StartupNation Honors Nation’s Top Home-Based businesses

Charleston, SC, November 25, 2008 --(PR.com)-- Leslie Haywood Founder and President of Charmed Life Products LLC, inventor of Grill Charms™ has been recognized by StartupNation (http://www.startupnation.com) as one of the top businesses in its annual Home Based 100 competition under the category of Most Innovative.

Many of the StartupNation Home-Based 100 submissions revealed that business owners are bucking the current economic downturn and finding business success in these tight times. Historically some of today’s most well known businesses started in a downturn, including Microsoft and General Electric.

“The 2008 ranking shows that the home-based business is more relevant than ever. The current recession has spurred a new wave of home based businesses as a response to loss of jobs, the need for supplemental income and the sheer passion for blazing your own trail and running your own show,” said Rich Sloan, co-founder of StartupNation.com, one of the leading small business networking and advice websites. “Home based businesses are the biggest block of all businesses in existence and we expect numbers to grow ever greater as extra bedrooms, kitchen tables, basements and garages become host to the innovative thinking and pursuit of success by millions of Americans.”

“As a first time inventor and entrepreneur, it’s truly and honor be recognized by such an amazing organization like Startup Nation. Especially in this economy, a lot of business owners are wondering if what we are doing is “right”. This gives me the validation to know that I must be.” Says Haywood.

The StartupNation Home-Based 100 highlights 10 top-ten lists making it not just your ordinary business ranking. From the wackiest, to the most innovative, to the best financial performers – this unique and diverse list highlights the home-based businesses that usually go unrecognized, but still play a vital role in the economy today. The ten categories for 2008 include:
· Best Financial Performers
· Most Innovative
· Boomers Back in Business
· Greenest
· Yummiest
· Wackiest
· Grungiest
· Recession Busters
· Most Slacker-Friendly
· Most Glamorous

In addition to StartupNation staff, judges for this year’s Home Based 100 ranking included Adam Lowry, co-founder of Method Products, Howard Behar, former President of Starbucks North America, John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing, Mel Robbins, host of Make It Happen radio show.

The full results of the Home-Based 100 ranking are available on StartupNation’s website http://www.startupnation.com/homebased100

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