Readers often ask me whether it’s necessary to take expensive web design courses or to learn HTML right away to get started in this niche. Is there a cheaper way of learning these skills?

If I were in your shoes, my best investment would be to learn how to use a popular and well-supported website creation software package.

Notice that I said “popular and well-supported.” There are plenty of What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) web page creators out there that allow you to cut-and-paste and drag-and-drop your way to create simple, effective websites.

For instance, you could check out programs such as 123 WysiWyg HTML Editor at http://www.123wysiwyg.com

Mozilla Composer is an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) editor that allows you to create and edit web pages. Check it out at http://www.mozilla.org/products/mozilla1.x/

Easy Web Editor (http://www.easywebeditor.com/ ) is another low-cost option under $100.

Several Internet “gurus” have created their own software packages. Jim Edwards, for instance, is promoting his “mini site creator” (http://www.minisitecreator.com ) program right now on web and through affiliates.

Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) such as www.godaddy.com offer their own easy website creation tools. These are fine if you if are a hobbyist or small business owner, and only want to create simple websites for your own use. But if you want to become a professional website designer, and eventually offer your skills and services to other small business owners, you will have to be able to create more sophisticated sites, with more flexible designs and features.

So key questions you have to ask are, “Am I using a program a professional would use? Will it be around five years from now?”

Years ago I chose Microsoft’s FrontPage WYSISYG website editor. I knew that I would not be able to learn all features program had right away, but could create simple web sites for my business using basics, then learn more, a little bit at a time.

I also figured that Microsoft was going to be around for a while, and that webpage creation was an area of business they would want to compete in. So FrontPage would be well-supported for years with new versions, technical support, user forums, etc.

That has all been true. However, FrontPage reportedly has its quirks in way it generates HTML code. Today, best software package that I keep hearing about in WYSIWYG category – and one used by professional website designers as well -- is a program called Dreamweaver, by Macromedia.

The first step in creating a home based business plan is to clearly define your goals. It isn’t just a matter of saying you want to make a certain amount of money in, say, five years or to leave your competition in dust. These are certainly lofty goals, but they are vague. You want to define what your home based business really is at beginning and where you want it to be. It’s a good to break this into segments. Where do you want your home based business to be in six months? A year? Eighteen months? Two years? A home based business plan that outlines your objectives this way gives you a road map to refer to and will ensure you’re on right track and that you stay there.

Second, you have to know market potential for your home based business. After all, there has to be a demand for product and/or service you are offering or you have no business. If your home based business is going to provide business cleaning services, for example, you’ll want to be sure that there are companies and offices in your immediate area that need your service. You will also want to look at surrounding areas for opportunities to grow your home based business in future. The amount and type of competition for your service needs to be taken into consideration too. If your area is already saturated with business cleaning services, you may need to consider a different service altogether. Without some planning and research, however, you won’t know this in advance, and your home based business won’t be as likely to succeed as it could be.