Moonlighting has always been a double-edged sword. On one side, the financial perks are almost always a strong incentive. Those same perks do need to be measured against the opposite end of this double-edged sword: the risk of being discovered. Many employers have proven to frown upon the idea of allowing their employees to work a second job, and there are many justifications for such restrictions. Some argue that a second job tires employees to the point that they perform poorly at their primary job, while others may be worried about industry secrets leaking to the competition either directly or indirectly.

There is an alternative that can offer a secondary income without risking serious exposure, at least in most cases. That alternative is operating a home business. Starting a home business does not necessarily have to be very expensive, and in there are even options that allow one to work from home without even starting a full-blown business. While these options are few and far between, the idea of starting a complete home business is where the lucrative options are.

Before covering those lucrative options, consider the various customer service and creative options that exist on the market today. Such options include performing customer service tasks from home, copywriting, handling digital artwork, and many other tasks that are easily adapted to telecommuters. These tasks range from those that are not very different from their more traditional secondary jobs, such as taking customer service calls, to tasks that have fundamentally been more flexible, such as handling website and/or logo design.

Blogging is somewhat similar to copywriting, except that one will need a lot more talent and skill than just a flair with language. Technical skills, a fundamental grasp on marketing, and a firm understanding of how search engines work will all prove important for anyone who wants to start a home business writing about whatever it is that they want to write about. Affiliate marketing and pay-per-click options are around virtually every corner, but being successful in the long term is not as easy as it might seem. Furthermore, keeping on top of the changes that constantly sweep the blogging industry is time consuming, which means that only those with ample amounts of free time should consider blogging as a way to establish a secondary revenue stream.

In-home daycare might be an alternative home business for those who have a night job. Alternatively, babysitting in one’s spare time can also prove to be somewhat lucrative, especially if one can mix childcare with home cleaning and/or meal preparation. The ability to add value to one’s service can help vastly increase the hourly income rate as well as limit one’s exposure to competition.

There are some home business ideas that seem like a great idea on the surface but turn out to be scams or even illegal. Mail stuffing tends to be one of these, as many consumers have found out only too late. Another such home business that promises an easy life of working on the side but rarely delivers are the infamous pyramid schemes. Avoid services that offer sales opportunities that involve getting others ‘under’ one and sharing their profits.