By Liz Folger, Work-at-Home Mom Expert
I feel like a toddler throwing a tantrum in the middle of the store sometimes. It’s just that I get so frustrated. My personality is such that I want it all – and I want it now. The only reason I admit such a thing is this – I know I’m not the only one out there feeling this way. Just so you know, you’ll feel this way with many aspects of starting and running your home business. Let me explain.
What type of home business should I start?
You’d think you should know this right? You should be able to wake up one morning, decide to work for yourself and boom – you know the type of business you should start. If only it were so easy. It took me about two years before I finally figured out what I wanted to do. I talk with other home biz owners that have several businesses going on or they change their business every once in a while. So this could very well be an ongoing process for you.
To figure out what type of business you should start will take some real soul searching on your part. Think about the jobs you had that you really liked. What about your hobbies, could you turn it into a business. Are you already doing something for family and friends that you could start charging for?
Read lots of books. Like books on home businesses and your other favorite fiction or nonfiction reads. Take walks by yourself and think. It’s sad how little time we have to ourselves. Those quiet times are great for thinking up new ideas and ventures.
What do I charge?
This should be easy to come up with right? Wrong, this will be an area you may have to play around with. That is after you figure in your cost of time and making the product. You may have to lower or raise your prices because of comments like, “You’re charging how much?”
I started my business, now where’s the money?
Because of all the business opportunity ads out there that state you can make hundreds of dollars doing nothing, you start to think this whole self-employed venture is just easy money. Think again, making money on your own takes time. Prepare yourself for the fact that your business will take a year or longer before you start to make any money.
I thought droves of customers would be knocking on my door!
Finding and keeping customers is a venture in itself. Often we make the mistake of putting all of our energy into finding new customers and not keeping up a relationship with the clients we already have.
Finding that first customer is not easy. Be sure you tell everyone you know that you’ve officially started your biz. Word of mouth is the best, cheapest and slowest form of advertising around today. Stay away from costly advertising if possible. Use free forms of advertising like press releases and flyers!
Just the facts!
The impatient side of me always wants things NOW, however the reality of being self-employed has taught me a lot, like patience. Don’t get sucked in to believing that you can have it all – right now! Self-Employment is a long slow process.
