– I want to be my own boss and start a business from home.
– I’ve been looking for a job for months and I’m thinking of setting up something of my own.
– I have small children and would like to work from home.
– I have had this idea for years and I would like to make it a reality.
These and other phrases are common among entrepreneurs around the world; however, it is not always certain how or where to start a business from home.
We are not talking about false promises of “easy work, flexible hours and earning what you want”, like those offers to fill out online surveys or sell catalog stuff to your friends. The best business from home is the one that you start with your means.
Today we will talk about how you can start your own business starting at home, step by step, to do it successfully:
Evaluate your talents ( soft skills )
The first step is to think of things that you are generally good at. Own talents that are inherent to your personality.
For example, you may be very creative, someone who is very good at serving people, or someone who has great communication skills. Those innate talents are the fundamental foundation for any successful business venture.
If you have never been self-employed before, you may need to think about it a bit more to determine if you have the profile of an entrepreneur.
Some common traits that are necessary for this are:
- Self-motivation
- self-sufficiency
- Perseverance
- Proactivity
- Able to deal with uncertainty
- good resource manager
- Ease of resolving conflicts
In addition, you must be flexible, open to change, and easily adaptable. If you have this, you already have many points in favor.
Evaluate your skills
This part refers to the knowledge acquired through your studies, work experience, or self-taught.
The difference between talents and skills is that talents refer to personal traits and skills are specific knowledge in a certain area of work. For example, someone who is creative may have training or knowledge in design, writing, architecture, etc. Same natural talent, but different technical skills.
Make a list of the things you know how to do and that you have learned throughout your life.
Combine your talents and skills to generate ideas
Once you have thought about what your natural talents and technical skills are, it is time to think about what kind of business you could start with them. This process works for any kind of business, but we’ll focus on things that can be done from a small office or home location.
For example… If you are good at dealing with people and have a culinary background, the first idea would be a small local cafe, restaurant, or bar. But it could also be preparing food for home delivery, for example to nearby offices or schools.
If you have a talent for sales and manual skills, maybe you can start your craft store, clothing, jewelry, home decor, or even have a hair salon.
Or imagine that you consider yourself a patient person, with ease of expression and educational knowledge:
You could think of being a home teacher, setting up a workshop for school reinforcement, having a daycare or nursery, etc.
On the other hand, if you have a knack for organizing yourself and are financially savvy, you might consider providing virtual assistance or setting up an accounting office.
These are just some ideas of how you can implement ideas. Since you probably have more than one talent and ability, you may come up with several business ideas.
Don’t limit your thinking when making your list. List all your ideas at this stage. Discard options come later.
Evaluate which of the businesses would work from your home
When starting a business from home, you need to keep in mind that not all businesses are going to do well from a residential area. Some are simply not viable.
For example, if you want to set up a laboratory for cleaning products, it is unlikely that you will be able to do it at home, since some substances are volatile, slightly toxic, or other, and their preparation requires safety equipment and space to manufacture.
On the other hand, a business that involves a large number of customers coming and going could surely annoy your neighbors if it is a closed area or if the surrounding parking lots are taken over.
In addition, you must take into account what local permits you need to obtain in your municipality office.
Since you already have a list made, go discarding those ideas that you consider unfeasible due to technical aspects. If you are determined to start a business in which you can work from home, discard those in which the installation would need a separate location or in which you must leave the house to carry them out.
Thus, for example, if you do not want to move or it will not be easy for you, possibly being a home teacher or delivering prepared food should be crossed off the list.
Many people who want to start a business skip this point, because they have come up with an idea that they like and feel they will be good at.
Don’t make this mistake!
Otherwise, you run the risk of spending months of your time, effort, and money on something that ultimately won’t work.
Finding out the profit margin and making a business plan is important, but these preliminary steps are necessary if you want to start a profitable and successful home business.
Get numbers
It’s time to put your business idea to the test and see how well it can go. Maybe you have a lot of talent for something and you have the skills that allow you to do it, but if people are not willing to pay for what you offer, the business will not work.
- How much would customers be willing to pay for this product or service?
- Can I get enough income from it?
Many people do not calculate the profit margin before. But you must remember that a business is about generating profits. If these are not enough, you will never have the necessary income to grow it or to generate profits.
Go back to your list of home business ideas and evaluate the differences in profitability of each. If the answer to any of the 2 questions posed is not satisfactory, discard the idea.
Therefore, if you want your new business to be profitable, you must seriously evaluate the ability of your idea to generate profits.
Make a business plan to assess the viability of your idea
Some people have the misconception that working on a business plan is only necessary when applying for a bank loan. But in reality, a business plan serves to evaluate all the technical aspects that the business will involve. And so, determine if you have a chance to become successful.
Once you have chosen an idea that you are passionate about and that you think will work, it is time to make your business plan.
The market research and mental exercise you do while working on your plan will go a long way in making you successful.
In your business plan you should consider technical aspects, for example:
- Target market
- Distribution channels
- Create Eway Bills
- Input providers
- Resources you have
- Break-even point in earnings
- Price strategy
- The acquisition cost of each client
- Average purchase
If your business plan shows you that your idea is not viable, discard it, choose another one and go through the process again. Do not get frustrated if you have to review 3 or 4 business ideas before deciding on one that you see will work.
Now that you have well thought out the type of business you will have, it is time to think about the name and design of your logo.
Create your company identity
If you have already determined the type of business that you are going to implement and you have seen that it is viable, it is time to devise what your brand and logo will be. This part can be made easy if you outsource to a branding expert.
However, it is important to have some notions of what you should take into account to choose a good logo design. For example:
- The type of logo to use
- Colors
- typography
- The icon or pictogram
- How it will look on different surfaces
You should think about what kind of values you want to reflect in your company. Of course, it is not necessary that from the beginning you have stationery and promotions with the logo, but it will help you to make yourself known in advertising that you place on the network, the sign outside your home, or others.
Once you have it clear, you can request the help of a professional designer.
Get to work
Now that you have defined your type of business, a work plan, and your brand, it is time to get to work.
Start by acquiring the supplies that your business will need: a computer, a kitchen, hairdressing equipment, desks, file cabinets, mechanical tools., in short, any tool that you will use to do the job.
Designate the place at home where you will work and try to keep it exclusively for it. Organize everything and start making yourself known among your acquaintances and natural market first.
Then advertise on social media. Also, implement the necessary digital marketing strategies to make yourself known little by little.
An important point to remember is that when you start a business you should keep your costs as low as possible. This, to generate profits to reach and exceed your balance point as soon as possible. If at any point you need professional advice, it is best to outsource the service when needed.
This will help you refine technical aspects or organize yourself when you don’t know how to do it, it allows you to have technical advice at the right time, without having to hire a permanent contract.
Conclusions
As you can see, there are no shortcuts to starting a successful business from home. Don’t be tempted by those “work from home offers to do almost nothing and at any time”. If you want a successful business of your own, follow the 8 steps outlined above.
Remember that if you need professional help, you can always hire a freelance professional temporarily to help you with certain tasks or areas.