Congratulations! Starting a business can be one of the most exciting and gratifying things you can do in your lifetime. Certainly, the more than 17.6 million one-person businesses in the United States would agree with you. Together, they represent more than 70% of all the enterprises in operation today. Moreover, a little more than half of them are home-based.

To show you the impact small businesses (less than 500 employees) have on the economy, we’ve assembled some facts from the Small Business Administration. Now 500 employees seems like a lot – particularly to someone running the show solo – but there are only 17,000 companies in the entire country who have more than 500 employees. Fully 99.7% of all businesses are considered small businesses by the government.

These small businesses:

* Employ half of all private sector employees.
* Pay 45% of the total U.S. private payroll.
* Have created 60% to 80% of all the new jobs annually for the last 10 years.
* Create more than half of the non-farm private gross domestic product (GDP).
* Produce 13 times the patents per employee of large companies.
* Employ 41% of all high tech workers.

You are indeed in good company.

This is particularly true for you as a woman. There are more than 6.5 million women-owned small businesses in the country today. Many began as home-based businesses and have since grown into major employers. Others are still run out of the home by women who have chosen to maintain a balance between their work life and home life.

If you’re reading my website then the idea of starting a business online has already crossed your mind.

However, figuring out where to start can be a daunting task. There are literally thousands of possibilities and hundreds of choices to make. Don’t worry! By the time you’ve made it to the last page of this guide you’ll know every in and out of starting an online business and reaping its benefits in terms of increased satisfaction and income.

As they say, time is money! So let’s get started.