I spend hours online everyday updating it with relevant information - I cannot help them start their own home businesses but information that I offer them might just help spark off their own bright business idea.

Now, not everyone would probably have such a profound interest in running a website or getting to know how to design one, so what you have to do is to sit and think of ways of how you can turn your passion into money.

For instance you could probably be interested in cross stitching or maybe cheesemaking, or pottery. Can you teach other people who are passionate about your subject something new about it? Or how to do it better? Where can you sell your products? Tour your town to find best possible places to supply your product or service to, speak to others about it as often as you can. You will be surprised how other people can help you with prospective customers. You have to think out of box - think of different and new ways to market your product.

Just as an example, my sister sells permanent licence disc holders. It is something that you stick on your windscreen to display your car licence disc instead of using stickers that mess up your windscreen when you have to take them off at end of every year. Now, instead of trying to compete with hundreds of other people out there sellign same product, she approached some of local primary schools to use it as a fundraising product. She sells it to them at a certain price, they get kids to sell it to their parents and family and friends at a different price. The kid who sells most discs gets a cash prize, class who sells most discs get loads of free pizza. The school has a fantastic product to sell, they make a load of money for shcool out of it, my sister makes her own profit out of it, and everyone is happy.

The second way she makes money out of discs, is by approaching car attendants at various local malls and shopping centres. These guys are only to glad to make a bit of extra money and they already have hundreds of potential customers around them - car drivers!

She gives each car attendant about 5 discs to sell a day, next day she goes back to pick up cash, give them their share, and give them some more discs. She does this at about 10 different locations, having about 25 car attendants a day selling her product - that is 125 discs a day. With smart thinking she has just leveraged her income and she just goes back to collect cash - how great is that?

She is a typical example of something who works smart, not hard.

Try same kind of thinking for your own business and I promise you, ideas will just flow in.

Well, I hope I have given you something to think about. What you have to do now, is just to START!

The definition of a mentor according to Webster is,

1. A trusted counselor or guide. 2. Tutor, Coach

Let me give you 4 simple points to help you find a good online business mentor:

1. They must have honesty, integrity and credibility. 2. They must have legitimate, successful experience in this industry. 3. They must have a proven, verifiable track record. 4. They must be able to answer in clear terms most basic question every online marketer asks when starting this business. It goes something like this:

"I am still fairly new to this whole Internet marketing thing. I've tried a handful of opportunities and spent hundreds of dollars on information and services so far. I've gotten nowhere. I need to start making money now! Can you help me finally grow a reliable income source online like you did?"

If your potential mentor fulfills all of these categories, then you are on your way to online success. But if not, run away as fast as you can. You will lose more than gain.

Once you find this person(s) listen and follow their lead. And when you become successful you can become a mentor to your list of proteges'and help them succeed,too.