More and more women are turning their passions, interests and hobbies into viable home-based businesses. We all have something that we are good at and with the right preparation and determination, we can turn our expertise into cash. My passion and experience is in maternal health. So I've built my business around that. It started with one service and now includes 3 separate businesses all focusing on maternal health, specifically pregnancy, birth and postpartum. I'm a midwife, author of a pregnancy cookbook and sew eco-friendly baby accessories. Each one is a distinct business but they all work together.
So, how do you get started? First off, take a look around you. What do you do on a regular basis that you enjoy? It's my belief that the 1st rule of starting a business is loving what you do! That is what is going to get you out of bed every day to create, market and sell your product or service. Let's use cooking as an example. Each time there is a family get-together, a community event, a birthday, etc...you are called on to cook part or all of the meal. You enjoy cooking and love watching the smiles on the faces of those who are eating your food. Your food is delicious, people love it and surely will pay for it! Turn that love of cooking and your skills into a business. Offer catering for private parties or personal chef services, or if you have a specialty like cakes or cookies, sell those! The sky is the limit!
Getting the ball rolling is going to take more than ordering business cards from Vistaprint. Keep in mind that you will need some sort of marketing material to pass out to potential customers, so add that to your list. Do you need to be licensed or registered? Are you going to operate as a sole-proprietor or a business entity (corp, llc, llp)? Identify your target market (who will buy your product or service), how will you reach them, what tools or equipment do you need to get started (you probably already have the essentials), set a time frame to "launch" your business and stick to it!
One of the best things about working from home is having the ability to see your children grow and develop while building your own level of success. Work as much or as little as you need/want to. Is your goal to supplement the household income or to earn every dollar needed to provide for your family? Every start-up business has its obstacles. Success comes when you prepare, focus on the goal and show determination in making your dream of being self employed a reality. Many business come and go. Will yours be one of them?
Don't go and quit your job, just yet! Put your thoughts down on paper, get organized, take a business planning class or entrepreneurship seminar, fill your family members in on your plan and be confident in your decision. For a while you may have to keep that J.O.B. but keep your eye on the prize and you will achieve you goal!
