However, for shy dreamers who love the challenge of being independent but wish they could work privately without meeting customers, immense potential exists in what Tyler G Hicks, home-based business guru and best selling author, describes as 'home-business for loners." Writing fiction or non-fiction, for one, is an obvious example.

Writing can be undertaken with minimal infrastructure, a word processor or paper and pen and phone, fax or mail for client interaction. Arundhati Roy may not seem an entrepreneur but she let her imaginationspin in the private study for five years at the end of which she had a best-seller on her hands. If you have more modest ambitions, one can write and contribute to general and specialised publications, various information-related Internet sites (one would then need a modem and internet account, besides the telephone), key in data on a volume-payment basis, edit books, research papers and publications and even with some searching process large forms for companies.

Another profitable but unhyped option is knitting. Kruttika Sharma turns out intricate handknit patterns in wool for a supplier of knitwear to export houses and boutiuqes. Working about 30 hours a week gets her a comfortable income that allows her to holiday twice a year and spend long hours with her family. The wool and decorative accessories are supplied to her and she made an investment of around Rs 8,000 on knitting needles and accessories and garment holders about four years ago.

In both these businesses, the loners meet people onlyoccasionally in order to deliver or receive or order supplies. There are other home-businesses which loners can try their hands at. Here is one: Computer bulletin board: If you have a computer and an email account, you could set up interest specific site for people looking for related information . Assume the site you have chosen is related to college education opportunities in and outside the country. The information would list institutions according to their content, geographical location, specialisations, scholarships offered, educational and career counsellors, education finance schemes, placement opportunities and associated funds.

The key is to isolate a subject that people require information on, put it up on the Internet, use word-of-mouth publicity or run small classifieds in newspapers or send mailers to senior schools. The possibilities are endless for the deceptively unambitious.