So, you want to start an at home business. Maybe you want to spend more time at home with your kids, maybe you have a disability that makes you unable to work a typical J.O.B or maybe you just want to get out of the ‘rat race’ and enjoy life on your terms, not someone else’s. Whatever the reason, you simply want to earn money from home.
Hallelujah! You’ve made the right decision. Now you have to decide what it is you are going to do and how you are going to do it. I like to call it The 3 Step Formula.
Step 1. Decide what you want to do
Step 2. Plan a course of action
Step 3. Put that plan into action
Step 1: Let’s say, in the 9 to 5 world, you are a salesclerk at Walmart. You’re getting tired of the long hours and non stop running. So you decide to start a home business. What can you do? What skills do you have that you can bring to a home business? Is it going to be online, offline or both?
a) You are good with people. That’s always a good thing. When you are running a home business, it’s you that people will be dealing with. You’ve got to be comfortable talking to people.
b) You are able to stick to a schedule. When you work at home, you have got to set a time each day to work on your business. Just like with a 9-5 job. You can’t have haphazard hours and expect to have your business boom. At least not in the first year or so. This is the time that you need to spend getting your business set up so that eventually it will run itself and you can just relax and spend doing things that you want to do.
These are just two things that you could bring. If you think about it for awhile, I’m sure you could come up with others.
After you’ve answered that question, think about what it is that you enjoy doing. Is there something that you enjoy that you can earn money doing? How about Photography? Sewing? Building things? Just simply helping people?
I’m just throwing out some things that you could do and earn money with. There are many more.
Once you’ve decided on something to do, it’s time for Step 2.
Step 2: Now that you’ve decided on what to do, you have to figure out how to do it. Are you going to get up at 7AM and work until noon, then go out with your buddies and party until 4AM? No, that won’t work. Decide on a schedule. Remember Step One?
To get your business started, once you’ve set up a schedule, you must get the word out about it. That’s called Advertising. You see it everywhere. How do you think Coca Cola or McDonalds got to be so big? They ADVERTISE.
If you have any type of budget (which I strongly recommend), you should put at least 35% of it into advertising. Put an ad in your local newspaper, post some ads in your local laundromat or shopping center, tell your friends and neighbors.
Once you have started putting out advertisements, you will need to be prepared to start doing. Have you got whatever supplies you will need? You should have some sort of inventory or supplies. Whether it be film, gas in the car if you’re going to be driving a lot, needles and thread. You have to have it ready for Step 3.
Step 3: You’ve got a business schedule ready, you’ve put out advertising and you’ve stocked some inventory/supplies. You’re ready for that flow of people and ringing of the telephone! Now, I hate to say it, but you just have to wait. Once that first order comes in, you’ll be busy enough so enjoy the time. Good luck in your new business!