Good business ideas abound and now that you have thought about a few, find out how to make the most of your idea and get started in your new business. Whether you want to start an Internet business, work-from-home business, franchise, open a shop or anything else, there are real steps you must take to get you from the business "idea" to the actual open business.

Make sure this business idea is a good fit for you. The best idea in the world will not work if you do not like that type of business. Research your chosen business idea to see the need or tailor it to fit a niche market. Your business idea will not fly if no one needs your product or service. Choose a name for your business. Consider the following when making the most of business ideas:

1. Convert your innovative business ideas to a real business with a business plan.

2. Research these small business ideas before investing any time or money.

3. Choose the right name for your innovative business idea.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Create a professional business plan to start making the most of business ideas

You found the business idea that works for you. Now sit down and draw up that business plan. This step is not only necessary for funding your business, but it puts you in the right mindset of seeing your business idea blossom into reality.

I recommend: BPlans offers free business plans or you can purchase their software and edit the plan with your information. SBA (Small Business Administration) offers free business plans to small businesses to help you get your business idea off the ground. Business Plans presents real business plans that you can look at to get an idea of how to write your own. You can buy their software or take a stab at drawing up your own plan based on the samples.

Make sure the market exists for your ideas for small business

Do your research before opening your doors. The idea may sound great but if no one will buy the product or use the service then think of something else.

I recommend: Business Know-How suggests doing this market research yourself with email polls. Use the survey tool to set up your own survey and place this in emails to your targeted market. Planware offers many ways to research your business ideas including asking people if they would buy your product or service and at what price, analyzing any existing competition, and using desk and field research accurately.

Attract business with the right name for your business ideas and innovations

Great business ideas need a great business name, but many people lack the vision in this department to set a name that will draw and maintain the business. Remember it is not good to rename your business, so do your best to get it right the first time.

I recommend: Prosperity Names offers hundreds of name ideas free. Choose one from the list to check out or use the list to get your own creative drive working and think of your own perfect name. Name Lab will develop a name for your business idea for a fee. They will give you a quote in advance and if you accept, they will develop a meaningful name that is not currently in use for your business idea. Names-n-Brands offers a weekly paid subscription service that generates names for your business ideas.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Do not forget to check the name you choose for your creative business ideas with local and state authorities to make sure it is not already in use. If it is, you will have to decide on another name.

If you dream of being an entrepreneur, but lack the big startup bucks required by some new ventures, don't fret. With a little time and not a lot of money, you can still make your business dream a reality. A low-cost business, which requires a minimal investment for supplies and marketing, is perfect for whetting an entrepreneurial appetite if you're:

1. Already employed, but looking to dabble in your own side venture
2. Unemployed and looking to start your first business
3. A stay-at-home parent or student who's looking for extra income
4. A new "retiree" who isn't quite ready to completely retire

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find low-cost business ideas and opportunities online

Coming up with ideas for low-cost businesses is easy with simple Web searches. With just a few clicks on your keyboard, you can find business opportunities that won't break the bank.

I recommend: Find a list of low-investment business startup opportunities at BusinessNation.com and go to Entrepreneur Magazine's SmallBizBooks.com to purchase how-to guides for businesses that take less than $10,000 to launch. Work.com's Guide to Resources for Starting a Business will hook you up with all of the help you need to get going.

Personal services

You already need to run your own errands; why not run other people's, too? With a reliable vehicle and available credit you can easily do other people's shopping — for a fee, of course.

I recommend: Advertise your services at Craigslist, which allows you to post free classified ads that stay online for as long as 45 days, depending on the type of ad and the city in which you live.

eBay sales

You can make a decent living buying antiques and collectibles at garage sales or flea markets, then selling them to hungry buyers online.

I recommend: Sell your stuff online at eBay. You'll need a digital camera with which to photograph your products, which you can buy for under $150 at Best Buy or Circuit City. Or take your items to an eBay drop-off store, such as AuctionItToday, which takes professional photographs of your items, writes copy and posts it for you.

House- and pet-sitting

Give your neighbors peace of mind by taking care of their houses when they're out of town, and their pets while they're at work.

I recommend: Market your services online at HouseCarers.com, which for a small fee will let you post an ad — good for an entire year — to its searchable directory of house-sitters nationwide.

Professional organization

Everyone wants to be organized, but few people have the time. For a fee, you can save people from their own stuff.

I recommend: Join the National Association of Professional Organizers, which will connect you with customers and teach you the tools of the trade.

Clerical work

Many businesses can't afford to hire a full-time secretary. That doesn't stop the paper from piling up on their desks, however. Make a business out of doing data entry, bookkeeping and transcription for your fellow business owners.

I recommend: Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003 is all you'll need to do office work for other businesses; it includes all the necessary applications and will be compatible with most any client's existing software.

