Whether you are looking at moving forward and being independent or you like the idea of simply having some extra cash on hand, you will find that putting together a list of small business ideas can really help you.

Starting a small business is something that more and more people are putting some time and effort into, and when you are ready to take this step, it can lead to great things.

Before you can meet your goals, however, you will find that you need to look into mapping out your path, and this is where a list of small business ideas can help you.

Consider some of the following options, and see if you want to give them a shot or if you want to use them to brainstorm ideas of your own.

When you are interested in moving stock and when you have a line into a product or even if you have things around the house that you want to get rid of, you will find that buying and selling on eBay belongs on any list of small business ideas.

eBay is great because you can start virtually instantly.  Just take some photographs of items around the house that you'd like to sell, create a nice write-up of those items (preferably with a personal story for each one), and then post that online!

You'll want to be an eBay customer first, before selling though.  Just so you understand what works well, and what does not.

Multilevel marketing (MLM), or Network Marketing, is a form of tiered selling.

You will sell a product, and from every sale that you make, you will get a small percentage as a commission.

The real money can be made in recruiting others nto your down-line, to do the same.

When your recruits have made a certain number of sales, you will find that you are going to get a small percentage of their sales as well. This is a great way to make money quickly and you will also find that it can be something that is quite easy to get the hang of as well.

Multi-Level Marketing does take a certain amount of willingness to sell to individuals, face-to-face. But take heart - you don't actually have to pester your friends and family anymore... or keep your garage stocked with product that you're not using...

Both of these are vestiges of old school network marketing. There are better, more effective ways to practice network marketing leveraging the Internet today.

Affiliate marketing involves selling other companies' products, for a commission.

Affiliate marketing was initiated by Amazon.com over a decade ago. But has since become a very mainstream way for companies to get their products to happy consumers, at a lower cost (by bypassing huge retail chains).

Affiliate marketing is quite attractive because you don't have to carry any inventory, handle shipping and handling, none of tha tstuff. You simply find a niche, build a reputation and group of followers (community) in that niche, and then occassionally make product recommendations that will benefit your community.

Purchases are tracked when people click on your customized links.

Many people earn a full-time living from affiliate marketing - all from the comfort of their homes.

There are many other small business ideas that you can take advantage of.  In fact,you can learn about the top ten Internet businesses for small businesses -

Internet businesses  are a favorite because of the speed to start, simple learning curve, and low cost.

Regardless of your areas of expertise and interest, you want to find small business ideas that you can test quickly and affordably. 

Don't be afraid to fail - we learn best from failure.  Just don't embark on something that will cost a boatload of money and time before you can tell whether it is the right small business idea for you.