(BLACK PR WIRE) -- Whether serving as a computer-repair technician, massage therapist, computer tutor, business or career coach, technical writer, elder caregiver, virtual assistant, personal chef, or Web-site designer, African Americans are doing their homework and developing a predominant influence in home-based businesses.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, minority-owned businesses are growing faster than other businesses -- and black-owned businesses have been growing at the fastest rate of all.

This is good news for the African American community, whether you have a home-based business or a nine to five gig at a corporate office. But, doing your homework does have its benefits. By having your own home-based business, you can spend more time with your family, be your own boss, set your own hours, and not have to spend hours on the road commuting to work!

Research from the National Black Business Trade Association shows that home-based business is a $427 billion a year industry. That’s more than the pharmaceutical industry, food industry, and consumer goods industry – combined! Why? Because the sheer numbers of people in business for themselves that are working from home is steadily increasing.

Without a doubt, the extremely low start-up costs, flexible hours, and the internet are fueling the growth of the home business segment. As of 2005, as many as 150 million people, in North America alone, enjoy the freedom and benefits of owning their own internet business. If this trend continues, we can expect more and more African Americans to do their homework and get an A+!