With the rate of unemployment as high as it is and the economy in the dumps, now, more than ever would be the time to get started in a home based business. While many may choose a bricks and mortar business to start, they have high capital requirements that are beyond most peoples reach. The flexibility of a home based business is just one of the reasons they are so popular. Below are some of the 10 best rated home based business ideas for online income that require little or no start-up capital.

1. Call Center – Large and small companies are saving significant money by outsourcing their help-desk center jobs. This provides you an opportunity to work from home performing call center duties such as receptionist, troubleshooting client issues and answering general questions. Chat, Skype, remote desktop and webinar software allow you to support those using the call center.

2. Niche Products – With your own website (or eBay auction site) you can resell products obtained at wholesale prices. The manufacturer can drop ship directly to customers, saving you handling fees and warehousing hassles. Children’s items, collectible gifts and sporting accessories are all ideas for a home based business in niche products..

3. Affiliate Marketing – Often found in top 10 best home based business listings because it can be inexpensive to set up. You can have a blog for reviewing products with affiliate links that pay you when people make purchases through your site.

4. Technical Support – Leverage the internet and put your technical skills to use by providing technical support to individuals or companies from home. There are low-cost and free remote management and desktop control software available for troubleshooting issues.

5. Life/Business Coaching – There has been a boom recently in specialized coaching areas such as life, corporate, spiritual, business and relationships. If you have good communication and people skills and are knowledgeable in one of these areas, this can be a great career.

6. Blogging – Blogs have become a great way for individuals to make income online as they rank high in the search engines. However, they need new content on a regular basis to stay current, so companies and marketers pay to have individuals post blog content for their sites.

7. Freelance Writing – Similar to blogging but with a broader scope. If you can write articles, ad copy, reviews or reports, you can get hired for short-term or repeated projects by marketers and companies needing content. You may need to have good typing and writing skills to complete the amount of work some of the jobs require.

8. Internet Marketing – Another of the often listed 10 best home based business opportunities. Why? Because even with the learning curve, it is simple and can be lucrative as many companies want to know how to get their websites higher in the search engine rankings.

9. Online Auctions – Many people make items to sell online or fix up things found at garage sales and sell them online. Crafts, art, jewelry are all good ideas for a home based business with online auction or sale sites.

10.Website Flipping – Similar to property flipping, you can buy established websites, fix them up or add value in some way, then sell it for a higher price. The choice of which website to buy from those up for sale is key to being successful in this area. Often you’ll be looking for those that have decent traffic, or will, once you make the improvements. This is one of the newer ideas for a home based business.

The baby boomer generation consists of over 76 million people. They were born between the years 1946 and 1964.

They have had a huge impact on American business as they went through different stages of development. Baby food, diapers, Barbie dolls, relaxed fit jeans, SUVs have seen explosive growth as a result of the buying patterns of this generation.

Today, the baby boomer generation is affecting the travel industry.

A recent survey indicates that the people in this generation intend to travel even more after retirement. The recent economic downturn has had a negative effect on their retirement savings. But one of their top priorities is still to travel. It’s almost like they consider travel a necessity rather than a luxury.

The parents of many in the baby boomer generation grew up during the Great Depression. They were much more frugal in how they spent money on travel.

Their parents’ attitude has probably influenced many boomers. They don’t want to be limited financially and want to travel in this country and throughout the world.

Many businesses in the travel industry are gearing up for the travel explosion by baby boomers. They have seen how other industries have been impacted by the baby boomer generation over the years.

Just the number of boomers will have a huge impact. For example, Carnival Cruise Line and other cruise line companies have been adding more ships to their business.

For several reasons, many members of the baby boomer generation do not have the available funds, to not only retire, but also to travel as much as they intended just a few years ago.

As a result, baby boomers are looking for an easy home based business to supplement their retirement income.

But here’s the exciting news.

There is a very lucrative home based business that is easy and provides great opportunities for travel all over the world.

This travel is available at first quality, 3-5 star resorts. Travel is not just a sideline of this business. Travel is its business.

This is an easy home based business opportunity. Marketing the business is done using a “team approach.” It is not a typical home business that relies solely on you to drive people to your website and to generate your own sales.