Yes, You Can Operate A Home-based Business

Summary: Working from home sounds great. But is it really realistic? Yes, it can be. Here's how to explore home business ideas and how to choose one that will work beautifully for you.
Author: Nan Hawthorne
"You Can't Make A Living at That!" Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow -- Eventually What's the Trick? Brainstorms Books Related Links "You Can't Make A Living at That!" "Are you crazy? You can't make money doing that!" These are two common comments, says Liz Folger, home business expert, and they're one of the reasons why many people believe they can't run a business from home. Others tell us we can't, and, unfortunately, if we hear that often enough, we may start believing it. We believe what we want to do is seldom financially viable. And perhaps that's why we become vulnerable to so-called business opportunities that turn out to be scams. We may want to sell yarn dyed with natural dyes. but selling soap somehow sounds more legitimate. Never mind that the idea leaves us cold. So we lose our shirts because we fall for two lies: that we can make lots of money fast and that someone else has the secret. The truth is that making any business a success takes time. And, as Folger, author of "The Stay-at-home Mom's Guide to Making Money," will tell you, the knowledge and insight you need to make it a success is inside you. All over the world "cottage industries" flourish. Commerce in this modest form is a time-honored tradition. Before the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the Americas, there were relatively few "employees." Individuals and families grew, made and performed goods and services for everyone else in the community. With the rise of factories, these cottage industries (or home-based businesses by our parlance) began to fall away for a variety of reasons. Factories could make and sell standardized items more cheaply on a mass scale. The demand for hand-fashioned products diminished at the same time our national and regional economies experienced recessions and a major depression. A job was now the only way to survive for millions of people. It can be argued that we are currently reversing the trend. Since the 1960s, people have become interested in supporting small, local businesses and original producers. It is "in" to have unique, home-made items such as furniture or clothes. As a whole, the economy has created a couple generations of affluence, making these more expensive one-of-a-kind products more affordable. And today's technology is making it possible to produce customized products on a mass scale. The successor to the Industrial Revolution, some say, is the Information Revolution. If that revolution includes using information technology as a tool, this is definitely true for home-based businesses. The Internet has provided the opportunity for artists, artisans, professionals and other businesspeople to reach out to a broader marketplace at a more accessible cost than ever before. Here's one example. It was nearly impossible for most writers to get published and paid for their work when both publication and distribution of printed material was controlled by large publishing houses. But now virtually anyone can self publish material. Similarly the music industry is in a crisis because now both unknown and popular artists have a way to sell their work directly to consumers. Styles of music are gaining fans t++hat may never have been considered marketable by corporate recording companies. Go to Top of Page Do What You Love, and the Money Will Follow -- Eventually We have all heard the seemingly "too good to be true" exhortation that, if you love your work, you will make a living at it. There are many variables that must be in place for this to come true, of course, but doing what you love is the best place to start. Then patience, hard work and resourcefulness will bring you a living eventually. Remember that even well-financed brick and mortar businesses have a statistically high rate of failure in the first several years. Folger believes strongly that, if you like and believe in your work, you will be more likely to succeed than if you just pick something someone else recommends. This is simply because you will be more likely to stick with it. You will be more enthusiastic and convincing as a salesperson. You'll work for the pleasure as much as the cash. She recommends that you look at your own childhood play before you decide to launch a small business. That will give you clues about how to make a selection. "As soon as I learned to write, I was writing poetry. That was very enjoyable to me," she says. "My husband, on the other hand," Folger continues, "spent his younger days running around the woods, teaching himself camouflage and tracking. He later joined the U.S, Marine Corps as a grunt. This past week he got his non-profit corporation set up to start an adventure summer camp for teenage boys. Being outside and teaching others about survival and being the best you can be -- that's his thing." That's what Folger recommends: "Do your thing." Similarly Barbara Sher in her series of books, beginning with "Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want," suggests that you look at what activities give you the most satisfaction. She cites the example of a woman who combined love for the Ozarks and photography by traveling and taking photos of the people and places there. This woman became a published photo anthologist. I love to research different topics and then write about them. At 14, I compiled a dictionary of Anglo-Saxon