With the economy the way it is and such slim-pickings in the job market, starting a home business can be a great way, if not the only way, to pave your way to success. Being self-employed has many advantages you will find very rewarding but it is also a very challenging endeavor. Not only that but the statistics for failure in home business are quite staggering. The following guide is written to inform and empower you toward success with your home business.

If the product that you are selling to individuals is also something that you can sell on the wholesale market, do an Internet search for wholesale businesses that handle your type of product. Email these businesses and offer to send them free samples. If they like what you send them, and you can be competitive on price and delivery, they will buy from you. This may well be an additional market that you can tap into.

Include a banner bar for your site. This will enable you to swap banner links with different webmasters that you know. Having credible links on your site will improve your search engine rankings.

If you are just getting started it is a good idea to offer something free to your customers. Many people do not want to invest their money into something they are not sure of, so offering them free products/services will give them an idea of what you are selling and let them know the quality of it.

Use an online service or software to design a matching set of postcards, fliers and brochures to send out to customers and prospects. Look online for printer suppliers that offer an interface that allows you to add text to one of their existing designs, or upload your own. Choose a design as your "brand," the look and feel you want people to identify with your business.

Keep careful track of travel expenses, both on long trips (cost of tickets/gas and food) or for shorter, day-to-day driving. If you keep all of your receipts and deducting whatever you are entitled to write off, your savings will add up; careful record keeping will allow you to make these deductions without opening yourself up to legal trouble.

The name you select for your home business is critically important and will play a large role in determining whether your business succeeds or fails. Your business's name must make sense and be easy for consumers to remember. When deciding on a business name it is also a good idea to find out if the domain name is available. Ideally, your domain name should be the same as your business name.

With a lot of hard work, dedication and information you can make your home business a success. Plan properly and prepare yourself by gaining as much knowledge as you can to provide foresight and infrastructure to your business plans. Hopefully this article has enlightened you to some of the ways you can make your dream of a home business a reality and a success!