| Do you have the most innovative home business | | | | India. |
| you've ever heard of? How does it stack up | | | | YachtPals got the award for the Best Slacker |
| against the 2008 winner of the StartupNation's | | | | category. Kim Hampton and her husband won the |
| second annual Home-Based 100 Contest that | | | | award because they base their business on a |
| pitted home-based business in a contest for the | | | | sailboat and have become the largest boater |
| most innovative business? | | | | social network and the largest source of original |
| The 2008 winners were in various categories, | | | | sailing news. |
| including, Best Financial Performers, Most | | | | In the Boomers Back in Business category, |
| Glamorous, Greenest, Grungiest, and Most | | | | VaNetworking won for being the largest online |
| Innovative, among others. | | | | social networking site for virtual assistants. |
| The home-based company that won in the Most | | | | Tawnya Sutherland heads the home business, |
| Innovative category is called the Kick-off | | | | which provides a place for virtual assistants to |
| Program, developed by Lee Lonzo, a former | | | | gather, learn and share about their professional. |
| teacher in Indiana. His idea is to help incoming high | | | | StartupNation is a free online service, which it |
| school freshman adapt to the trials of high school | | | | says, is made "by entrepreneurs for |
| by matching the younger students with high | | | | entrepreneurs." The site strives to be a one-stop |
| school seniors. Starting with one school six years | | | | shop for entrepreneurs. This is the second year |
| ago, the Kick-off Program now has 225 schools | | | | the site has held its contest for best home |
| across the country and he now operates his | | | | businesses. Winners of this year's contest were |
| business full-time from home. | | | | chosen from thousands of contestants. The site |
| The site's Best Financial Performer award went to | | | | also included several Honorable Mentions. |
| Fetch Pet Care, which grossed more than $3 | | | | One honorable mention winner in the innovative |
| million in 2007. Paul Mann franchised his business, | | | | category was SmartToyChoice.com, a clearing |
| which is an alternative to boarding pets when pet | | | | house of information about which toys are safe |
| owners go on vacation. It offers in-home | | | | and which are recalled. The website was created |
| overnight or daily care for any kind of pet. Mann | | | | at the peak of the toy recalls (remember all |
| has a part of 200 locations in 34 states and saw | | | | those recalls from China?). The way it works is |
| an increase in revenue of 241 percent in the past | | | | that parents enter data on a toy, then check the |
| year. | | | | database when they hear or read about a recall |
| The Wackiest Award went to a home business | | | | that may or may not affect the toy purchased. |
| called RentaWomb, the brainchild of Benhur | | | | What did the contestants win? Pride, free publicity |
| Samson of Chicago. He "rents" the wombs of | | | | about their business, and the privilege of displaying |
| Indian women for American women who are | | | | winners emblem on their website or business |
| unable to bear their own children. Surrogacy costs | | | | pamphlets, which StartUpNations says will add |
| hover around $100,000 in the United States, | | | | credibility to their business. |
| which can be done for about one-third the cost in | | | | |