Let’s walk through a couple simple examples to demonstrate this. If you clean houses for a living but only work by yourself, you total income is limited by the number of houses you can clean. If, however, you do not actually intend to do the cleaning yourself but will hire others to work for you, your hourly income is multiplied by however many employees you have.

This is another idea that seems self-evident but is all to often overlooked by many who are just starting out. There is nothing wrong with running a small operation, if that is what you want, but you should decide right from the beginning how much money you are looking to make since this will determine how you will need to operate. And, the decisions you will make might be inadvertently limiting your potential income.

Another benefit to this method is that you will not be drowned in competition right from the start. Good ideas do not stay quiet long and being first can mean the difference between success and failure.

The third benefit to this method is that by seeing how a new business idea already works elsewhere, you stand a much greater chance of making it work for you.

1. Choose a business that people will want and need. If you are unable to see a large enough market for your product or service, find another business.

2. Choose a business that people will recognize. If you have a product or service that is not instantly recognizable to nearly everyone, you will have to spend much of your marketing budget and your time just educating them about what you do. This could be a moneymaker for you, but only if you have the capital to “teach” your customers to buy from you.

3. Choose a business that does not have a lot of competition. It is difficult to go up against established and successful businesses with the same product or service. If you cannot change enough to be a distinctly different product, then find something else.

4. Choose a business that will make enough money. Many businesses are unable to charge enough to make a profit.

5. Choose a business that will not be eclipsed by technology in a year or two.

Television, magazines, and the Internet are filled with countless offers that promise you unbelievable profits with hardly any effort. Just for a minute, think about what these are really saying and ask yourself, “Why would anyone offer to sell his or her plan to make money instead of just following the plan itself?” The reason, of course, is that there is no money to be made with the “plan.” The only money comes from people buying the plan.

If you are considering starting a business and are actively searching for the right one, remember to use caution and common sense no matter how good the offer sounds. In fact, the better sounding the offer, the more cautious you need to be.

There are many choices you could go with here but there are really only a small number that are worth the time and expense. I have written an article that talks about the three most effective of these items, including some of the rationale behind each of their use, as well as a few ideas on the best way to use them.

The full article is entitled “3 Great Promotional Items to Market Your Business” and can be found here.

For example, just about any manufacturing, sewing, writing, and craft business could start out as a part-time or weekend venture. Computer and Internet businesses can be run whenever you find the time, even in the middle of the night if you should so choose. With a little creativity, you can run many others such as pressure washing, auto detailing, guided tours, and even some food service businesses on nights or weekends.

Keep in mind that many people have managed to start wildly successful businesses in their spare time, and you can too if you take the time to carefully consider not only the right business to get into but, even more important, how you will build it into something that will support you and your family.

Start out small and increase the time you put in as the business grows. Eventually, you will either be making enough money to leave your job or you will decide this is not the business for you and look for something else. If it is the latter, you will be glad you started out part-time and that you still have your job to fall back on.

If you are unsure or will “figure it out later,” then you need to stop whatever you are doing and come up with an answer right now. Making money is the most important reason that people go into business and if you are unable to see exactly how you will do so then don’t be surprised if you don’t make any.

Just about any business can offer prospective customers a free sample, no matter what they are selling. Service businesses can do this just the same as retailers selling products. Most people are hesitant to try something new, but if you make it easy for them and they like what you are offering, you may have just converted them into a customer.