There are thousands of people (and most of them are young people who are even below 40) who earn money from home. There are many advantages that a work-from-home business offers, such as:

* Generating revenue with a considerable decrease in expenses. You save money and time on travel expenses (gas, toll fees, car maintenance) and other similar costs.

* You are your own boss. You work where you want, when you want, or how you want. There is even no dress code!

* Flexible hours. Because you work at your own pace, you can both work from home and still manage to be employed in a regular full-time job, or spend more personal time with your family.

In spite of the ‘perks’ that one can experience, setting up a work-from-home business could also be an inconvenience. A person could find himself/herself devoting more time and effort in his or her home business than the regular 9 to 5 job that, at worst, would end up making an income that is less than what he or she would earn in a regular full-time employment.

To help people avoid this risky situation, here are 5 simple steps on how to create online profits from home:

Step 1. Business Plan.

This is one of the most important steps in creating an effective business from home. You should start with finding the right product or service to sell. A lot of people often come up with great ideas for products and/or services (and even develop them) only to find out later that nobody would want to buy them. As the saying goes, “Find a need and fill it”. Identify the particular products and/or services that are needed by most people but are not currently provided (or are minimally supplied) by businesses/companies. While it is important that you believe in your products/services, it is also equally important for you to ensure that there is a market for your products/services.

Step 2. Advertise.

After deciding on a specific product, the next step is to actually market the product. There are many ways to do this, depending on the budget you have for your business. You can place your ads in newspapers, flyers, or even on the Internet! The main thing here is to ‘captivate’ and hold the interest of the people who could be your potential customers.

Step 3. Follow through.

Perhaps the key to a successful home business is the ability to follow through. Having established ‘contact’ with your target market through your advertisements, you should expect people to get in touch with you, asking for information related to the products or services that you are offering – give them a call. People who make contact are those that are interested with what you are offering, and talking to them personally will make them realize that there is a real person behind your business whom they can consult whenever they have questions.

Step 4. Be up-to-date.

It is highly recommended that one should take advantage of the technologies available that would make for a successful and efficient work-from-home business, such as the use of the Internet. Thanks to the Internet, home-based businesses can now cater to millions of people worldwide, 24 hours a day, using minimal effort (because of the automated system) and the least cost.

Step 5. Have the right attitude.

In the final analysis, what is important is having the right attitude towards your business. There will always be crises and difficulties, no matter how foolproof the strategy is. Still, the important thing is to believe in your ability to succeed, to have the passion and the courage, and to never give up.

These are the 5 steps to create profits online from home. Results, however, may differ. After all, the nature of businesses, as well as human nature, varies. There are always certain degrees of risk involved in every business opportunity, and there is definitely no one road to wealth. But with these simple steps, together with the proper understanding and careful consideration of the risks involved, you will soon find yourself on your way to a successful work-from-home business, and profits online