How to Start Your Home Based Business When You Don't Know Where to Start

So, you're thinking of leaving your current job, or, unfortunately, the decision has been made for you, and you've been fired. Now what? As we all know, jobs are scarce these days, the economy is not what it used to be, and so many people are starting their own home based businesses.

The first decision to make, of course, is what type of business you want to do. What are your passions? What do you love to do? What would make "work" feel like you're not working at all? You've heard the old saying, "If you work at something you love, you'll never work a day in your life". Well, there's some truth to that saying. Since I've started my home based business, sure, I've been busy, very busy some days, but, I'm loving what I do, so, it never feels dreadful for me to wake up and start my day.

Once you've decided what you'll be doing, you need customers. Without customers, you have no business. You have to think about how you'll go about getting customers. Will you go door to door, will you join different networking groups online, or join meetup groups that actually meet once a week or once a month. Can you do cold calling? Call old customers, call old contacts, tell family and friends. Everyone will want to help you. You will need business cards, perhaps a brochure or pamphlet of some type. Maybe a flyer that you can distribute in your neighborhood. If there's a local community newspaper, think about taking out a small ad. See which stores in your area have bulletin boards where you can pin a card or flyer to. Once your customer base starts to grow, ask those customers for references. Offer a discount or free product to encourage this. Take advantage of any FREE advertising on the internet. Get yourself visible and known through Google. Learn about KEYWORDS and how people find you on the internet. Make a FACEBOOK page for your business. Anything you can do for free is great, just be aware of scams.

Once your customer base starts to grow, don't forget about staying organized. Get yourself a wall calendar, or a white board type of calendar that can be written on and changed monthly. Buy a good agenda and phone book so that as soon as you have a new contact, you can immediately write down their information, name, phone numbers and address. Don't make the mistake of counting on your electronic devices to store all this information. Sure, it's fast and convenient, but, we all know that these electronic devices crash and burn all the time, and they take all your information with them. Never to be seen or found! Sometimes, the good old fashioned way is the best. Keep your office organized, or whatever space you've reserved to work from. Keep pads of paper on hand, pens, calculator and any books or brochures you need to look through to get information quickly. Customers don't want to wait on the phone for many minutes while you sort through your junk!

Good luck with your new venture. Remember, all good things take time. Have patience, have faith in yourself and everything will work out!


Article Source: Jill Dascal