Every single minute of every single day, there is someone in this country who is wondering if they can take their fate into their own hands. Tired of the cubicle farms, tired of the long commutes, tired of missing time spent with their significant other and tired of missing out on life, there are those who believe that working for themselves is the way to go. This idea in and of itself is a powerful one. It is the first step towards liberation and one that doesn’t come lightly.
Oftentimes, it is the work of social, cultural and traditional structures which enslaves us to work for others. Even the majority of school systems only serve to get us from the school desk to the work desk. So ingrained is this mentality that many of us don’t even think to challenge the notion. Well no more. If you are looking to break out from the 9-5 prison and are ready to accept the challenges and rewards that come with a home-based business, then it is time to equip yourself with the knowledge needed to take your first steps.
Surprisingly, your first step should not be to quit your current job. It’s going to take some effort and more importantly time to get your home-based business off the ground. It’s going to be hard enough to bring the idea from your head to paper to reality and attracting paying customers, without having to worry about getting food onto your table or paying for your utility bills. Stay in your current workplace for as long as you can handle it, but severing the cord. Yes, you will be essentially working two jobs, but it is good to keep in mind that your “day job” only exists to fuel the creation of your own business. In general, try to stay employed in your current job until your home-based business is bringing in enough money to supplement the majority of the former.
Next comes what is perhaps one of the more difficult questions that need to be answered before your business can even be given a chance to flourish. What should your home-based business be? The good news is that there are so many people on this planet (7 billion and rising) that the odds are that no matter what business idea you come up with there is a market for it. The concern is of course how much money are people willing to part with for your product or service and how often are they purchasing. To break things down, this step has two parts. The first of which is idea generation.
First assess yourself. What do you like? What do you do? On what do you enjoy spending your hard earned money on? No one knows your market like you, and once again, chances are that whatever you enjoy there are others on this planet that like it too. Next take stock of your areas of expertise. Are you able to perform something that would usually require someone else to hire a specialist or technician? Do you have a product or have an idea for a product that can be of use and value to yourself and others? Really spend the time to go through every option, role and idea in your head. Get them on paper and try to get really granular at what service or product you can bring to the table.
Come up with a list of potential services or products you can offer, then test the marketplace to see if customers are willing to spend their money on your business. There are several tools that exist online that can help with this, including Google Adwords and Facebook. In a nutshell, simply create a landing page online with a “Page under construction sign”, then create an add (the amount is up to you but it need not be a lot). What you are looking for is conversion from the add to the incomplete website. Set a figure and a timeframe that needs to be hit before you can consider an idea viable to pursue.
Once you have your business idea ironed out it is time to get down to the nitty gritty. A business plan needs to be drawn up. Once again, there are many tools that exist on the internet, with some even created by former bankers, lawyers or accountants that easily lay out what you need to show on paper for officials to declare your business sound. From pet photographer to florist, there are business plans available on the internet for almost any occupation. Once your business has been legitimized you can then start reaching out to your audience and start attracting customers. Marketing and promoting your business is paramount to its success. If you are not familiar or uncomfortable with this step then you are not alone. Take comfort in the fact, that there is an ridiculous amount of information available on the web that can help you with this.
This personal academic paper is written by CustomWritings.com.
