Chris Durst and Michael Haaren
With unemployment stubbornly high and millions of people headed for an uncertain retirement, home-based businesses are a popular topic. If you're thinking about going into business in that spare corner of the basement, here are three tips to help you get started on the right foot.
1. Make sure your partner and/or family is firmly on board. Most small businesses go belly up, and too many of those failures are either caused or hastened by missteps in family relations. All too often, the aspiring businessperson catches the entrepreneurial fever and jumps on the horse, leaving significant others behind and wondering how their world changed so dramatically.
NATURE'S WAY WITH ENTREPRENEURS
Nature has its own way of encouraging entrepreneurship. For many, just to contemplate self-employment and an independent livelihood can unleash tides of optimism, exuberance, energy and joy. (This is especially true for people who have been employed for an extended time in an unfulfilling job.)
Suddenly, no obstacle is too big to stand in the entrepreneur's way. And what might have seemed daunting in a more sober moment appears a mere inconvenience, easily overcome or sidestepped.
But other people in the entrepreneur's circle aren't drinking the same mental champagne. They're still drinking tap water. Yet woe be unto them if they criticize the entrepreneur's dream too freely. "You don't want me to grow! You're too timid and afraid of risk. You've always said no to my dreams!" And so on.
A far better approach is to sit down with your partner and children, if any, and make sure that everyone understands and is ready for the changes that may come when the "new baby" arrives in that spare room down the hall. (Be warned that a new business is very much like a new baby.) Money, family activities, household routines and the availability of the would-be entrepreneur are just a few of the things that will change when a home-based business ramps up.
2. Pick something you care about and avoid chasing trends. Too many aspiring entrepreneurs are seduced by the lure of making easy money by chasing the latest trend. But the truth is, you have to be mighty fast on your feet to ride trends. Moreover, most people aren't nearly as good as they think at predicting how a trend will play out. Just ask all those folks who have tried to time the stock market.
Take the time to self-assess. Look at your life and think about what really motivates you. What do you do in your spare time? What sparks your curiosity or your stronger feelings? What kinds of books or magazines do you read? What do you daydream about? Have people often told you that you'd be good at something in particular?
It takes a lot of energy over a long time to succeed at business. Make sure you're tacking up the right "inner horse" before you set out on the trip.
3. Be prepared to get back in the ring. Most entrepreneurs fail before they succeed. In fact, the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a failure is often that the first one refused to give up after getting knocked flat.
The corollary to refusing to give up is that, figuratively speaking, "Lemonade stands are a beautiful business." Why? Because if you fail, it's not the end of your life. And many of the lessons you learn from a "lemonade stand" can be just as valuable and relevant as those you learn from a larger business.
Plus, instead of that mental champagne and a hangover, you had something much healthier to drink.
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is "Work at Home Now," a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BYCREATORS.COM
1. Make sure your partner and/or family is firmly on board. Most small businesses go belly up, and too many of those failures are either caused or hastened by missteps in family relations. All too often, the aspiring businessperson catches the entrepreneurial fever and jumps on the horse, leaving significant others behind and wondering how their world changed so dramatically.
NATURE'S WAY WITH ENTREPRENEURS
Nature has its own way of encouraging entrepreneurship. For many, just to contemplate self-employment and an independent livelihood can unleash tides of optimism, exuberance, energy and joy. (This is especially true for people who have been employed for an extended time in an unfulfilling job.)
Suddenly, no obstacle is too big to stand in the entrepreneur's way. And what might have seemed daunting in a more sober moment appears a mere inconvenience, easily overcome or sidestepped.
But other people in the entrepreneur's circle aren't drinking the same mental champagne. They're still drinking tap water. Yet woe be unto them if they criticize the entrepreneur's dream too freely. "You don't want me to grow! You're too timid and afraid of risk. You've always said no to my dreams!" And so on.
A far better approach is to sit down with your partner and children, if any, and make sure that everyone understands and is ready for the changes that may come when the "new baby" arrives in that spare room down the hall. (Be warned that a new business is very much like a new baby.) Money, family activities, household routines and the availability of the would-be entrepreneur are just a few of the things that will change when a home-based business ramps up.
2. Pick something you care about and avoid chasing trends. Too many aspiring entrepreneurs are seduced by the lure of making easy money by chasing the latest trend. But the truth is, you have to be mighty fast on your feet to ride trends. Moreover, most people aren't nearly as good as they think at predicting how a trend will play out. Just ask all those folks who have tried to time the stock market.
Take the time to self-assess. Look at your life and think about what really motivates you. What do you do in your spare time? What sparks your curiosity or your stronger feelings? What kinds of books or magazines do you read? What do you daydream about? Have people often told you that you'd be good at something in particular?
It takes a lot of energy over a long time to succeed at business. Make sure you're tacking up the right "inner horse" before you set out on the trip.
3. Be prepared to get back in the ring. Most entrepreneurs fail before they succeed. In fact, the difference between a successful entrepreneur and a failure is often that the first one refused to give up after getting knocked flat.
The corollary to refusing to give up is that, figuratively speaking, "Lemonade stands are a beautiful business." Why? Because if you fail, it's not the end of your life. And many of the lessons you learn from a "lemonade stand" can be just as valuable and relevant as those you learn from a larger business.
Plus, instead of that mental champagne and a hangover, you had something much healthier to drink.
Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is "Work at Home Now," a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BYCREATORS.COM
Starting a home based business has been your dream. The problem is you really don't know how to get started. Most people don't, believe it or not. This brief guide, though, will walk you through the initial steps of starting a home based business.
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