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It may seem daunting to start a business from home, but taken one step at a time, it can be an exciting and rewarding enterprise.
You Are Your Business
When you start a business from home, the first and most core concept to embrace is that you are your business. Not your product, service or opportunity, but you. Now that’s a neat little phrase, and in fact, one I often repeat to myself, like a mantra. What does it really mean? All business is built on relationships. This is a basic tenet of the work of
Dale Carnegie,
who you might say wrote the book on sales and marketing. Lets look at an example of how this works. That Personal Touch For many years my favorite restaurant was right in my neighborhood, walking distance from my house. In a relaxed atmosphere they served tasty Thai cuisine, at reasonable prices. The owner came to know me, learned my name, knew my favorite dish. Every time I walked in I was greeted personally. When I wanted to go out for dinner, that restaurant was often my first pick. And then things changed. The original owner retired and the restaurant changed hands. Under the new management, the menu is similar, the décor very sweet, the food just as good, and the service is fine. I still enjoy Thai food and the restaurant remains a short walk from my house. Yet I dine there far less often. Why? Because it wasn’t just about the menu. It’s a People Business Everyone wants to do business with someone they know and trust. When you work from home, with the internet as your pathway, your first contact with a potential lead is often via email. While convenient, it is a fairly impersonal way of relating. The telephone still rules! Set up that second contact quickly, and do it via phone. Let them know there is a real person behind your website (blog, ezine). Open the door, invite them in and greet them by name.
A Good Home Office
Having a pleasant, organized office is essential. Here are the basic requirements to start an Internet-based home business.
Work Space
This is home base.
You must be able to focus
with little or no distraction. Some people like to work
at the kitchen table, others dedicate an entire room.
It need not be fancy, it just needs to work well for you.
Computer with High Speed Internet Access
For the internet entrepreneur: This is your lifeline.
You can access the internet through your local library for a while, but eventually you will need your own setup. This is a must. Telephone with good long distance plan
The business relationship grows on the phone.
Mobile phones are often popular, but again, not required.
A good long distance plan, however, is a must.
An Action Plan
Access Training
This is key and it all starts here. When you start a business from home there is plenty to learn. Free training is available, as well as professional training at reasonable cost. All of this can be accessed via the internet.
Contact me
for more information on training.
Develop a Marketing Plan
This includes knowing your target marget, creating strategies and the tactics
to implement them, and developing a realistic marketing budget. A good
Marketing Plan
will go a long way. Next step? Get into Action!
Once you have laid the foundation with the first two items, you are ready
to hang out your shingle. Study your efforts, pay attention and revise as needed.
Sound good? Still not sure where to start? Once you’ve got the basics of your home office in place, start with your
Marketing Plan.
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