CNNMoney.com
Companies Economy International Corrections Pre-market Trading After-hours Trading Winners/Losers/Actives Bonds Currencies Commodities World Markets Money Magazine Real Estate Mutual Funds Taxes Ask the Expert Money 101 Autos Loan Center Best Places to Live Ask the Expert Millionaires in the Making Ultimate Guide to Retirement Retirement Calculators Best Funds Ask the Mole Best Places to Retire Personal Tech Big Tech Blog Techland Blog Sectors and Stocks Fortune 500 Techs Tech Talk 100 Best Places to Launch Ultimate Resource Guide Small Biz Makeovers FSB 100 Ask & Answer Fortune 500 Technology Investing Management Rankings Main Create Portfolio Edit Portfolio Create Alerts Edit Alerts
FORTUNE Small Business:

Are there any legitimate home-based businesses?

Yes, says FSB expert Verne Harnish, but best to do your homework.

By Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles, Ashburn, Va.

(FSB Online) -- Dear FSB: Are there any home-based businesses that are legal and profitable?

- Bill Quillin, Ft. Myers, Fla.

Ask FSB
Get small-business intelligence from the experts. Here's a chance for YOU to ask your pressing small-business questions, and FSB editors will help you get answers from the appropriate experts.
Your name:
* Your e-mail address:
* Your city:
* Your state:
* Your daytime phone #:
* Your questions:

Dear Bill: The answer to both questions is yes. One of the largest sectors of home-based firms consists of entrepreneurs who have set up shops on eBay. Many professional services companies also run their businesses via the Internet, offering editing, writing, translation and advice services from their home offices.

My guess is that you have come across some Internet businesses that say they are guaranteed to make you rich. Before you buy into any of them, do some serious legwork, checking them out with the Better Business Bureau and the Florida Department of State. Also ask for references and check them out. If an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Top of page

© 2008 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2008 BigCharts.com Inc. All rights reserved. Please see our Terms of Use.
MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc.
Intraday data provided by Interactive Data Real-Time Services and subject to the Terms of Use.
Intraday data is at least 20-minutes delayed. All times are ET.
Historical, current end-of-day data, and splits data provided by Interactive Data Pricing and Reference Data.
Fundamental data provided by Morningstar, Inc..
SEC Filings data provided by Edgar Online Inc..
Earnings data provided by FactSet CallStreet, LLC.