Home Business Frontiers - Find a Home Business or Franchise
Find home business and franchise opportunities where you can work from home. Search detailed listings of franchises and home-based businesses.
www.homebusinessfrontiers.com
Home Business Success Center
Resources for starting and operating a business from home.
www.nomore9to5.com
Home Business Web
Online provider of information, articles and reports on home business market opportunities.
homebusinessweb.net
Home-based Business Card Advertising Business Opportunity
Make big profits from displaying business cards of local businesses & professionals with our patented Q-Box Business Card Dispensers. Agents Wanted.
www.bizcardbox.com
Home-Based-Business.com
Information for people looking to start an online, home-based business.
www.home-based-business.com
HomeEnterprises.com
Consulting services company specializing in teaching people how to build a home-based business.
www.homeenterprises.com
Homeworkers Resources
Provider of information and resources for expatriate home workers.
www.homeworkersexpats.com
Homeworkers.com
Services include articles, stories and resources for the home-based professional.
www.homeworkers.com
MailingCirculars.com
Provider of home-based, flexible hour work opportunities consisting of sending mailings nationwide.
www.mailingcirculars.com
Small Business Income
Offer small business, home-based business opportunities, with guaranteed residual income.
www.smallbusinessincome.com
There is no business like HomeBiz
Resources links and affiliate programs to help entrepreneurs start their own home business. Provides articles with ideas and tips from people who have done.
members.tripod.com
Work at Home Success
Provider of information on telecommuting, home businesses and mentorship.
workathomesuccess.com
Work At Home
Provider of information resources on starting a home-based business or locating a work-at-home job.
work-at-home-toppicks.com
Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business Get your business off the ground without leaving the house
By Chris Stroman
Home-based businesses are one of the fastest-growing segments of small business ownership in America today. Work-at-home moms or dads, retirees, part-time
entrepreneurs and many others are discovering ways to generate business income from a home or apartment.
Starting a business from home boasts numerous advantages over an office-based location. A home-based business can:
1. Reduce startup and ongoing operating costs
2. Give you additional tax write-offs
3. Allow you the freedom to set your own hours and be with your family
4. Eliminate time wasted commuting to an office
5. Make it easier to conduct business at any time of day
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Make it legal
Before you start, make sure it's legal to run a business from home in your area. Every city, county and state has its own zoning restrictions regarding signage,
on-street parking, business hours and hiring employees.
Determine if you've got what it takes
Although there are many good reasons to start a business from home, it isn't for everyone. To be successful, you've got to have strong motivation, a healthy dose
of self-discipline and top-notch organizational skills.
I recommend: Take this quiz from SCORE to see if starting a home-based business is right for you.
Set up your home office
To help create a physical separation between your work and home life, choose a room that you can dedicate as an office. Every business is different but basics
you'll need include a desk, chair, computer, printer, fax machine, copier, Internet service, phone system and filing cabinet.
I recommend: Find equipment and basic furnishings at Staples or design and furnish your office using IKEA's "For Your Business" space-planning tool.
Be prepared to wear all the hats
As a home-based business owner, you won't have the luxury of a big company's administrative staff to assist you with the more mundane tasks associated with
running a business, such as ordering supplies, paying bills and mailing packages. Simplify time-consuming tasks so you can focus on more important things.
I recommend: Create online shopping lists for items you regularly order at Office Depot. Just check the items you want, and your order arrives at your doorstep
within a day or two. Make bill paying a relatively painless chore with Quick Books. Avoid lines at the post office with Stamps.com, which lets you print postage
right from your own computer.
Image is everything
Even though you may be wearing pajamas while you work from home, you never want your business to come across as amateurish or unprofessional.
I recommend: Establish a professional image with a dedicated business phone line, professional-sounding going message, email with your company domain
name and a Web site.
Separate your business and personal finances
Even if your new venture isn't a huge moneymaker yet, it's a good idea to keep your business and personal finances separate. Having business and personal checking
accounts will make it easier to track business income and expenses when tax time rolls around.
I recommend: Open a business checking account at Wells Fargo.
Decide on your business address
To protect your privacy, you may want to consider using a post-office box for your mailing address. However, you should be aware that some customers are suspicious
of doing business with a company that doesn't have a physical address.
I recommend: If you'd rather not use your home's physical address as your mailing address, check into a post office box or a mailbox rental that gives you a real street
address rather than a P.O. Box number.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
Strike a balance between work and family life. Turn off the computer and turn down the ringer on the business phone when it's family time.
When you work from home it's tempting to sleep in late. Instead, create a regular work schedule and stick to it. Your best bet is to work the same hours
as your customers. Your new home-based venture may not be profitable immediately so consider a gradual transition from employment to business ownership.
Start by running your home-based business on part-time basis to build your customer base and sales.