Starting your own business has many perks. You are not answerable to anybody, you can never get laid-off, you are the one who decides on how many work assignments to take on, and most importantly, whatever you earn is yours. In short, self-employment is ideal for people who want to be their own boss. It is very important that the kind of business you choose should have a market. After all, it is the customers who determine how profitable a business will be. The second thing to consider is your skills and interests. You cannot possibly start a consulting business if you have only studied till high school. Still, if you are confused as to what all different opportunities you have, here are some of the most successful business ideas which you can consider. Internet Affiliate Marketing Business If you have a computer and an Internet connection, you can consider this business from home. To get into Internet affiliate marketing business, you need to start, operate, and maintain a website. Firstly, search the Internet and register yourself with an appropriate affiliate marketing program. Thereafter, the online merchant will advertise his products or services on your website. Whenever a potential customer of this online merchant clicks on these advertisements on your website and goes to the merchant's website, he will pay a certain amount of money to you. In some programs, you might be paid only if a sale is made. The key to success lies in adding quality content to your website, as well as advertising your site well so that its traffic increases. Cleaning Services You can offer cleaning services both to households as well as commercial establishments. This can prove to be one of the successful small business ideas, considering the fact that this business can be operated round the clock. You can undertake household cleaning jobs during the day and cleaning of offices after their working hours in the evening. It will typically involve providing services like window cleaning, carpet cleaning and vacuuming, floor cleaning, yard cleaning, etc. Garden Maintenance Services Provide garden maintenance services to households, right from watering their plants to mowing the lawns to weeding, seeding, etc. You can initially look for clients in your neighborhood. Later, you can grow your business by advertising in local newspapers. Management Consultancy There are many small businesses who want to grow but do not have the expertise on how to position, advertise, and market themselves. So, if you have the experience of working at a senior position in corporates, wherein, you were a part of a team that developed marketing and advertising strategies, or if you have overlooked the operations of a company previously, you can consider becoming a consultant for these small businesses. Online Selling Sell items on the Internet. Some of the things to sell on eBay to make money are books, antiques, jewelry, clothes, electronics, gadgets, toys, CDs and DVDs, perfumes, etc. You can buy these items from scrap stores or yard sales for cheap, and then sell on the Internet for some profit. In case you are good at any of the art and crafts, such as painting or making decorative wall hangings, you can sell them online too. Besides these, other ideas which you can look into are―opening a day care center, pet care services, teaching classes, catering services, event planning, interior designing, and real estate services. Whatever business you finally decide to start, a successful plan which includes things like the goal of your business, your target customers, marketing and advertising strategies you will adopt, how you will arrange for the finance, etc., is a must. After all, it is these very things, plus your hard work, that will determine your success.