A recent on-line survey of home-based businesses in Sonoma Valley found a diverse and thriving segment of the local economy.  Sonoma is home to a variety of home-based businesses ranging from clothing design to software for medical laboratories to health & wellness products.

Among the findings of the survey:

• Flexibility of schedule, lack of commute, low overhead costs, and work-family balance are major benefits of operating a home-based business in Sonoma Valley.
• The perceived challenges to operating a business from home in Sonoma Valley are few.
• A majority plan to expand their business over the next two years, most at their current home-based location.
• Among the factors seen are most important to home-based businesses are high-speed internet access, cell phone signal quality, and overall quality of life.
• Sonoma ranks highly on these factors, and also scores well on being an attractive location for clients/customers and on public safety (crime rate, fire/police services).

A summary of the survey results is available on the Chamber of Commerce website.  The survey was conducted in September-October 2008 as part of the Economic Information Initiative, a project to develop more comprehensive information on the Sonoma Valley economy in order to better assist in the retention, expansion, and attraction of healthy local businesses.