| 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! |
