rss
twitter
    Find out what I'm doing, Follow Me :)

Monday, August 13, 2012

Home Business Advice

By Peter H Learnington


Having a home business allows you to work the hours that you are comfortable with, and not have to deal with a boss that you don't like or that you don't get along with. If you want to start a home business, read this article for some tips on how to get started and then to maintain it!

Do not fall prey to all of the ads that promise you that you can make millions from doing a business within a few weeks. They are not realistic and you would be setting yourself up for disappointment. Understand that you must work hard and stick with it in order to make anything and that the harder you work the more you will make.

Check out your local competition and see what sort of advertising they're using in your area. If your home business is selling beauty products, who else sells them where you live? Do they go door to door? Do they sponsor any local events? Find out who your friends and family buy their products from and ask them how they found that company. (And then ask them to switch!)

Your office needs some sort of door or "barrier". Your office needs to be separate from the living areas in the home. This will be a mental and physical signal that your work space is separate from your rest space. The separation will help you to leave your work behind when you are busy with the rest of your life.

Become knowledgeable about what you do. You should be able to inform people about your products, but you should also do your best to become an expert in the area. Write useful content on your website, write articles to be featured on other websites and give talks in your community about a topic related to your products.

Home business is similar to most other businesses in that networking is still very important. Networking can help you find not only clients but also investors. Your network can also be a resource that you can go to when you need specific help with your business. It is in your best interest to maintain a list of contacts and to never burn bridges.

Set a work schedule. If you don't make up office hours for yourself, you will end up working morning, noon and night. Allow yourself to have some personal free time and set a schedule similar to if you were working for a company. Your social life will still be intact at the end of the week this way.

Do not pressure people into buying your products, especially your family or friends. Let them know about you do and offer them discounts, but make them feel comfortable about saying they are not interested. You should do the same thing when dealing with a customer: a customer who does not buy from you might come back later.

If your home business runs into problems with local zoning laws, you have the option to request a variance. This can be as simple as filling out a brief form about the business and providing some basic information. In some cases, your case might be publicly heard by city or county officials before the variance is granted.

One consideration for your home business should be creating a sign and having a proper one made for you. Just because it is a home business doesn't mean you shouldn't have a good looking sign to show where you are!




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment