Many people are surprised to discover that over 500 million people now have access to the Internet, even now when it is still in its infancy. Many of these 500 million or so people use their computers to set up a work at home business online. Combining this huge and expanding audience with the impressive savings that online marketing and advertising using an Internet-connected computer generate yields a business opportunity that's ripe for success.

Here is a guide to help create successfully cash flow from the computer work at home boom:

Pick a product or service.

Even if the home Internet business is only a single computer and an Internet connection, setting up and running a work at home business is a never-ending process of making decisions and solving problems. When dealing with an at home computer business, there are two basic areas: Products and Services.

Concerning products there is the option of either running the whole operation, from handling orders, stocking, shipping the goods, and processing the payments, or simply marketing for a company that will handle the more cumbersome tasks, such as stocking, shipping, or even processing payments. In the latter case the business focuses entirely upon getting orders to the company and then receiving commissions based upon the results.

Aside from products, there are also opportunities to work at home offering services. One of the advantages of selling services as opposed to products is that it is possible to generate a residual commission: a consistent monthly income while the customers continue to use the service.

Advertise the product or service.

It is a good rule of thumb when advertising a business, whether on the Internet or anywhere else, is to keep the classified ads short. This serves to leave the reader in a state of enticement, generating curiosity about the product or service. Curiosity, in turn, can lead potential customers to seek out answers to questions or look for more detailed information about the products or services offered. As the source of that curiosity, the business ad is likely to be the first clue, leading the customer directly to the desired business. A good ad therefore not tries to sell the product or service; it also tries to get people interested in what business has to offer them.

Stand Out in the Crowd.

Let's be realistic: the work at home computer concept isn't exactly new. Yes, it has gained attention recently, but it has been around for awhile. So how does one ad compete with dozens or hundreds of others out there? The key is to create an attention-grabbing headline. Use keywords that are certain to attract readers, such as Free, You, How, Money, and Secret.