Whilst the impact of the credit crunch has been clearly visible in the financial and industrial sectors of the world's economy, one of the really pernicious side effects this financial crisis has had, is, the massive wealth destruction which has impacted on people's real estate values, investment portfolios, retirement funds and pension funds. This would be bad enough in normal times, but when one factors in the huge rise in the cost of living which has occured all over the world, it has made the job of making ends meet far more difficult for millions of people.

The effects of the credit crunch and ensuing global economic slowdown have impacted upon people from all walks of life.

Pension fund values have been decimated, real estate prices and values have taken a massive tumble, even safe haven assets such as government bonds and cash deposits are not entirely without risk and more importantly the yield on these investments are now meagre due to the world wide downward pressure on interest rates.

Arguably, the sectors of society which have been hit the hardest are those who are now retired and having to live on their usually fixed levels of pension income and existing savings, and those employees whose incomes are also fixed to an hourly rate and simmply cannot earn more via overtime and or bonuses.

The eqaation is rather simple- if you cannot reduce your costs any further then you must examine ways as to how you can increase your income.There are only so many legitimate ways you can do this and one of them is to consider starting your own online home based business?

Assuming you have cut your costs and removed any unneccesary and frivolous moonthly expenditure, what else can you do?

When the costs can be pared back no more, there is only one solution left, and that is to increase your income. Easier said than done I know, but millions of people are starting to realise that there are some very practical options in respect of bringing in more income.

The popularisation of the world wide web has truly been one of the most enabling and liberating forces since the invention of the motor car. No matter where you live on the planet, you can connect to the rest of the world and you can communicate and ultimately do business with people all over the world.

The trend towards people starting their own home business is growing at an increasingly rapid pace as millions of people start to become aware of the major benefits of working from home and using the Internet to create a new found source of income and wealth for themselves! Yes, 80 million!

There is probably not one single good or service which cannot be either sold or promoted via an online mechanism. With a global market place, business can be conducted continuously around the clock- truly any time, any place and anywhere.

We truly do live in a global market place and this is now transforming the way business is being conducted, many millionaires have been created simply by using the Internet to distribute products and services.

The real beauty of working online is that this is an opportunity available to virtually anyone. The basic requirements are often no more than access to a computer and a telephone line? The answer is that you can! You just need to do some research and be motivated enough to want to spend a few hours each week, building and developing your new venture.

The advantages of an online business are huge when compared to a conventional bricks and mortar business. No premises to rent or buy. There are some major benefits in running an online business. One of the many would be the absence of employees and all of the associated red tape and bureaucracy which employing people in a real world, bricks and mortar business involves. No inventory to store and ship. No commuting. No boss breathing down your neck.

The list is endless and becomes very exciting the more you think about it.

So where do you start?

Well, if you do a Google Search for "Home Based Businesses", you will probably find a return which numbers millions of results, all of which represent different business opportunities.

Do your research and consider drawing up a short list of those opportunities which appeal to you and for which you can become enthusiastic and excited about. There is no point representing and promoting a business whose primary products and services are of no real interest to yourself. You need to be able to feel passionate and excited about your new business venture and if you don't then move on to find something which really does "light your fire.".

Sure you will find the dross and the potential scam opportunities but moreover, you will also come across genuine, profitable, well managed businesses which are helping customers to solve problems by means of distributing their products and services by Independent Distributors such as yourself.