Are you looking for a new direction - perhaps you have been laid off or seeking a residual income part time? Well maybe it is time to think seriously about starting your own home based business, either part-time or as an alternative to the job that has seemed so dismal recently. The technology available to all of us now costs so little that many more ordinary people can get a slice of the entrepreneurs' pie, with the latest home based business ideas.

Online shopping took off in a big way this Christmas. Supermarkets struggled to meet orders following a sharp and much bigger than expected rise in demand, while traditional High Street retailers faced increasing pressure from online rivals. Internet sales for Christmas 2005 were 50% above the 2004 pre-Christmas period, and the average spend was also high. Britain's 24 million internet shoppers spent 2.253 billion online during November, an average of 94 each, it is staggering to think that more than half of UK consumers made an online purchase this Christmas.

Britons spent more than 150m a day online in the run-up to Christmas, and anyone who thinks this is a young person's phenomenon should think again - the 45-55 age group are most likely to use the internet to buy most of their gifts. The latest home based business ideas cater very well to the needs of this rapidly-growing market.

So if you want to find out how your ideas could fill a gap in the online market, please have a look at my website and sign up for the Internet Business Tips eZine, for in-depth knowledge of how a home business online could be the smartest move you make this year.