From online auctions to pets, personal trainers to search engine consultants, these seemingly unrelated business ideas have one thing in common: They are among the hottest small business areas in 2008.

For someone wishing to build an exciting one person/family operation with little up-front money, there will be no better year than 2008.

Annual income: $170,000
Degree required: No

Did you know that big companies such as SONY, Gateway, Weight Watchers and Amazon.com will pay you for promoting their products? If not, then welcome to the exciting world of affiliate marketing.

A little while ago these brand-name companies, and thousands like them, discovered that they could greatly increase their corporate earnings by paying a commission to people ("affiliates") who direct customers to their sites. When a customer buys a popular item from one of these sites the company pays the affiliate (you) a commission. These commissions can go as high as 50% - 75% of the actual sale. The commissions are high because the number of sales are greatly increased. The companies have enlisted the online community as their sales representatives.

In 2007 this business exploded. Entire networks sprang up solely to administer these company's affiliate programs and commission payments. People were making so much money that tax ids had to be captured to appease the IRS. As big as this was in 2007, all projections have 2008 being much bigger as more and more companies get involved.

The startup costs for this business is the price of a home computer and an Internet connection. Since many people already have these items, this is an especially attractive side job or career for the "work at home" crowd. All the information to start this type of business can be found by searching for and reading the many available documents. Alternatively, there are some very good resources available that have compiled the pages and pages of pertinent information into a "how to" guide. Rosalind Gardner's Super Affiliate Handbook is generally regarded as the best single-volume source on this business. A new book by author Brian Wynn called The Millionaire League covers much of the same ground, but adds a few interesting ideas. Brian's book also assumes a working knowledge of the Internet.

One of the most challenging aspects of this business is how to advertise these companies and their products. There are many ways to do this, but the idea should be to get as many people as possible to the companies sites. The more people you get to a company's site, the more sales you will generate, and that translates to commissions. Again, a clever entrepreneur will be able to find a lot of options by reading whatever they can find on the Internet. If you're strapped for time because you already work full-time or are busy with kids, you can get tips on how to place free ads from several sources. Guides such as My Free Ad Tactics can show you how to place up to 1 BILLION ads online for free. There's nothing like free advertising.

If you don't mind working largely by yourself, then online affiliate marketing could be the hot job for you in 2008.

Annual income: $150,000
Degree required: No

One business area that has so far been "recession-proof" is the huge online-auction marketplace. And in this land eBay is the undisputed King-Kong.

At the end of 2003, eBay boasted 95 million registered users who traded almost $24 billion in goods. With numbers like these it's easy to see why so many entrepreneurs are setting up shop on eBay.



Perhaps it was put best by Janiece Smith in her remarkable eBay book How an Overworked, Traveling, Soggy Sandwich Eating Dental Hygienist Made $11,212 a Month Online. Says Smith, "Where else can you start a business with virtually no money, and have access to 86 million+ proven buyers right from your own home?". Smith continues, "You can work as much as you want, whenever you want, from any location, all the time generating cash profits 24 hours a day".

Apparently Janiece is not the only one who sees eBay as a cash cow, as many people are turning to this online juggernaut as an easy way to make extra money. In fact, an ever-growing number of people have jettisoned their regular job and are now supporting themselves entirely from their eBay business (400,000 according to Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay).

It's been estimated by some that eBay will continue to grow 25%-35% per year for the foreseeable future, making this business hot not only for 2008, but for many years to come.

Annual income: $125,000
Degree required: No

Is your business really online if nobody knows you're there? Companies have been finding out that they can spend a million dollars on their website, but if it's not visible, it's worth nothing. That's why search engine optimization has become crucial for companies to survive online. And since few of these companies have the in-house expertise to do it themselves, search engine optimization consultants, or SEO consultants as they are known in the industry, have become virtually indispensable.



Almost 85% of people online use search engines, according to several marketing services. And CEOs want to ensure that these people are able to see their company's listing. This can only be done using search engine optimizers which provide the algorithms and technology to increase a site's visibility.

Today, an SEO consultant, armed with a search engine optimization software package can command top-dollar for their services. This is because the up front consulting cost is easily recouped by the increase in sales due to higher online visibility.

And as a final indication of how hot the search engine optimization field is, there are places where you can get a complete Web Site Promotion Business Plan that explains step-by-step how to setup and run one of these companies.

This is one of those rare times where one can witness a niche industry going supernova.

Annual income: $100,000
Degree required: No

Pets have become an integral part of the family. In fact, many pet owners consider their dog or cat like a child or family member. This helps explain why the pet business is now a multi-billion dollar industry.

How popular are pets? Well, new figures just released from the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA) show that pet ownership is currently at its highest level, with 63 percent of all U.S. households owning a pet. Americans own approximately 73 million dogs and 90 million cats.

There are many areas where people are tapping part of that multi-billion dollar revenue. Areas such as pet gifts, parties, travel accessories, nutrition, health insurance, dental products and toys are all very popular. However one niche area has clearly become a hit with dog owners ... Dog Obedience Trainer.

Dog training schools are generally quite expensive, so many owners are turning instead to private obedience trainers. This works well for the owner since in most cases the trainer will work with the dog at owner's home. As a dog obedience trainer you would be expected to stop the dog from fighting with other dogs, curb aggressiveness, stop the dog from jumping on people, etc.

Daniel Stevens, a professional dog trainer and author of the excellent book Sit Stay Fetch: Dog Obedience Training. says "You don't need some 12-week dog obedience training plan where you do almost the same thing each week. This is not the most effective way of training your dog because your dog switches out of learning mode".

What makes this an especially attractive career choice is the minimal upfront expenditure required. All a person needs to start this business is a knowledge of current dog training techniques. This is easily attainable by studying one of several books on the subject. The Daniel Stevens book mentioned above is one of the leading manuals in this area. Another would be Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer, by Adam Katz.

Advertising for your new business could be as simple has hanging home made flyers on supermarket bulletin boards or leaving cards at local veterinarians, groomers and pet stores. You could also opt to get a complete Business Plan that explains step-by-step how to setup and run one of these businesses.

A true opportunity for a pet lover in 2008

Annual income: $100,000
Degree required: No

With millions of people eager to lose weight and get in shape, a nutritionist and personal trainer is one of the fastest growing fields in the health and fitness industry today.

It used to be that only athletes used Nutritionists and personal trainers to help them reach the top of their sport. Today however, all types of people - from the young to senior citizens - are using these consultants to help them learn how to lose weight, exercise and eat right.

With the escalating costs of health care insurance, many employers are now making employees pick up a greater share of their premiums, and offering discounts to those who are in good shape and at their ideal weight. All of this means more and more people are seeking out nutritionists and personal trainers to help them achieve their goals.

Someone wishing to start a business in this sizzling industry has to be knowledgeable about eating right and exercising properly. There are classes you can take to learn this information, but expect to pay several thousand dollars in tuition fees. This makes this business more costly to start than some of the others mentioned in this article. You could also teach yourself this information by reviewing of one several resources for this industry. Personal trainer, nutritionist and author Tom Venuto has produced the 'defacto' learning resource in this area called Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle.

With an ever-aging population growing larger everyday, this is a business that should be hot well past 2008