You may have noticed that Sacramento’s economy hasn’t been quite as strong in recent times. In fact, while conditions across the country are trying to say the least, Sacramento, and California as a whole, are leading the pack in economic devastation. With the state budget on the verge of collapse, years of debate and currency over the use of public funds, and what appears to be a breakdown of our state’s entire public service sector, local entrepreneurs are turning to online businesses to supplement, and in some cases actually replace their income streams.

Over the past several years, but especially in the last six to nine months, direct selling companies have seen their subscription numbers increase. The companies experiencing the highest growth are those using the Internet as the primary means of member recruitment as well as a well-developed web purchasing interface.

We know this economy has been tough for everyone, and we thought this list would be timely and helpful to our readers. What follows is a list of the top best home-based business ideas.

Leading the pack of home-based direct selling companies are those that provide access to goods and services people use on a regular basis, and especially those that offer discounts and/or discounts on these daily purchases. People are not interested in buying things they no longer considered necessary. What they are looking for today is access to the items they have, and they are looking for ways to buy them cheaper and more efficiently.

And clearly, on this list, online options dominate. Totally of the top best home-based business ideas, we researched were online opportunities. There is no doubt that online commerce is still in its infancy. This $305 billion industry is likely to triple in the next 5 years according to a report, and this is reportedly a conservative estimate. More and more businesses are finding online selling to be attractive as well as more efficient and cost-effective. Fewer employees are required and businesses can sell to a wider range of customers spread over a greater geographic area. The potential is unlimited.

Home Day Care Center

Believe it or not, the home daycare center is still in the top ten home-based businesses. The reason is that in this economic time it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to survive on just one income. Everyone wants to supplement their income, and those who have two spouses working, and children at home, should have the option of taking care of their children daily.

Parents of young children who are looking to supplement income from home may find daycare a great way to bring in income as well as spend time with their children. There are some other benefits of this profession as well, such as the opportunity to socialize with your children at an early age. But, beware of the potential pitfalls of this industry: Many children find it difficult to share their personal space in their home for long periods of time, which can be frustrating for the caregiver’s own children. Also, licensing is required in most jurisdictions, so be sure to check with your local authorities before starting a home daycare.

Medical Transcription

It is an excellent career option for people with excellent English language skills and typing ability. Many doctors outsource their transcription tasks instead of paying staff to handle them. It’s more cost-effective for doctors because they don’t have to pay Medicare, SDI, and other taxes as well as hire employees. This business is excellent for start-ups as it requires very little overhead and equipment purchases, and can be done in a minimal amount of space. In fact, most people already have the necessary equipment such as desks, computers, and tape recorders. Income can range from $25,000 per year for part-time work to more than $90,000 per year for full-time endeavors.

Accounting

For those who will be work-at-home parents, especially those with a strong background in accounting and/or financial skills, an accounting or bookkeeping career may be just the right choice. This career option offers working parents tremendous flexibility and an excellent income opportunity. You can start a business from your home based on referrals and low-cost advertising, but it has the potential to grow as your kid age and become less dependent, enter school, and free up more of your time.

Look too much to build relationships with other businesses such as lawyers, insurance professionals, and real estate agents as they will often refer clients to you. You can start this business from scratch, or you can purchase a tax and accounting franchise (a slightly more expensive option, but perhaps a shorter start-up period). Again, check with local authorities for the licensing requirements in your area. Regulations can change from state to state, and there is a wealth of information available at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well.

Catering

Many parents love to cook and entertain, and catering can provide moms (or dads) the opportunity to work from home, but still get out and socialize and do what they love. Most of the advance preparation work can be done from your own home while looking after the babies, and then the schedule can include food for delivery, or in some cases even pick-up. Parents with a modest outlook can make an excellent income just by providing food, those looking to fulfill a big dream can also provide employees to set up, wait and tear, or even that you can do it yourself. The income prospects with catering services can be great, and the most successful home-based caterers can make close to six figures.

Online Affiliate Programs

The biggest introduction to the Internet for home-based business owners over the past decade has been the affiliate marketer. It’s the first of our online business opportunities, and it’s a position that doesn’t require you to work for a company, purchase products, hold inventory, or even interact with customers. You can easily start a successful and lucrative affiliate marketing business by simply finding the products you are interested in on the Internet, joining the company’s affiliate program, and then marketing those products online.

Most affiliate programs pay directly to a Pay Pal (or other payment processing service) account on a monthly basis. Of course, this business may require some start-up capital if you choose to market through pay-for-service locations, such as pay-per-click. There are also plenty of free marketing sources online, but they may require more effort. Still, it can be a great way for working-from-home parents to supplement a single-income family.

You can find out about this by Googling “affiliate programs” or on resource sites like Affiliate Programs and Affiliate Scout. While this is a viable Internet opportunity, it requires you to find and market individual companies and their products. In my opinion, a better opportunity to consolidate this effort into a more lucrative, efficient, and profitable business lies in item number one below.

Freelance Writing

Everyone has considered writing a book at some point in their life or at least loved the sound of that idea. Today’s market for writers is wide open, with everything from relevant articles on travel, art, local scenes, and business to fully-fledged e-books on both technical and strategic topics. Especially if you are already familiar with a specific topic, this is a great way for you to share that expertise with a much wider market.

Literally millions of people are searching the Internet every day for information on specific topics, and they are willing to pay for that information. Try your hand at writing with smaller spaces at first, and as your skill and experience grow, branch out into more aggressive projects. An excellent resource for freelance writing online can be found on the Freelance Writing Jobs Network or become a tester in your field.

Business Coach

While this opportunity is not necessarily an “online” opportunity, it is a bit of a hybrid, and it really comes into play for individuals who are at the top of their game. This opportunity requires someone who has a very strong business background, or at least some formidable vocational training. In today’s environment when many people are getting displaced or looking for opportunities outside the traditional corporate walls, there is a great need for someone who can spark ideas, assist with business planning activities and work as a highly energetic CEO.

Keep your feet on the ground. , If you have experience in corporate management, business acumen, or other specific skills you can share them with people who have ideas but less experience. A coaching certification program and referral service are also offered to members of the International Coach Federation.

Web Design

Web sites are essential in today’s business environment, even for traditional brick-and-mortar types of businesses. With online shopping and information proliferation, more and more necessity companies are jumping on the web, and they are in need of excellent website designers to guide them through the process. This is actually a case where it is difficult for the trees to see the forest.

There are so many aspects to web design and web presence that it is nearly impossible to get started without some heavy-duty help. For anyone familiar with HTML programming, CSS, SEO, or even WYSIWYG editors, this opportunity can be a goldmine. Most of your work can be done after hours when the kids are in bed, and that’s something that makes the occasion perfect for moonlighters and all-day parents.

Online Shopping Portal

Online shopping is already a $305 billion industry, and by most reports, we’ve barely scratched the surface. There are many companies on the Internet now that allow entrepreneurs and home-based business owners to purchase a web portal and profit from the sales that take place through that web portal. Many of these companies will pay owners not only for purchases made through their websites but also for purchases made through the websites of people they have referred personally. This is an affiliate program on steroids.

This business is poised for tremendous growth, and companies capitalizing on the “green” movement will benefit even more. Recent Earth Day articles and studies report that online shopping is far more efficient and less harmful to the environment than traditional shopping. Watch this market explode in the next 5 years.