Our country is currently in economic depression. There are few jobs and even huge companies are failing. Although your economic future may seem bleak, there are ways you can take advantage of the current economy to start your business. The advice you find below will give you the way to make money in good times and bad.

Keep track of your mileage and gas receipts when you use your car for your business. These expenses are 100% deductible when you do your taxes. Prove this and you will save a lot of money during the year.

Your business and your home should have separate phone lines. A business that wants to be known as professional and established always has a message specific to it, not to mention you are taking a risk of a child or someone else in the home answering the phone in a less than professional manner.

Prior to launching a business, be certain to have dedicated office space. Although it may seem trivial, people find it hard to get down to work if they are not comfortable with their space or they do not have the proper supplies.

If you don’t know what you want to sell, think about what products you want or need. For a product to sell successfully, it must fill a need consumers have that is not currently being met. Chances are, if you could use something in your life, other people can use it too.

One smart way to make some money in a home based business is to offer lessons for something you know a lot about. Some folks prefer private lessons over those offered by institutions. Lessons, such as art and music, that are related to various hobbies are easily taught from within the home.

Ask your customers to refer loved ones to your business in return for an incentive. Recommendations from existing customers mean more to potential customers than any other form of advertising. This will also help your customers stick with your business.

If you are interested in starting a home based business, but not sure what type of business you want to start, the Internet can be a great resource for business ideas that have been proven to work. Be cautious, though, as you do not want to fall prey to any scams. Many website sell guides to information already available for free, and other information is mostly worthless. There are also more complicated scams that try to get you to pay a fee to gain access to nonexistent high paying work, or pay tuition for useless online classes. Remember, if it seems like too good of a deal, it probably is.

Do not let these troubled economic times hold you back from following your dreams. An unflappable, can-do spirit is the American way. You may be asking yourself how your family is going to survive. Let’s hope that this article has provided you with great tips and tricks to get through these hard economic times.