• Doing research, defining your niche and target market, and putting it together in a practical business plan
• Getting the hardware and software you’ll need to get going
• Creating your own Web site with good organization, useful content, and eye-catching design, including ten must-have features and info on clip art and photos
• Selecting a Web hosting service (with info on free Web site homesteading)
• Setting up for handling business online, including building in security, accepting charge cards, creating shopping carts, and more
• Managing your goods and services, including sourcing goods, handling returns, adding shipping fees, and maintaining inventory
• Taking advantage of successful online business models, including storefronts such as Amazon.com, Yahoo!, CafePress, PayPal, or Microsoft that already have all the tools and systems, plus great traffic  
• Running a business on eBay
• Marketing your business and the secrets to search engine success
• Keeping good business records and staying on the right side of the law, including everything from trademarks , copyrights, and licensing to taxes, with info on accounting tools and software

Written by e-biz whiz Greg Holden, Starting an Online Business For Dummies, Fourth Edition has all kinds of case studies of successful cyber businesses, including a woman who sells her own insect repellent, a mapmaker, a housewife who sells sweetener and coffee on eBay, a sculptor and painter, and more. Packed with inspiration and information, it includes:

• Lots of Web sites that will give you good ideas
• A companion Web site that includes an online directory of Internet business resources
• A list of legal and business requirements

Get going, and build a booming business right at home. The only people you’ll have to take orders from are customers, and those are the kind of orders you’ll like!  less