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When Crissy Herron Gipson decided she wanted to work from home, she didn't know where to start.

She began looking for help online, but was frustrated with what she found.

"There's a lot of Web sites out there that talk about working at home from a mom's point of view, but there are still a lot of people out there that don't have kids yet," she said.

Gipson saw that there was a need for a Web site that catered to a different demographic and she decided to be the one to meet it.

"I knew from doing my own research that if I was trying to find methods to work at home, other people were," Gipson said. "There's a lot of people in their 20s and 30s that are maybe sick of the corporate world and want to start their own business but don't know how."

So Gipson created Indiebizchicks.com, a Web site that caters to "women who'd rather work for themselves than work for the man."

The site includes free e-courses and podcasts, as well as a member center, which offers two monthly guides on a range of topics dealing with home businesses.

"There is a movement of people in their 20s and 30s ? a lot of them are into the indie crafts ? and the Web sites that were out there really didn't appeal to that audience," she said. "This is a little more hipper, a little younger and I speak to that demographic."

Gipson's desire to work from home came from a drive for more professional flexibility. She wanted to live in Alaska, but still be able to take time off to visit her family in the Lower 48.

"I didn't want to be limited to just a two-week vacation. It didn't appeal to me, so I researched and I found ways to work at home," she said. "There's a lot of people that want that type of lifestyle. (Indiebizchicks.com is about) just letting people know that they have options, that there are things out there. There's a whole new American dream now and (it's) just getting that information out there."

Indiebizchicks.com focuses mainly on online businesses, from freelancing to selling homemade items online, but many of Gipson's tips can be used to help any small business.

"I do focus on the online aspect but these things can apply to any business," she said. "You can use the Internet to reach a whole new market. This technology is there, you just have to learn to use it to make it work for you."

Many of her articles concern marketing a business on the Internet and give members tips on advertising and using search engines to increase profitability.

Gipson started Indiebizchicks.com last July, completing her goal of learning how to launch a Web site.

"When I was 28, getting ready to turn 29, I said, 'Before I'm 30 I'm going to learn how to do this,'" she said. "Before my 30th birthday I had launched the site."

Gipson was raised in Flint, Mich., an area known for producing self-made professionals, and moved to Soldotna in 2001.

"They say that more self-made millionaires have come from my area than anywhere in the United States. So, that's just in my blood I guess," she said. "It is scary, but there's things you can do out there that make it a lot easier. If I can get national publicity and have 3,000 visitors sometimes a day, why can't somebody else?"

Gipson stressed the importance of doing work that is fulfilling.

"If you're not happy with it, it's still going to be a j-o-b, job," she said. "I'm not saying anyone is going to get rich overnight, of course. They're still going to have to work, but hopefully they will find a way to work that makes sense for them."

Although Gipson has been featured in a number of nationwide publications and her podcast has over 100 listeners every week, the success of her venture hasn't kept her from dreaming about the future ? she hopes to appear on Rachael Ray and Oprah.

"I'm certainly working on it for the next year," she said.

Hannahlee Allers can be reached at hannahlee.allers@peninsulaclarion.com