A staggering 70% of all Australian small businesses are home based! That’s a lot of profit making businesses choosing not to rent or buy premises. And gone are the days when people think of home based businesses as “cottage industry” or “hobby businesses.” From my experience, home based operators are mostly made up of 5 styles of businesses.Start-up businesses who don’t want the additional overhead costs in the early stages of their growth
People intentionally capping the size of their businesses so they can fit it around their personal needs or family commitments
Online businesses with online shopping carts where there is no need for a shopfront at all. Perhaps needing storage and distribution channels instead.
Consultants with established client bases who generally work with clients at their premises.
Service providers like lawn mowing contractors, window cleaners and mobile hairdressers who complete all their tasks at a client’s premises – only needing to keep their bookwork up to date from home.I’ve canvassed a lot of home based business operators over the years I have been a small business owner, and these I hear are the 6 most popular reasons that business owners choose a home office set up:1 FlexibilityThere is no-one dictating the time the doors will be unlocked at a commercial premise, and if you plan to play golf every Wednesday, then your diary is full on Wednesdays.2 Family friendlyMany home based business owners organise their working week around school and family activities, so it poses no child care logistics and explanations for getting in to work late on any given day.3 Controlling your own destinyThere is no boss to answer to, no routine in particular to escape and no hard and fast rules of corporate life to adhere to.4 AutonomyMany home based business owners have told me the flexibility to change their core business to suit their clients’ needs keeps them interested and engaged. Plus you can morph your capabilities into new markets quite quickly if the economic climate changes or you choose to branch out more.5 Choice of clientIt is very cathartic to sack a client you find difficult to work with, and it is often the client whose expectations are unreasonable. Instead of being locked into nurturing company accounts, you can “choose your own adventure”.6 The uniformHow do you want to present yourself to the business world? If it pleases you not to be suited up then that is your decision to make. On the flipside if you are not meeting clients, then you choose how casual you dress for the day – any day not just Fridays.Of course all of these choices can become your downfall if you don’t exercise discipline, plan your time, network to source clients, form alliances and joint ventures where appropriate and complete work to the satisfaction of your customers. So… what works perfectly for some can be the reason another goes out of business.If you are contemplating a home based business, think carefully if you will manage the isolation and the self-discipline that goes along with the lifestyle. Personally I love it!
6 Reasons To Choose A Home Based Business Lifestyle
Start A Gift Basket Business As A Home Based Business
If you are considering starting a gift basket business as a home based business, I hope to give you direction in this article. I personally started my business from home, then operated a storefront gift basket store for 13 years, then went back to a home based business. For me, nothing can top starting work in pajamas, taking a lunch at home between errands, then taking a family break and working a few more hours at night in busy times without ever leaving the house. To me, being a homebody, having my gift basket business from home is a great match. I urge you to start a gift basket business as a home based business to save on operating costs then, if you are so inclined, progress to a storefront.
There are many steps to establishing yourself as a gift basket business in your local area and/or online. The first step is to choose a business name, register it at your local economic development office and get some business cards printed.
The second step in starting a gift basket business as a home based business is to plan out where in your home to put your setup. Whether you are starting out of your home in a spare bedroom or a garage, you will need to setup an area for your basket creation with extra room for holidays. An extra long table or two that you can pull out as necessary is fine. For your main setup area, you will want shelves to stack baskets, stuffing and basket accents as well as two counters or tables to work on. You will also need rolls above or under your work area to hold satin or wired ribbons, curling ribbon and a few types of cello. On your table, you will need a tool caddy with scissors, wire cutters, wire, glue gun and glue sticks and clear scotch tape as well as disinfectant spray and wipes. While I encourage you to get these basic supplies before starting up, I do not promote the senseless buying of a whole whack of products to put into your baskets before you have sales.
You will need to create yourself a portfolio so you will need to make a dozen or so mock baskets to showcase to potential customers. Keep in mind that to do this, you can reuse some of the content in one basket for another. For example, if you make a fruit basket, take a picture, then you can move the fruit to a larger basket, add gourmet items then take another picture. For the actual picture taking, make sure you setup an area with a neutral background so that your basket stands out and not the boxes of cereal at the back of your counter.
Five Steps to an Easy Home Based Business
Having an easy home based business is not the same as having a home based job. If you are trying to discover how to create a new job in your home then do not read this article. This article is about how to create an easy home based business. With that in mind let me cover the steps to create an easy home based business. First, you need a viable market. Second, you need a business system. Third, you need a product or service that can be provided from your home or can be outsourced. Fourth, you’ll want to make sure you can outsource most(if not all) of your business. Fifth, you’ll want high end products in addition to an entry level product or service.Making sure you have a viable market should be your first concern. Before you spend a dime on anything else you need to do market research on what it is that you intend to sell. Market research is not done by most home based businesses. This will save you a lot of money, time, and headaches. Having a great idea doesn’t mean that it will work. If your goal is easy then you should start in a market that already exists. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to start a new business before you know if there is anyone who will buy it. One of the great things about marketing that you will discover is that going into a highly competitive market makes it easier to sell, not harder. A good example of this is the diet industry. Think about all of the weight loss plans that are available. Jenny Craig, NutraSystem, WeightWatchers and eDiets are all weight loss programs that have millions in revenue every year. That is just programs, there are also weight loss pills, drinks, books, gyms, etc. Each of these have multiple entities that bring in revenue. The point is don’t try to reinvent the wheel find a product or service that already has a market.Having a business system will enable you to create a company that can be duplicated. It also acts as the silent boss. Having a plan and following the plan ensures that you will stay on the tasks that bring revenue into your business. It allows you the flexibility to train others to do particular parts of your business. Being flexible will enable you to start replacing the time you put into your business with systems that can be outsourced. This is what successful franchises do. When you buy a franchise, like McDonalds, you can follow the plan that they have to create a successful business every time. This is what you want to aim for when designing and implementing your business system.You should choose a product or service that can easily be done from home or can be outsourced. Drop shipping would be ideal. Drop shipping is the outsourced manufacture and delivery of product to your customers. In this case you have a product that is delivered by a third party in your name directly to your customer. Your customer pays you, then you pay the manufacturer and/or distributor. The important thing to remember is that if you want the business to be easy have an eye to the future. See your business producing your product without you in the equation. This will eventually lead to a business where your personal effort will not determine the business’s success.As your business grows you will want to make outsourcing your friend. Regardless of which business you choose you will have sales involved. Marketing, customer service, accounting, fulfillment can all be outsourced or even automated. In fact there is no aspect of your business that can’t eventually be outsourced. This should be the goal you have to achieve a business that is free of you. In this way you free yourself to take care of only the most important aspects of your business leaving you the time to pursue whatever you want.Having entry level and high end products will increase the per customer revenue. This is the key to being able to outsource. Ultimately you want to create a revenue machine with your business so that each and every month you create profit that can be spent by you. This allows you the freedom of time and space. It doesn’t get any easier than this.Building a business that implements all of these elements is fun. It is easy. So don’t create a home based job. Create a home based business by using automation and outsourcing. Learn how to focus on the activities that make a real difference to your bottom line. Develop systems instead of tasks. Make it easy to fill your shoes. Then you can move into the realm of business owner instead of being a business operator.