StartupNation and Microsoft Office Live Small Business Search for Nation’s Top Home-Based Businesses for Second Annual ‘Home-Based 100’

 Call for entries now open; ranking highlights the often unrecognized 16.5

                     million U.S. home-based businesses



    SAN FRANCISCO and REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 20 /EMWNews/ --

StartupNation (http://www.startupnation.com) and Microsoft Office Live

Small Business (http://www.smallbusiness.officelive.com) have launched the

second annual "Home-Based 100" to find the top home-based businesses in the

country. Home-based businesses interested in making the list can submit

their business profile at http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100, with

results to be announced in November.



    



    According to the Small Business Administration, over half of all U.S.

businesses are based out of an owner's home, and home-based businesses

contribute more than $530 billion to the U.S. economy each year. With more

than 19 million entrepreneurs currently running a business from home, most

experts believe this trend is at an all-time high.



    "2008 is the year of the home-based business. While home businesses

have long been the backbone of the U.S. economy -- surpassing more than

half of all businesses -- this year's economic pressures have accelerated

this trend and fueled a new crop of home-based entrepreneurs," said Rich

Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation LLC and one of the country's leading

small-business experts. "Our 2008 ranking of home-based businesses will

showcase these unsung heroes of entrepreneurship and demonstrate that home

is not only where the heart is, but also where passion, drive and

tomorrow's business success stories live."



    The StartupNation Home-Based 100 is composed of 10 top-10 lists making

it not just an ordinary business list. Including the grungiest, the most

innovative and the best financial performers, the unique and diverse list

highlights the home-based businesses that are often unrecognized, but which

still play a vital role in the economy today. The 10 categories for 2008

follow:






    --  Best Financial Performers

    --  Most Innovative

    --  Boomers Back in Business

    --  Greenest

    --  Yummiest

    --  Wackiest

    --  Grungiest

    --  Recession Busters

    --  Most Slacker-Friendly

    --  Most Glamorous



    "Home-based businesses are a growing and vital force in the U.S.

economy, and the Home-Based 100 has established itself as the leading voice

for recognizing and encouraging home-based business success," said Michael

Schultz, U.S. marketing lead for Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

"Many of today's leading companies, including Microsoft Corp., claim 'home'

as their birthplace, and we are proud to join with StartupNation to

recognize the future of entrepreneurship."



    New Category



    This year, a new category called Recession Busters recognizes

businesses that are overcoming the economic downturn. While 2008 has

brought new business challenges, including tighter lending standards,

higher prices for energy and weaker consumer spending, a home-based

business can tap the advantage of an agile, cost-efficient framework. This

unique category will highlight businesses that are not only surviving but

also thriving in the current economy.



    "Being included on the 2007 Home-Based 100 made my year," said Laura

Faust, owner of Ciao Laura LLC. Winner in the Yummiest category for

Home-Based 100 2007

(http://www.startupnation.com/home-based-100/83/8984/winner.htm), Ciao

Laura provides travelers with a unique opportunity to learn to cook

authentic Italian recipes through its culinary vacation packages in Italy.

"The amount of attention and new business that my company received from

this award is overwhelming -- from record-breaking Web traffic to

skyrocketing sales. It is incredible being recognized for the work that I

love and an honor to be featured in this list of outstanding businesses."



    Contestants must be home-based and also have a business Web site to

enter the contest. Sponsors of the Home-Based 100 ranking include Microsoft

Office Live Small Business and FedEx Office.

    About StartupNation



    StartupNation (http://www.startupnation.com) provides over 175,000

pages of business advice and networking for entrepreneurs and serves

millions of entrepreneurs annually. StartupNation is a free service founded

by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs with the intention of providing a

one-stop shop for entrepreneurial success, including blogs from a host of

experts, podcasts, webcasts, eBooks, award-winning step-by-step advice, and

more.



    About StartupNation's Founders -- The Sloan Brothers



    StartupNation co-founders and "chief startupologists," Rich and Jeff

Sloan, are two of the country's leading small business experts and ran

their business from home for eight years. They speak frequently at

entrepreneurial forums and act as sources for top media venues nationwide.

They are authors of StartupNation: Open for Business, published by

Doubleday, and provide their insight online at

http://www.startupnation.com. The Sloans are regularly quoted and featured

in media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune Small

Business, Entrepreneur Magazine, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News and many

others.



    About Microsoft Office Live Small Business



    Microsoft Office Live Small Business is the award-winning service that

offers a complete, affordable set of easy-to-use Internet-based tools that

help small business owners get online, attract customers and manage their

businesses. Office Live Small Business has more than 1 million customers in

five countries: U.S., U.K., France, Germany and Japan. More information is

available at http://www.smallbusiness.officelive.com.



    About Microsoft



    Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in

software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize

their full potential.