from a "name your baby" book -- not your typical pastime for a teenage girl. But I loved it, and I now research and write about many topics for a living. Go to Top of Page What's the Trick? First, you need passion for what you will be doing. Chances are you have already done it, know how to do it and are willing to spend time on it. "I love this so much, I'd do it for nothing." That's good because, at first, you will get nothing. And you will be more likely to keep at it until it starts giving you back something! Also nothing sells like confidence. If you love your work so much you almost don't want to stop doing it, each day you will exude confidence and positive "vibes." Nothing draws people like a self-assured, smiling person. Patience is more than a virtue here: It is a necessity. No, you probably won't start making any money for some time. And you may lose money at first. All businesses have some startup costs. Even Lucy in the Peanuts comic strip had to get the wood for her "five-cent psychiatrist stand!" If you want a steady and immediate income, you need a job. A business must be grown. Resourcefulness is a great plus. There is always some way around or over apparent barriers. At least it is certain that quitting without trying to find a solution will put an end to your dreams. One of the scourges of the modern world is what psychologists call "learned helplessness." The key to understanding this syndrome is to look at the word "learned." One is not helpless. One is refusing to help herself. And that is not a businessperson. Related to resourcefulness is being able to broaden your perspective to "look outside the box." Take the expression "home-based business," for example. Many might envision someone sitting at a computer day in and day out. But "home-based" can mean anything from providing a service from your home to having your home simply be the base for business that takes you out and about. A couple examples are training and flea marketing. Finally -- yes, we have to talk about it -- discipline. People who have home-businesses don't have lots of time; they just have more control over how they use it. Many such businesspeople work considerably more than those with jobs. But they can often choose to work in the dark of night, split their days into two or to work four out of seven days. And that requires a clear idea of what you are doing, how to organize it and the will and ability to do it. If you are doing what you love, you will find the seeds of discipline already planted within yourself. Sharon left her office job in the city to do what she loves: growing things, caring for animals and breathing clean country air. She and her husband bought several acres of cleared land in the foothills of the Cascades. Even if she had never planned to turn her new life into a business, Sharon would have been in heaven immediately. But she wanted to have a farm. Sharon had all the qualities needed to make this happen. She already knew she could farm because she had been doing bits and pieces of it her whole life. She gardened. She raised animals. She knew how to preserve what she produced from her garden. She knew from experience that farms take a few years to get really productive -- and that some years they would not be productive. She also knew she could not do it all herself. Since small farms are not the money makers corporate farms are, Sharon needed to be resourceful. So she broadened the traditional concept of farming to embrace the new trend of "subscription farms" in which people pay farmers either to prepare or allow them to prepare "baskets" of produce on a routine basis. Sharon's baskets have honey, vegetables, berries, homemade cheese and wine as well as an occasional craft item such as a straw doll. The work itself, as any gardener knows, has a built-in time schedule, so lack of discipline was not even an option. Sharon's subscription farm is in its seventh year and thriving. She and her family are so happy with their work that they not only make money -- they save it. They produce much of what they need -- and the doctor bills are practically a thing of the past now that their lives have settled into a contented, healthy pattern! Her husband, a counselor, will soon translate that peace and quiet into a retreat center on their farm. Go to Top of Page Brainstorms We are going to start a little brainstorming here about what types of work home-businesspeople can do. The key is to choose something that you like to do and that will be attractive as a benefit to others (to the point where they'll be willing to pay for it). You can continue with this brainstorming in the dialogue board that accompanies this article. Arts: painting, sculpture, calligraphy, music, writing Again, with the Internet, you have a larger marketplace in which to sell your creations. Freelance writing alone not only has a new medium, the Web, but a new place to find contracts. Crafts: sewing, knitting, alterations, clothing design, furniture making, candle making, soap making etc. The other day I happened on a web site set up by a woman who makes natural dyes from native plants and uses them to create incredible colors for the yarn which, yes, she cards and spins herself from wool she buys in bulk from another "home-based business." Foods: growing, cooking, preparing, assembling One man assembles gift baskets of gourmet foods he buys at wholesale prices and sells to corporations for their gift giving. One year he negotiated contract to make Christmas baskets for each of a health insurance provider's 2,000 employees. Information: research, database