Tutoring

Were you a good student? If so, consider tutoring. You can help kids of any age in any subject, from young children who need help learning to read to teens who need help studying for the SAT.

I recommend: You'll need to study up on a subject yourself before you can teach it; SparkNotes offers free online study guides on a variety of topics within a number of subjects. Obtain tutor certification from TutorNation.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A low-cost startup isn't likely to make you any money in its first few months. Stick with it, though, and it may just burgeon into a full-time opportunity.
• •  Run your business from your home to save money on rent and utilities. Doing so will save on taxes, too, because a portion of your mortgage and bills will be tax-deductible come April.
• •  If you're new to business, consider being a weekends-only entrepreneur until you learn the ropes of running your own company.

Good business ideas start inside somebody's head. You have to think of the idea first, develop the idea and finally arrive at a concrete plan to start a business. Many factors go into creative ideas for business such as what ideas will work, what has already been done, how to improve on what's been done or turning a pastime into a business.

Many people have started a business by doing something they already do as a hobby and develop that idea into a moneymaker. Try proven business ideas with a new twist or come up with something zany and see if it can fly. Consider the following in looking at business ideas basics:

1. Turn your spare time interest into a creative business idea.

2. Develop a new angle on an existing good business idea.

3. Look at home based business ideas and start for less.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Parlay your hobbies into creative business ideas

Do you like to shop? Do you enjoy grooming your pets? Is reading and research your passion? Use any one of these business ideas basics or find your own and parlay it into income for you. People will pay you to perform almost any service if the price is right and your service is exceptional.

I recommend: Business Know How offers business ideas from consulting services to automotive ideas. Choose an idea that appeals to you to investigate. Found Value offers business ideas. Click on the category that interests you and choose an idea.

Find a niche market for existing ideas for business

People think there is nothing new but the truth is there is always a new way to do something. Another possibility is to do the same thing as everyone else but just do one facet and do it very well. For example, open a beauty salon with a twist, and only do haircuts. You can cut hair and have your customers in and out in just a few minutes with virtually no waiting. Put this type of spin on any business idea.

I recommend: Small Business Trends shows how to spice up selling tee shirts with a new twist. Cool Business Ideas shows a new twist on how to cap a bottled drink. This one activates the drink when you open it. Springwise offers old business ideas with novel approaches to all. Check out what they already thought of to get your own creative juices flowing.

Go to work in your PJs with home business ideas

Start your business at home or on the Internet and aside from needing little to nothing in start up costs, you also have the pleasure of working from home. This gives you more time for your family as you pursue your creative business idea.

I recommend: SparkPlugging provides the top ten Internet business ideas and details about each. PowerhomeBiz offers general business ideas to start and work from home on and off the Internet. Choose the category that interests you and see what is available.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you investigate the need of your small business ideas before launching your business. Do market research on your idea to make sure people want and need that service or product.

At some point in their lives, many Americans have a good business idea. The way that public structures are set up tends to facilitate new small businesses, but for those who want to take the plunge, there are many challenges to successfully getting that business up and running. New business people face a learning curve concerning what's needed to start up a legitimate business and what it takes to run one. New entrepreneurs can read up on basic terms that are useful for getting great business ideas made into concrete realities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Market (and marketing) research

Market research and marketing research often get confused. Market research is the basic study of how a business idea will 'do' in a current market. This is crucial for business ideas and startups in any field.

I recommend: Learn more about market research and marketing research from Marketing Teacher online.

Niche market

A niche market is a little space in a market that is not currently filled to capacity. Many smart business ideas trade on getting into one of these spaces and providing something that will 'fill the niche.'

I recommend: Learn about the definition of niche marketing from Texas A&M. Or use SCORE's "60 Second Guide to Creating a Market Niche" to get started in finding that niche for your business startup.

Home-based business

A home-based business is any business that is conducted from the home of the founder, co-founder or entrepreneur. A home-based business can apply to many industries from data entry to specialty chocolate production.

I recommend: Find a definition on what constitutes a home-based business from America.gov. Read up on home-based business ideas at Entrepreneur.com.

Franchise

A would-be business owner can often take advantage of a 'business idea in a box' in the form of a franchise. A franchise allows an investor to buy the rights to using an already established business name for creating an independent shop. Detailed legal agreements rule franchise relationships.

I recommend: Get a detailed definition of what a franchise is from Business Law.

Business plan

The business plan is the cornerstone of a well-thought-out business idea. The business plan includes much of the original business idea's brainstorming, and is also a master plan for setting up a business.

I recommend: Find out a lot more about what goes into a business plan at this helpful small business guide from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Fictitious name

For many new business people, the idea of a fictitious name is a tough one to understand. A fictitious name is a name for a business that needs to be registered as an identity for that business.

I recommend: Learn more about the fictitious name and registering business names from Nolo.