Many of us simply cannot bear to work for someone else.  This is why so many people decide to set up their own business and therefore become their own boss.  But what ideas are there?  There are simply so many it's difficult to know which one to choose so it's a good idea to do as much research as you can and think carefully about it.

First of all, getting business finance can be pretty tricky in a recession, especially if you don't have much of a track record.  However there are many ideas that you can ponder that require little or no money to start up.  So let's have a look at some of them now.

Become a Private Tutor

If you have lots of experience on a particular topic you can set yourself up as a tutor.  You don't necessarily even have to have any qualifications; it all depends on what you want to teach.  It might be that you have been an artist or musician for many years and have the ability to teach other people what you have learnt. 

Of course, not everyone is a natural born teacher.  It might be that you are really talented at something but lack the communication skills.  Most of us can drive a car but how many of us would be any good at being a driving instructor?  Not many.

Some private tutors choose to travel to their students' homes whilst others work from home and have students travel to them.  It really depends on what you want to do.  Obviously travelling time and expense needs to be factored in and you won't be able to teach as many people if you have to travel about a lot.

Dog Walking

It used to be that the husband would be the bread winner and the wife would stay at home to look after the family, but this has changed so much over the last couple of decades.  Some people leave their dogs in the house for hours on end whilst others choose to hire the services of a dog walker.

It's no wonder that you see so many dog walking services these days.  You can't go out to the park anymore without seeing people walking a dozen dogs.  It's big business that's for sure.  How much money you invest in your business will really depend on how much work you want to take on.  You frequently see dog walkers with a small van which will cost you a bit of money.

Buy and Sell on eBay

We've all heard of eBay and there's a good chance you know at least one person who has sold items on eBay whether for fun or for profit.  eBay is such a popular website and often you will find buyers go straight to eBay rather than look elsewhere.

The most difficult thing is to buy products that are in demand and can easily be shipped.  If you sell large bulky items such as furniture it's going to be quite tricky to send.  Items that should be considered include iPods, printer ink, jewelry, car parts, vacuum cleaner bags and photographic accessories.

Arts and Crafts

Often people stumble into starting a business because of their arts and crafts hobbies.  It might be that you enjoy making soaps, candles or greetings cards.  Frequently what will happen is that friends and family want to buy your crafts so that they can give them to their own friends and family.  Before you know it you're struggling to keep up with demand whilst also working at your day job.

The biggest mistake that arty people make, however, is to price themselves too low.  They simply don't appreciate their own skills and price their products so that it's the same as a mass-produced item from China.  Do yourself a favour and look to see what handcrafted products are selling for and calculate your pricing from that.

Freelance Writing

If you are the sort of person who loves to write then you should consider becoming a freelance writer.  There are a number of different options available to you however one of the best ways to start is by signing up with elance.com, rentacoder.com or odesk.com and create a profile with information about your skills.  What you write will depend largely on your skills and what clients are looking for.

This article really only scratches the surface for business ideas.  I'm sure you'll be able to find loads more if you spend time looking.  Other ideas include photography, children's parties, lawn care, house sitting, website design and interior decorating.  In addition to looking for business ideas you need to also think about practicalities such as liability insurance and accountancy.