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Small business opportunities are really shaping the new American economy. Small businesses have always been a driving force in America, but it seems to be even more so today. Perhaps I’m more keenly aware of small businesses, since I’ve owned and operated a number of them over the last 20 years. But, I sense a sea change in both sentiment and desire.

According to the US Census Bureau, there are now roughly 28 million small businesses in the US. A small business is defined as a company that has less than 500 employees. Of these small businesses, the bulk of them, about 22 million, are identified as single person businesses with no employees. And, the total gross receipts are staggering … $992 Billion in 2007.

I believe small business opportunities are growing because of several factors: the state of the economic recession, obvious unemployment issues and the fact that there are many more resources available to the small business than ever before. Much of this is driven by the ubiquity and availability of downright cheap technology.

For example, when I bought my first computer, many “generations ago” …, it cost me $6,000. Forget about Internet connectivity, think dial up (barely), and 16 KB, not GB, of RAM. These are dinosaur terms to emphasize a point. Today, a Dell Net Book can be had for $184 after rebate, Internet connection for 20 bucks a month, and a phone service with unlimited calling for as little as $19 / year.

How can you beat this type of setup when it comes to building small business opportunities, especially out of your home? My company is the epitome of a small virtual business. We are 10 people small and we all work out of our homes. The technology that we’ve implemented allows us to be linked together through a virtual PBX system, project management software, instant messaging, online meetings and much more.

Many of the tools that we use are free, some are unbelievably cheap. For example, a virtual PBX with unlimited minutes for $49.99 a month! This system gives us 10 extensions, so that our clients only need to call one 800 number to access any one of our team members. In the “old days” this would have cost us thousands of dollars and would have needed to be installed in a physical location. There’s nothing to install or download here, baby!

So, what are the top 10 online small business opportunities fueling my imagination? If you can wrap your arms around the term virtual, the ideas are limitless. My top 10:

1. Virtual Assistants – So much work, so little time. Virtual Assistants “free up your day,” as one of my colleagues in the business likes to say.
2. Internet Marketing – Think Google search and you’ll know what I mean. Companies are moving their marketing dollars in DROVES to the Internet. Print, Radio and TV are dying breeds.
3. Answering Services – You can’t always be in two places at the same time. Set up your own Virtual PBX, cultivate some clients and answer their calls for them.
4. Online Researcher – The Internet is a wealth of information. But, you still need time to sift through the dirt to find the gold. Turn your curious nature into a saleable asset.
5. Internet Broker – This business is as old as eBay. People want to buy and others want to sell. But, some are technology “challenged.” They just don’t know how to sell anything, let alone on eBay.
6. Stock Up! – The Internet’s appetite for online “stock” content is voracious. Think 300 million websites. They all need some type of photo, video or graphic. And, there are plenty of sites to sell your passion.
7. Creative Services – If you’re a photographer, videographer, graphic artist, hobbyist or professional, move your attention to Internet. Linked with #6, the need for QUALITY work is exploding.
8. Freelance Writing – Coupled with the explosive nature of the Internet, blogging is as hot as it gets. No, not about your kids’ latest soccer game, but serious ghost writing for individuals and companies.
9. Expense Reduction Manager – Everybody’s looking for a deal these days. And, they’re everywhere. Some people just don’t know where to look.
10. And, my all time favorite – Personal Shopper – I threw this one in for fun. “Back in the day”, people paid good money for others to shop for them.

Let’s just hope that legislation on AFFORDABLE health care, doesn’t rain on our parade!

Read more articles from David Chan.

Tags: answering service, business opportunities, david chan, health care, internet marketing, personal shopper, phone service, small business, small business opportunities, virtual assistants, virtual pbx

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 6:13 pm and is filed under business development, small business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.