A home based business can be one of the most rewarding ways to make a living- if you do your homework, and set the business up to succeed. The average person thinks a business at home would be easy and convenient. Well, convenient it can be, easy it is usually not. You can however avoid the common mistakes of most home based business ventures by doing your homework before you start the business.
The first step is to decide what type of business you're going to do. What product or service are you going to sell? You need to make sure you've got an idea that your target audience will feel is indispensable--because if they think they can do without your gadget, they probably aren't going to buy it. You need a marketable, in-demand product or service to sell, or your business will probably not get off the ground.
Secondly, from where in your home do you expect to run your business? It will take space to operate a business, so using the living room as your home office means that you're essentially kicking your family out of it. Try to estimate the amount of space you'll need, and make sure you settle your business in a location that's good for you, your family, and your clients. This is probably an area where you'll need to consult a legal expert to fill you in on tax laws. How much space can you deduct for business use? Your local zoning board will have information on the permits you need to make such deductions.
Now you have your permits and you know what you are going to sell, next make sure you know what you must charge to make a profit. Many home based business owners make the mistake of thinking they don't have much overhead so they price the product on the low side. Make a list of everything from a percentage of the mortgage payment and taxes to the cost of the hour you take to clean the office once every few weeks. Figure in utilities (don't forget the extra phone, fax and internet services you will need), furnishings, office supplies and equipment, even the cost of maintaining your drive way if clients will park there. Usually, the over head in a home based business is higher than you think. Price accordingly.
Now that you have decided on your prices, you need to decide what hours of the day you're going to work; even though you work at home you can't be calling people whenever you want. So your home business operation hours must be convenient for the customers, preferably the same every week so you can be consistent and people don't have to wonder if you will be open at a certain time. Try not to let the answering machine pick it up always because if you never answer your phone they can easily go get your service elsewhere. One of the main parts of working at home is being an excellent customer service person and if you can't provide that you will most likely fail.
Make sure your family will leave you alone while you are working and they aren't bugging you to make lunch or dinner until you are off the clock. With all of this advice you should have very good luck and be able to start up and maintain a home business very easily. Another piece of advice, in regards to the family, is to not have the doorway to your office wide open for anyone in your family to walk in and bother you. Try to cover it with something at least, so that family members must ask or knock in order to get into your room.
You will need to establish a backup plan in case your business grows out of your office and you need an assistant to do the busy work. So think about your choice of office area when you are making the decision at the start, only if you plan on expanding though. Just make sure that you can deal with outgrowing your home office. Set up a plan to transition into a larger office space once your business grows to another level.
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