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I want to make the most out of my recuperation at home.

QUESTION: I'm recovering from a long illness and would like to work from home doing something that affords me a little extra money without taxing my energy too much. Any suggestions other than a telemarketing or online business?

Teri Pedersen

Stamford, CT

ANSWER: Many people recovering from health problems or suffering from chronic illnesses can work or run their own businesses from home more easily than taking full-time jobs with daily commutes and fixed schedules and responsibilities. In your own business, you can choose the type of work you do, who you want to work with and how much work you take on for a given day, week or month.

We suggest doing an inventory of your skills, interests and existing contacts, then brainstorming ideas for services you can provide from home.

For example, when an interior decorator we interviewed suffered a serious injury; she realized she would no longer be able to lift furniture and accessories as she had done previously. Given her decreased stamina and mobility; she realized she needed to change directions. As she assessed her skills and interests, she identified a new niche. Because she'd always been a collector of rare artifacts and already had contacts in the design industry; she decided to start a home business supplying other decorators with unique and interesting artifacts.

We also spoke with someone who was stricken with an illness that prohibited her from eating the kinds of food she'd eaten all her life. So she began experimenting with recipes for healthy versions of her favorite desserts. After getting rave reviews from her friends, she decided to create a line of healthy chocolates. The former model had contacts with upscale hotels and spas that cater to models and other health-conscious consumers-they became her first customers.

Both of these entrepreneurs were able to find ways they could work from home that provided them with the flexibility they needed. Here are a few other in-demand home businesses that meet these criteria: mailing-list services, bookkeeping services, computer programming, tutoring, coaching, technical writing and financial planning.

GOOD NEWS

Homebased collection agencies really are collecting.

After reading November's "What's Your Problem?," Michelle Dunn of Holderness, New Hampshire, wrote: "You say that operating a homebased collection agency no longer appears in your new edition of Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century (Putnam Publishing Group) because all the homebased agencies you had interviewed were longer in business. I've owned a homebased collection agency, Mad Collection Agency, for two years and am doing quite well. I used Getting Business to Come to You to get started, and I was recently featured in a women's magazine."

We're delighted that Dunn is doing so well. If we find others who are successful, we'd like to reinstate the collection agency as one of the best home businesses for the new millennium. Let us know how you're doing.

HOOK, LINE [ldots]

And sinker. How can we bait, catch and keep business?

QUESTION: My partner and I are launching a concierge business. Do you have any suggestions for successfully retaining clients?

Katie M. Klute

Richland, WA

ANSWER: Retaining clients depends primarily on customer satisfaction and keeping your service top-of-mind.

Consider what you could offer that would add value to your service. Ask customers what you can improve and, once you've made those changes, let them know in a newsletter--via fax, e-mail or snail mail--that explains what you're offering and provides assorted how-to tips. Send out clever postcards and announce reasons for customers to visit your updated Web site.

Small-business experts Paul and Sarah Edwards recently released their second edition of Getting Business To Come To You (Putnam Publishing Group).