam home businesses, or their business simply fails. Still, the majority of home businesses are generating an income that individuals can rely on.How much money does a home business generate in a typical year?This answer will vary based on a lot of different factors: the type of goods or service being sold, the overhead, the price of the finished product, the amount of time the business owner puts into the business, etc.In general, of the millions of home businesses, 51% are owned by college graduates. The income generated from these businesses is usually $40,000 per year or more.Of course, that certainly doesn’t mean that income is only generated by those with a college degree, or even that the income caps out at $40,000. There have been many successful home based entrepreneurs that started small and grew their companies into multi-million dollar corporations. The amount of money you make is dependent on how much you want to work, what type of good or service you are offering, how much of a demand there is for your products, and your ability to market your business.In general, home businesses can be very successful opportunities to those that are committed to making them work.

This is an article I originally published more than ten years ago. It’s still just as relevant today, even though I no longer work in the home business industry…I’m going to put my cards on the table. I do not believe in talking anyone into anything. I believe in two things: educating people and telling them what to do. Here’s what I’ve found in the home business industry. When you try to talk people into doing something, one of two things happens.They will reject you or tell you “I’ll think about it”, which 99% of the time means no. They don’t want to buy from you or work with you in a business because they feel pressured. It’s not their idea, and they don’t trust YOU because they think you have a hidden agenda. That’s too bad, because they might have done very well in your business or with your products but they were approached with a lack of respect.Or…They do buy from you, or they decide to work with you in a business relationship. Usually this is because they are too timid or not assertive enough to say no. So they say yes to avoid a confrontation. Then they don’t get satisfaction from the product or service and/or they never do what is necessary to succeed in the business. You’ve wasted your time with someone who wasn’t serious and someone else feels like they got burned. Everybody loses.We’ve found that when your goal is to give people information about what you do and educate them on why you do it, here’s what happens: They learn something they didn’t know before (which is always good). They are at ease because they don’t feel like they’re being manipulated. They begin to develop a relationship with you, which is always good, whether they are business partners or not.If they do decide to buy from you or work with you, they are making an informed decision, so you don’t have to feel bad about misleading someone. If they are making an informed decision because you have laid your cards on the table, they will probably be successful, because they were serious to begin with. They like you. They trust you. They want you to be proud of them. They invite your daughters to be the flower girls at their wedding (true story!) They leave all their money to you in their will ( not a true story).You become part of an organization that you can be proud of. You live your life in a way that is consistent with the laws of the universe. I don’t believe in messing with the quality of another person’s life. If you are not in a position to work in a home business, I don’t want you to join me. It’s a bad business decision for both of us.The best home business builders use a screening process to separate the serious from the curious. The best home business builders will take people from where they are and help them get to where they want to be. The best home business builders will help people get a vision of the future, especially when they are stuck in a very uncomfortable present. The best home business builders tell their people up front that they will not be zillionaires in one month, or one year. If that’s what you want, head for the lottery.The best home business builders will tell you that you will have to change your way of conducting your life on a daily basis if you want to succeed. The changes are hard at first, but give you long term satisfaction in every aspect of your life. The best home business builders tell you you’ll have to learn and learn and learn and learn. The best home business builders put people over profit. When you take care of people, the money comes by accident. The best home business builders will not have you spend your life savings to start a home business.The best home business builders will make you spend something at the start so that you have a commitment to your business. There is no free lunch. The best home business builders will hold you accountable to what YOU said you would do. The best home business builders listen to you. The best home business builders become part of your life.