This is one of the best times to go into business for yourself. The need for extra money (or maybe any money) is probably the motivating factor in starting a new endeavor. With the current economic conditions, many are looking for a way to make ends meet. Starting a part-time home based business may be the first choice for you.Home based businesses have many advantages over brick and mortar companies. There are a number of reasons for this.Low overhead is number one. You should not have to pay rent, utilities, and other costs associated with a brick and mortar business. As a matter of fact, you may be able to deduct some of these costs that you do already pay for. So, you can spend less getting started because the whole thing is operated out of your home.Marketing your business can also be less expensive with the advent of the Internet. Most of the traditional methods of marketing (TV commercials, radio commercials, print advertising, signage) are not needed. Marketing your business is now easier than ever. You can contact almost anyone or any group of perspective customers through so many channels. There is social media, email, forums, articles, blogs, social bookmarking, video marketing etc.Product selection has been made much easier due to computer based business technology. You have your choice of products on line.If the product is a hard product (actually hold it in your hand) you have many choices of products and suppliers to choose from. They can ship product directly to your customer without you even touching it. This means no stocking or shipping.If the product is electronic media, it is even easier to get the job done. You can manufacture the product yourself (e-books, audios, videos, software etc.) or you can purchase these from others on the Internet and sell them to your customers. Once again, there is no stocking and shipping of product because the products can be uploaded directly to their computer.This is the information age. People are hungry for information. More than likely, you know something about a subject that others are interested in. Think about how you could package that information and sell it to someone else. Maybe you do not know anything about starting a business, where do you learn? On the Internet of course. There all kinds of opportunities out there and you are no less qualified than anyone else.Yes, this IS the right time to start a home based business! If you are working right now, consider yourself blessed. If your job is shaky or you have already lost your job, this may be the best opportunity of your life! It seems that nobody is hiring and we all need to make a living.