With the financial pressures everyone seems to be facing, it should come as no surprise that the Home Based Business arena is growing at a tremendous pace. It would easy to just assume that the increase in the number of people looking to start their own business is simply a result of the tough economic times everyone is facing. I happen to think, however, that there is something else at work here.The Internet is changing the way consumers conduct business and is the primary source of information for many people. Think about how you use the Internet and you will begin to realize how buying habits are changing. If you are typical of many consumers you begin by doing research on the product that you want to buy. More and more that research is done on the Internet rather than a book store or magazine. The next step is to search for the best price and, again, many times this involves a search on the Internet. Once a decision is made the purchase is completed. It is true that a typical brick and mortar retail operation might be the place of purchase. However, the Internet is gaining a larger market share every day. The traditional retailers are not happy about this and are quickly adapting to this trend by having a website for their consumer to make purchases from if that is their desire.So, how does this impact the Home Based Business owner? The growth of the Internet has revitalized this growing segment of our economy. A whole cottage industry has arisen with Home Based entrepreneurs becoming active with online stores with very affordable startup costs. There are some who make six figure incomes selling solely on E-Bay. This is not only phenomenal but word is spreading rapidly that a nice income stream can be created with a very low investment. This market has created another industry with businesses springing up offering automated income systems. Almost anyone can have a website up and running in a few hours. As with anything of this nature, be extremely careful about false promises of incredible wealth overnight. That almost never happens. It is very unfortunate that once a viable business opportunity is created there needs to be a constant effort to sort through the hype and separate fact from fiction.Just as with any other business category, new businesses on the Internet have an alarming rate of failure. You cannot create a website and sit back to wait for the money to pour in. If, however, the opportunity that you are evaluating seems to have a proven system of attracting visitors and does a good job of presenting the products or opportunity, it might be worth investigating. Just as Mail Order created a whole new group of Home Based entrepreneurs, the Internet and online marketing is already doing the same thing. It has made ownership of a Home Based Business a realistic possibility and has become a possible source of part or full time income for a new generation. The Internet has leveled the playing field for the small business owner.How do you enter into this exciting new world of opportunity? Just as with anything else, you start by gathering information from as many sources as possible. Keep notes and sort through what you like and dislike about what you find. You will start to create a very clear idea of the type of business you might want to create. There are many website owners who make information without creating a single product. They offer useful information and collect information from advertising and referral fees. The possibilities are nearly endless and the rewards can be impressive. Start exploring this opportunity today!