Cottage Industries have long been an important segment of American Business. In fact, most small home-based businesses fall into this category. Merriam Webster actually defines cottage industry as “An industry whose labor force consists of…individuals working at home with their own equipment.”With the advent of the World Wide Web, new cottage industry home-based business start-ups are at an all-time high. There are currently more than 234 million websites, and in 2009 alone, an additional 47 million were created. Now, more than ever, businesses are heavily marketing online. Social Media sites are dominating the internet and smart businesses are using these sites as a very effective part of their online marketing strategies.Article writing as a means to advertise businesses online is proving to be a very viable work-from-home cottage industry. Network-marketing, social media marketing, Mult-level marketing (MLM) businesses- it seems as if every business has incorporated article writing into their marketing campaigns, so the demand for these writers is great.Article writing helps with “branding” a particular business or product. Articles are written and then published online as a way to get name and product recognition. It is a very simple, proven, effective step in accomplishing the “branding” that every business must have in order to stay ahead of their competition and remain successful financially.Home-based business typically do not require a large capital investment, which is why so many people are drawn to these cottage industry endeavors. A reliable computer and an internet connection allow you to work from home, set your own hours, allow a viable income while you work from home, and provide the life-style flexibility that so many people are looking for these days. There are many programs available online to assist you with your article writing as a cottage industry home-based business.There are internet marketing and coaching programs available online and the amount of marketing information that they can provide you with is astounding. A good, legitimate, reputable internet coaching and mentoring center will not come cheaply. Remember, you are getting what you pay for. If a program promises to teach you “everything you need to know” about internet marketing for just a couple hundred dollars, you aren’t going to get anywhere near everything you will need to know. A comprehensive internet marketing coaching and mentoring program will probably cost somewhere just under $3,000. 00. Many offer payment plans to make the cost more manageable for the average new home-based business owner. I tell people to think of this an investment in your education and future financial success. If you can pay someone $3,000.00 to teach you how to earn anywhere from a couple thousand to a few thousand dollars monthly, then your initial investment is actually pretty small, and can be recovered in a relatively short period of time. Pretty good investment, right?The beauty of internet marketing and article writing as a viable cottage industry home-based business is that, if done correctly, an individual can earn residual income long after he or she has stopped working. If you can expect a few hundred dollars to trickle in every month, you’ve got a residual income that will provide you with some extra spending money! Not to mention the fact that you will, forever, have the ability to be your own boss and work from home!