Want to work from home but not sure what you can do? The Hot Home Business Directory helps you find a business to run out of your home, lists the skills you need to do it and tells how to get started and where to get more information. Read on to find out if this Hot Home Biz is for you!

What you'll do:
Design and market greeting cards.

Skills you'll need:
Artistic skills, copywriting capabilities, technical skills, often with both traditional and digital artists' tools. A reasonable understanding of basic printing terminology.

Equipment you'll need:
Traditional artists' tools (brushes, paint, pens, ink, drafting table, etc.), digital tools (a computer with software such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator). A good portfolio and sample case. Note that not all artists use digital tools, but almost all do, at some point, make some use of traditional tools. A collection of paper samples from your printer or stationer.

Start-up costs:
Up to $5,000 for equipment; $2,000 for printing and paper, $1000 for marketing. If you've already got the right tools, and plan to do most of your marketing by cold-calling, you can start up for as little as $400, about what it will cost to pay a printer to do a small run of a few designs. Note that some card-makers only produce handmade, one-of-a-kind cards. While this allows you to sell your cards for a higher price, and eliminates printing costs, it does make the process far more labor-intensive.