When looking into starting a home based business many beginners are faced with challenges they never saw coming, and a few well placed tips can be worth their weight in proverbial gold. If you are looking into getting off on the right foot, or making sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew, take a deep breath, relax, and go over the following tips for creating a successful home business.Home-based Business Tip #1: What industries interest you? The saying goes that a person who loves their job never works a day in their life. The inverse is true as well, the person who either hates or even just merely dislikes their job will grind through hours of work and just be thinking about getting it done and going and doing something else. Especially with jobs that have no boss or schedule defined by management goading you on in your work it is important to do something that interests you and keeps you motivated.
Make a list of industries that interest you, and make a list of companies within those industries.
Simplicity is important when comparing companies. The simpler the marketing plan, the more attainable it is. Cross off any companies that seem overly complicated in the way they do business.
Home-based Business Tip #2: Know what you are able to give. Many companies publish flashy sales videos with the promise of giving the opportunity to make millions, and while this may be true the real opportunity is IN HOW YOU MANAGE YOURSELF AND THE EFFORT THAT YOU CAN INVEST INTO YOUR BUSINESS. Ultimately financial success comes down to effort. When considering any kind of home based business, remember that the you are everything from the CEO to the delivery boy. While most CEO’s are not fitting in business calls between soccer practice and ballet lessons, you are. So measure your ability to put out effort, and know what you are able to give to your business. This will inform what business you choose to become a part of. Find a business model that you can work with. This means that maybe you pass up the higher activity, higher pay models, and go for an approach that is more laid back.
Write out your daily or weekly schedule, and determine how many hours you can devote to growing your business.
Home-based Business Tip #3: Have realistic goals. Lets be honest, the reason most people get involved with home-based businesses is to make money. “My goal is to be a millionaire.” Awesome. That is a fantastic goal, but that isn’t going to happen in one fell swoop. Have monetary short term (1-3 months), medium (1-3 years) and long term (3-5 years) goals that are realistic based of your level of effort. If you have a short term goal of making a million dollars, but can only invest 2 hours a week into your business you are most likely (notice I said most likely) going to fail and end up becoming discouraged. Setting goals that are realistic will keep you motivated and moving forward. Knowing how much money you are looking to make, with how much effort, will begin to eliminate businesses from your list of options.
Write out your short, medium and long term goals.
Cross any companies off your list that do not leverage your time and effort effectively.
Select 2-3 companies that interest you, have simple marketing plans, and don’t break your time/effort budget.
Home-based Business Tip #4: Look for leadership. The number 1 reason for failure in the home-based business world is poor leadership. It is vitally important to have a sponsor who is able to coach, mentor, and guide you towards success. You should feel comfortable that all the information that your sponsor has gathered is at your disposal. Stay away from companies that tend to have lone-wolf representatives, or that give a lot of focus on moving up the marketing plan without developing leadership skills. These companies are more intent on making money themselves than in helping you make money. Talk to various people within each company, as different personality types work better than others. Do not gamble your success or failure on a personal issue that develops between you and your mentor.
Interview several people to “qualify” your sponsor.
Select a sponsor who you are comfortable with, and who will do what it takes to make you successful.