In today's economy starting a successful home based business and earning a residual income sounds like a dream come true. With a few easy steps you can go from making it sound like a dream come true, to reality.

In order to be successful you will need a business plan. You will need to detail your goals and how you plan to achieve your goals as well as what you plan to do to earn this income.  Start slowly and work your way up. No one gets to start at the top.

Once you have detailed out your business plan you will need to start setting your business up. Set up a website and get organized because it is time to get to work.

Your website should be easy to remember and should show freely what you do and how to access you for your expertise. Don't sell yourself short here, research similar Websites and be willing to negotiate whenever possible.  Keep your fees comparable and keep yourself in the market.

If you have done this work before you might consider some testimonials on your website. Ask your friends or family that you have done this work for in the past if they would mind giving you a brief testimonial to use on your website. It doesn't have to be long, it just needs to show that you are capable and can be trusted with quality work. It might also encourage your customers to become repeat customers which is a great way to start with some residual income.

Your home based business can be as small or large as you wish. Build it up slowly and create a great rapport with your customers and you can even offer an incentive for them if they refer someone to you as a customer. Creating repeat business will help you to keep your income going and to advertise.

Speaking of advertising, you will want to make up some business cards and hand them out whenever the opportunity arises. Leave them at restaurants with your tips, put them in that jar at the cash register to win a free lunch, send them with your check when you pay a bill, give a teen or youth a few dollars and have them hand them out in a local parade or put them up on bulletin boards whenever you see one. Whatever you choose, business cards are basically free advertising and a great way to blow your own horn.

Now that your business is up and running, remember that having a home based business and earning a residual income is also your job. Don't let your home's daily distractions distract you from your new job. If you aren't using your phone for your business, let the answering machine get it or at least screen your calls. It's okay to ignore the phone when you are working.

If the children are out of control, work out a deal with another work from home parent whereby you trade the children for a few hours a day or only work when the children are in school.  You can be successful and make a living working from home if you pre plan your business and your family life.