Many people start home businesses without realizing how much work is
involved. In fact, many people start home based businesses thinking that
they don't have to work at all! Running a successful home based
business takes work and planning. Here are ten tips on running a
successful home based business.
1. Realize that you have to work. You will not be a millionaire in two
weeks. You will not have instant success. You will be a success if you
work at it. You will get out what you put into it. Don't fall for scams
that promise your riches overnight with little or no work.
2. Keep regular business hours. Some people start out in their home
businesses working too many hours, while others don't work enough hours.
You have to work, but you have to work within reason. Putting in twenty
hour days isn't healthy. It also doesn't do your family much good - and
the majority of people who start home based businesses do so for the
purpose of spending more time with their families. Eight to ten hours
per day is sufficient. Tomorrow is a new day.
3. Get and stay organized. Organization is one of the many keys to
success. If your home office is scattered with paperwork and files, you
are not organized. Make it a point to set up a filing system that works,
and at the end of each day, file your papers, put away file folders,
and straighten your desk. Each week, dust your office, removing
everything from the desk. If you are organized you will look and feel
more organized, and you will find that you are much more productive.
4. Cut down on distractions. It is often hard to work at home,
especially if you have small children. In the case of small children,
the only thing you can do is arrange your work schedule around them, or
take them to a daycare. You can also try to involve them in your work,
giving them small jobs to do. Other distractions are friends, neighbors,
and family members who see that you are home, but cannot comprehend
that you are really working. For those people, you will have to be
direct and firm, letting them know that you are indeed working. Tell
them what your business hours are, and ask them not to intrude during
those hours - try nice first.
5. Get a separate phone line. For a more professional appearance, get a
business phone line installed in your home. Make sure that this phone is
only used for business calls, and when it rings, answer it
professionally, using your business name. This will keep many family
wars from breaking out - especially if you have teenagers! Have a
separate line for your computer as well, or a DSL connection.
6. Outsource work when you can. In the beginning, you will probably need
to do all the work yourself, unless you have a large budget. But
eventually, you will have the means to outsource some work. Don't be
afraid to do this. Virtual assistants are quite handy, and they free up
your time to do more marketing, or to take on more clients. Often, by
outsourcing work, you increase your income. Don't look at outsourcing as
an expense - look at it as an investment!
7. Don't work in your pajamas. You've heard the old stories about people
working from their kitchen tables in their pajamas. Maybe that's true,
and maybe it isn't. True or not, you should not work in your pajamas -
or from your kitchen table if you can avoid it! When you look
professional, you feel professional, and you act professional. This
doesn't mean that you have to dress up to go to your home office - but
please, do get dressed, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. When you
take care of yourself, you do better work.
8. Don't cut yourself off from the world. At traditional businesses, you
have the opportunity to talk to other people, exchange ideas, and have
human contact throughout the day. Lack of human contact is a problem for
many people when they start out in a home based business. You can
expect to spend quite a bit of time alone. But you can remedy this. Have
lunch with friends or old co-workers. Find forums where other work from
home professionals hang out. Just make sure you get a dose of human
contact everyday.
9. Marketing will take up most of your time. Make time for other things
as well. As a home business owner, you will spend about 90% of your time
marketing. That leaves only 10% of your time for administrative duties,
and for performing services for clients, if your business is service
based. For this reason, it is important that you schedule your time
wisely. Either set aside two full days for marketing each week, or set
aside several hours each day for marketing, and make sure that you have
time to do other duties as well. Without marketing, you don't have a
business!
10. Beware of burnout. Many people fail at their home businesses simply
because they get burned out. That is why it is important to choose
something that you enjoy when determining what type of work you will do
in your home based business. This is the most important tip for running a
successful home based business - make sure that you enjoy what you do.
It may be work. Sometimes it will even feel like work. But you should
enjoy it anyway!
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