Tips for Providing a Home Business Service
With so many people recently losing their jobs and the job market at an all time low, home businesses that provide a service are cropping up all over the country and is fast increasing in popularity. It is becoming more and more attractive as an alternative way to make a living by offering a home based service because the start up cost and overhead is very low and all it takes is a little ingenuity and determination.
If you have an idea for a home business service that you are able to commit to, read these tips to help you get started in the right direction.
Don’t know what a Home Business Service is?
Let me clarify that for you.
A home business service is providing a service or doing a task, that will help out another person with a task that they either don’t want to do themselves, or are unable to perform on their own. A business that provides a service supplies the solution to a need and it can include anything from walking a dog, to cleaning fish aquariums, to figuring out a clients taxes. Virtual assistants have become a growing trend as a home business service.
I’m not going to cover the benefits of having a home business as it is already common knowledge. You already know what your own reasons are for wanting to work from home and why, so here are:
6 Tips to Starting a Home Business Service
1. Plan Your Business and Your Operating Budget
Start by making a business plan as to what your service will be and be sure to have a definite business strategy worked out. Set goals for the progress you wish to accomplish in measurable time frames. Use your business plan as a guide to help you focus on your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks and goals.
Remember to set goals that are achievable to help keep you motivated. Set your beginning goals in small time frame increments. Cross them off your list when you have achieved them and then add bigger goals to strive for.
Make a list of expected expenditures which could include office supplies and equipment, office furniture, equipment that may be needed for your home business service, advertising costs, bookkeeping costs, and any other expense that you can think of that will be relevant to your set up and operating expenses.
2. Set Up a Home Office
Getting a home office set up for your home business service is one of the first things that needs to be done. The first thing on the list for you office is of course a computer
Having a business phone is an important part of selling a service as you will need to be able to communicate with clients in your local area. If this is out of the question because of your budget, then add “get a business line added to home phone” as one of your short term goals. Then get it installed as soon as you can.
You will need an office space separate from the rest of the house, especially if you are planning to have clients come to your home.
You may need a fax machine, although you could do without one temporarily as it is just as easy to send contract documents via email in a PDF file format.
3. You Will Need a Website
You will not only need a computer with high speed Internet access, but you will also need a website. A website will be the way for clients to find you quickly. It is imperative to develop an online presence for your business. The Yellow Pages are quickly becoming a thing of the past, and the cost of running an ad in the Yellow Pages is often beyond many entrepreneurs financial means while in the start up process.
Having a website is much more effective than the Yellow Pages as you can get a site up and listed in just a few days, while you have to wait for the next publication of the Yellow Pages to be printed. Also, more and more people are going online to find local services and businesses than are looking in the Yellow Pages anymore. Finding a listing on the web is faster and more current than the phone book
Figure your domain name registry fee, website hosting fees, design fees, and online advertising cost into your expense budget.
4. Research Your County Laws
You will need to know the legalities for registering your home business service and for any zoning restrictions that may be applicable for a home business in your neighborhood. Every county in every state has different laws and ordinances. The county clerk may be able to help you with this information or will at least be able to direct you to the right place to get it.
5. Get a Business License
You can usually pick one up at either the county court house or the county clerk’s office. The license won’t cost you anything, but once your business is started it will be subjected to a different tax structure.
I am not a tax attorney and cannot offer any advice on the tax exemptions for your state and the Federal government. What I can tell you is that you will be allowed more exemptions that you are getting now for using your home for your business. Find more information online at http://www.irs.gov.
Consulting with a tax attorney that specializes in home businesses and web law is a very good idea. This cost should also be included in your business expense budget.
6. Advertise Offline and Online
Get some business cards made to hand out to everyone in your neighborhood that you come in contact with. You never know when the service you are providing will be needed by someone in the community. You can get business cards free online at Vista Print. You only pay the shipping which is around $6.00
Print fliers with details of the service you are providing and remember to include your website URL and your home phone number. You can pay a couple of high school kids in your neighborhood to pass them out for you.
Put fliers and business card up on bulletin boards at grocery stores, liquor stores, apartment buildings, laundromats, the post office, and any other place you can think of in your area, that will allow advertising.
Offer a free gift with your home business service. Vista Print often has promotions for free advertising venues such as tote bags, post cards, refrigerator magnets, etc.
Place small ads in local newspaper and free press newspapers. Place ads on web sites such as Craig’s List, eBay, and USFreeAds. Be sure to list your home business service with Google Local Directory so that you will be placed on their Goggle business map for your area.
Use viral marketing, email marketing and article marketing online to get people to your website. Submit a press release about your new business both offline and online. There are several free sites you can submit to. Do a Google search to find them. Until you begin receiving clients, spend all of your scheduled work time marketing your home business service both online and offline.
Once you start receiving clients it can be very difficult to manage your work time, your marketing time and your family time. Plan accordingly. Schedule business tasks that need to be done daily between time spent with clients. Set a limit as to when the work day has ended in order to spend time with the family.
I hope these few tips will give you a starting place to begin operating your own home business service.
