Archive for November, 2008
Work At Home Success
A large percentage of new businesses fail in their first year. The more prepared you are when you open yours, the better your chances for success. What characteristics are required for a home business owner?
You must be a self-starter. Once you make the decision to start a business, nobody is going to make you do it. You will have to tell you when to show up, and you will have to enforce the rules. You will have to organize your time and strategically plan exactly where you expect your business to go.
You must be a problem solver. When your business is presented with problems, it will be your responsibility to solve them. Trust me, there will be problems, anything from where to obtain inventory to how to budget your money to be sure you can pay your taxes.
You must be energetic. In the early years of a business, you have to be 100% committed. Although you were striving for freedom, it may suddenly seem like you have less freedom than ever. Suddenly instead of working five days a week, you’re working seven days a week.
You must be decisive. Your business decisions must be made, and they must be made by you. You may need to make important decisions under pressure, long before you really know what you’re doing.
You must have a clear vision. A very wise person once said, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” It is often recommended that you have a business plan before you get started. At the very least you should have clearly mapped out a plan mentally of where you expect to be in a year or five years and what it’s going to take to get there.
As a new entrepreneur, arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Study www.sba.gov for a lot of ideas and roadmaps. According to the SBA, about 50% of all new businesses fail in the first five years. Lack of experience is at the top of the list for the reason why. Lack of capital comes in a close second.
Many new business owners underestimate what is really involved in running a home business, then they get discouraged and quit. You don’t have to be one of them. Obtain as much knowledge as possible. Recognize that you are learning, treat mistakes as opportunities and be persistent.
If you have passion and drive, you can make it happen.
One possibility is an internet business. Learn more in my next post.
Starting Your Own Home Business - Part 2
How do you know what kind of home business to start? Here are some ideas to answer that question.
Focus on something you are passionate about. Whatever makes you become excited and animated when you talk about it, there’s a good chance that’s your niche. You are looking for something you would throw your whole heart and soul into. What makes your pulse quicken with excitement when you think about it? If you can’t get enough time with children, start a day care. If dogs make your heart melt, start a pet grooming service. If you grow the best roses in the neighborhood, consider a garden landscaping service. Live your passion!
Focus on something you know. If you have exceptional office skills, consider advertising your services as a virtual assistant. If you have graphic design experience, start your own graphic design business. If you couldn’t wreck a cake if you tried, start a bakery. The more skills and experience you have in your chosen niche when you get started, the more potential for success.
Sell a product or sell a service. Ultimately if you are in business, you are selling something. You are selling a product, or you are selling a service. Products can be sold on eBay, through your own personal website or through an advertising campaign. Services can be sold locally, such as pet sitting, manicures, day care, etc.
Spend plenty of time choosing the right business for you. Sites like http://www.mybesthomelink.com offer a good place to start looking for ideas. The more research you do before you get started, the better your chances of success.
Even though the potential for greater income exists in a home business, it’s a proven fact that a large percentage of new start-ups fail every year. What characteristics do you need to become a home business owner, and how can you avoid being one of the new businesses that don’t make it? Read my next post to find out.
Starting Your Own Home Business
When you start considering working at home, the first thing you may do is look for a ready-made telecommute position. You probably expect working at home to involve performing specific duties for specified hours, just as you have always done.
Most people are quite comfortable with reporting to someone else just to have a predictable paycheck. Although there is something to be said for a steady paycheck, there are disadvantages to this approach. The most important one is this places a lid on your earning potential.
So what is the alternative? Greater earning potential can only come from owning your own home business.
Starting a home business definitely involves risk, but it also offers genuine opportunity to reach heights you have never dreamed of. A bit of entrepreneurial spirit can mean not only more money but more freedom. In a home business, there is no limit on the amount of money you can make. The only one holding you back is you. Once you find your niche, the harder you work, the greater your chance for income and success.
There is a price to pay, of course. Being a business owner requires an investment of time, money or both. It’s possible to go into business without a great deal of money, but the less money you have to get started, the more time investment will be needed. It will feel like you are going back to school – only you will continually be learning and there is no graduation date.
The next logical question is how do you know what kind of business to start? I will address that in my next post “Starting Your Own Home Business – Part 2”. See you next time!
Create Your Own Work At Home Job
Once you begin searching job banks for telecommute jobs, you may become frustrated when doors don’t open for you right away. You may hear from potential employers that they are overwhelmed with responses to their ads. Quite often an ad that specifies that it can be done as a telecommuter receives hundreds of applicants within minutes of first being posted.
For this reason, many companies don’t advertise work at home jobs. That means when you read an ad that doesn’t say it’s a telecommute position, it doesn’t mean the employer is completely opposed to structuring it that way. Some companies are considered “telecommute friendly” even though they may not put that in their ad.
Review job banks for telecommute opportunities. At the same time, approach other companies and propose to them that you work at least part of your hours from home. By doing this, you may find doors will open to you that appeared to be closed. This is one way of creating your own telecommute job. This will require courage and persistence and a refusal to be discouraged when success doesn’t come immediately. Keep trying!
An even simpler way to create your own opportunity is to approach your current employer about working at least part of your hours from home. This depends, of course, on what your current job entails. But it may be worth a try.
Telecommute positions are often offered at very low pay and with little or no benefits, or they may require specialized skills and experience such as transcription. You need to weigh whether a telecommute job is a good option for you if it means a significant pay cut or reduction in benefits, or if you want to invest the time and money necessary to develop marketable skills.
There are many other ways to work from home besides an actual “job”. Read my next post for an introduction to starting your own home-based business.
How To Write Your Work At Home Resume
What do you need to know to write a work-at-home resume? What should you include on a work at home resume that is a little different from a traditional resume?
For one thing, a traditional resume is geared to getting you an interview. For a telecommute job, you may never have an interview, so a work at home resume is geared to getting you the job.
Prepare the best resume you can, just as you would if your goal was an 8-5 job. Remember that you are entering a very competitive arena, and you have to emphasize the traits you have that are suited to working at home. Some of the traits needed are
- ability to work independently and without supervision
- self-motivated
- reliable
- ability to make decisions on your own
- ability to meet deadlines
What have you accomplished in the past that can demonstrate these traits? Also emphasize measurable accomplishments such as:
· an advertising campaign you prepared which increased sales by 15%
· a new program you created that streamlined work flow
The job of any resume is to sell yourself. Besides information about your assets and accomplishments, point out any special office equipment you have at home, or if you have a designated work area. Emphasize experience you have working independently. Tailor each resume to the specific ad you are answering.
The goal is to make yourself stand out among the competition. Make sure you have a polished resume when you answer an ad for a telecommute job.
Answering ads is only one way to find a work at home job. My next post will discuss ways of creating your own work at home job.