management, fact checking, news reporting, Internet radio station, Internet research, Internet issues tracking, transcription etc. I knew a young man who had a business which served local news media. He listened to his police scanner all night and reported any breaking news stories to them. Services: animal grooming and sitting, landscaping, errands, appraisal service, house painting, tax preparation etc. Busy people need someone else's help just to get it all done. One woman is a "personal shopper." She scans the shops for good deals on clothing and home decorations which, because she is an expert in this, knows what will look good on her clients or in their home. Experiences: camping, travel events, classes, sports, tours etc. Alvin Toffler in "Future Shock" suggested that it might be healthy if we each had a chance to stay in a simulated other-time-and-place (such as Colonial America). I knew a couple who put on Renaissance fairs for just such an experience. And a man started a weekend outing business where he took kids to local Los Angeles attractions like Marineland of the Pacific and Disneyland. Selling: sales representatives, call-center managers, realtors, flea marketers, business-to- business sales, agents, distributors, auctioneers, etc. Marci loves selling Avon products. She's loved Avon products for years. Avon already makes being a representative an accessible job, and she will be working with Avon to develop accessible brochures and catalogs. There are a number of people who make a living selling items on eBay and similar sites. This is, as the Titanic said to the ocean, only the tip of the iceberg. Use our dialogue board to help others and to get help brainstorming. Remember that no one else knows your passion and knack for your work like you do. And they are wrong. You can make a living doing "that"! Go to Top of Page Books "The Stay-at-Home Mom's Guide to Making Money: Choosing the Business That's Right for You Using the Skills and Interests You Already Have," Liz Folger, Prima Publishing, 2000. "Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want," Barbara Sher, Ballantine Books, 1986. (available in audio) Go to Top of Page
Related Links: Note: Accessing a link will bring up a new browser window. Close this new window to get back to this article Best Types of Home-based Businesses, AllBusiness.com. Robert Brown's Site Accessibility Review: Usefulness: Four stars Accessibility: Four stars Navigation: Four stars In addition to this question-and-answer section about home-based business ideas, this site features numerous online services, including newsletters and a growing library of information about developing a home-based business. These resources should appeal to anyone who is starting or expanding a business. The site is accessible. The question and answer format is easy to follow and well thought out. Keyboard navigation of the site is natural and intuitive. The hyperlinks on the site are equally well designed with clearly written alt tags. Home Business Journal, homebizjour.com. Robert Brown's Site Accessibility Review: Usefulness: Five stars Accessibility: Four stars Navigation: Four stars Here's an online publication devoted exclusively to topics of interest for home business owners. This is a rich source of information from taxes and innovative approaches to merchandising your products. This is an excellent source of useful information to everyone starting or managing a home business. The site is accessible. Links to articles are well written and very descriptive of the contents. Keystroke navigation is intuitive and easy due to the well-designed links which lead visitors to articles of interest. How To Start and Manage a Home-based Business, HowTo.com. Robert Brown's Site Accessibility Review: Usefulness: Five stars Accessibility: Four stars Navigation: Four stars This "Starting and Managing a Home based Business" section has the unique feature of jumping right into the heart of starting and running a business. From the first line of this page, the service is offering useful information about how to decide on what kind of online home-based business to start. Such an approach should appeal to everyone who wants and needs no-nonsense, direct and in depth advice and guidance about home-based business ownership. The site is accessible. It's hard-hitting style of writing that gets right to the point will be especially welcome to anyone using a screen reader. There is no needless chatter. Keystroke navigation is similarly enhanced when the user is not forced to scroll through pages of introductory and parenthetical remarks. This is a tightly written, focused site. Work@Home, IdeaCafe.com. Robert Brown's Site Accessibility Review: Usefulness: Four stars Accessibility: Three stars Navigation: Three stars On this site, Liz Folger and others share practical and encouraging advice about operating a small business from home. It contains a huge online database, which offers hundreds of links to information about owning a home-based business. The site's sheer size can be somewhat daunting. Despite its enormous size, the site is reasonably accessible. The best approach would seem to be to scroll through its voluminous hyperlinks, searching for topics of specific interest. Navigating in this manner can be tedious and time consuming. On the other hand, those who prefer one-stop shopping, so to speak, in which a single site attempts to deal with all aspects of business ownership, will undoubtedly find this site useful.
Register as a Member Back to Login Page

Yes, You Can Operate A Home-based Business

Author: Nan Hawthorne