| If
you are planning on beginning a business, your best bet is to start
out part-time while you are still earning a full-time income at your
present job. If you are like most people who are existing from payday
to payday -- you don't have a lot of money to invest in a full-time
business. No need to worry! Just use your favorite hobby as your business
base and grow from there! There's no telling where you'll be at 2
or 3 years down the road. Perhaps you can even tell your present boss
to "take that job and shove it." Wouldn't that be great?
Using your present hobby or favorite pastime as your business
base has many benefits. Why? Because ANY business you decide to
become involved in should be doing something you LOVE -- something
you believe in -- something that you would work at NO MATTER what
income it would generate. This will give you the stamina to see
your business through the beginning hard times and times when there
is more work to do than you can handle. We all know the feeling
of doing a job that we hate to do. There is no way we can give it
110% of our abilities because we procrastinate getting through it
and just want to get it over with. That's why it is vitally important
to dearly love the product or service you have chosen to build your
business around.
Do you like cooking? Start a recipe newsletter for others who
like the same thing and sell your recipes by publishing a simple
booklet. Do you enjoy making crafts? Sell them through mail order
(be sure and mark up the price for shipping and handling). Do you
enjoy working on cars? Print and distribute flyers in your neighborhood
listing your prices. Offer a coupon discount for the customer to
use on their first auto repair job. Do you enjoy writing? Write
a small booklet or how-to manual and sell it through mail order
or to multi-level enthusiasts. Do you enjoy computer programming?
Write a program and sell through shareware groups or even to mail
order computer owners.
Yes -- just about anything you love doing can be magically transformed
into a business opportunity for you. Some items may only sell well
in your neighborhood, while some products and services do well in
mail order. If you decide to sell through mail order, all you need
to do is write a simple ad and have it typeset. Start out with a
smaller 1-inch, 2-inch or 3-inch ad. Ask the customer to send a
"first-class stamp" or "$1.00" for more information. When they write
you, include a 8 1/2x11 sheet detailing your prices. Make sure you
have a small order form to make it easy to order your product or
service. And of course -- include a cover letter stating that you
appreciate their inquiry and look forward to doing business with
them in the near future. You'd be surprised how many sales have
been lost because a business didn't take the time to write a cover
letter and personalize the mailing.
Also, start educating yourself by reading and researching other
home-based businesses. Before I opened up my business I read national
publications like "Small Business Opportunities," "Entrepreneur,"
"Home Office Computing," and "Spare Time Magazine." Although there
were some full page ads in there filled with hype (claiming to make
me $1 million dollars with a sheet of paper) -- the articles are
excellent. Don't spend more than $3 for information in the beginning
of your business because if a company is legitimate you should be
able to call them and discuss the opportunity over the phone with
them. Businesses that claim to put you in business overnight should
never demand a large amount of money from you. On the contrary --
legitimate businesses have nothing to hide and will not charge you
more than a few dollars in postage to learn the "whole" story behind
their claims. Instead -- use these publications, as well as books
from the library on starting a business to further your knowledge
of the world.
Another good move on your part is to invest a few hours by attending
a meeting that is sponsored by SCORE from the Small Business Administration
in your area. It's free -- and the valuable information you obtain
from actual people who have been in business before is something
that will be extremely valuable in the months ahead. Just call the
SBA to find out more information.
Yes -- it's that easy! Of course, this is only the beginning.
As with any hobby, it will take time (probably many months) to realize
a profit but think of it this way: Most people that have a hobby
know they have to spend money to take part in their hobby. It only
makes sense to invest money in advertising your hobby to others
so you can eventually make some of that money back in sales for
your own business! |
