Associations for Your Small at-Home Business

A Home Business Article Contributed by Sharon Hill

Small Business Associations That Help You Stay in Touch While You Stay at Home

There's nothing more crucial for the at-home small business owner than association with others - a chance to meet others, if not in person at least by web, who are struggling with similar home-based business start-up and expansion problems. It's hard to do sometimes. You feel that you have to work, that you're the only one putting food on the table and you can't slack off. Well, there's one way to do both.

That's by joining small business associations that not only bring you together with other local folk and sometimes get you out of the house, but also help you network for marketing and business building purposes.

Let's take a look at some of these small business associations.

The American Association of Home-Based Business offers a suite of home-based business help, from insurance and zoning information to "21 Success Tips for Home Based Business." Through its new partnership with The Small Business Advocate this small at-home business association also offers Jim Blasingame's radio and Internet talk show, where you can learn about topics such as rousing creativity, creating and dominating new markets and telecommuting.

A Small Business Association That Helps You Get Started

The Home Business Institute also offers a Home Based Business Start Up Kit for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. This six part starter kit helps you select the right business for you, start, operate and then expand your business. The Institute pledges a 60 day risk-free guarantee. Part of Small Business Institute, with regional as well as national affiliates, this organization provides benefits such as a wide array of insurance from health to Workers Compensation and business interruption, web conferencing and trade shows.

A Small Business Association with a Free Offer

For those who may have decided that work-at-home is for them but haven't decided on the best business to pursue, the American Home Business Association has a web offer that's intriguing and economical.

Right now, for $9.95 shipping and handling you can order a package of print and audio CDs that help you get started. You'll receive the report, "501 of the Best Businesses You Can Run From Home, " a CD that walks you through getting your business up and running in 30 days, as well as one that gives you the ten steps to running a successful business from home, as well as the popular CD, "How I said Goodbye to My Boss and Made $100, 000 a Year Working From Home." The materials are free - you are just paying shipping and handling.

When you pay online for this small at-home business info kit, you also receive a 30 day free trial membership in the association. Should you want to continue after the 30 days, The American Home Business Association membership is $9.98 per month charged quarterly. Benefits include health, dental and life insurance, asset protection and liability insurance, low interest rate Association business Mastercard, legal services, discounted long distance and toll free number, and merchant web account.

Other discounts include office supplies, groceries, magazines, travel and floral. Members have access to a 24 hour small business hotline which offers current statistics and trends and articles on topics such as how to attract paying customers to your website, how to operate a successful online business, and the top ecommerce sites and what you can learn from them.