When it comes to home-based businesses, there are currently a reported 16.5 million of them right now. That’s a big number. But what are the best ones? As the result of a recent contest, a group of winners have been announced from the first annual StartupNation Home-Based 100 rankings of the nation’s top home-based businesses. StartupNation, a business advice and social networking site for entrepreneurs, and Microsoft Office Live Small Business, a Web service that helps small businesses take, promote and manage their businesses online, have ranked the top businesses after organizing them into 10 categories such as Most Innovative, Greenest, and Boomers Back in Business. The Home-Based 100 celebrates the innovative, nimble and resourceful home-based entrepreneurs who have gone largely unrecognized until now. The full results of the Home-Based 100 ranking are available on StartupNation's Web site at http://www.startupnation.com/hb100. "Although large companies often grab the headlines, home-based businesses today are thriving," said Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation. "Millions of people are following their passions through entrepreneurship by pursuing innovative, sound business ideas." A recent study by research firm Access Markets International (AMI) Partners Inc. reported that there are 16.5 million home-based businesses in the United States -- an all-time high. Sloan said this is due in part to a number of trends, from baby boomers retiring from their primary jobs and starting their own businesses to parents who want to work from home to spend more time with their families. In fact, the AMI data reveals the top two motives for forming a home-based business are the freedom of running one's own business and the desire to have more control over personal/family time. The StartupNation Home-Based 100, composed of 10 top-ten lists, presents a unique look at the nation's top home-based businesses. Category winners span a wide range of revenue levels, sectors, ages and other characteristics. For complete information regarding the home-based business winners, visit the website for StartupNation at http://www.startupnation.com, or visit Microsoft Office Live Small Business at http://smallbusiness.officelive.com. | 
