Imagine rolling out of bed around 10 am. You’re dressed in your pajamas and thinking about the movie you stayed up watching last night. You stumble to the kitchen, make some coffee and pour a bowl of cereal. Not in any rush, not worried whether or not you’ll make it to work on time. Of course you will – without traffic, without even having to take a shower. Why? Because you work from your home. Everyone dreams about it. Why not make it a reality?

The Benefits of Working From Home

Besides the aforementioned staying up late, not having to fight traffic or even getting dressed, working at home is an excellent career choice for many other reasons.

• You can be your own boss.
• You can write off part of your rent or mortgage on your taxes.
• You make your own hours.

Sound too good to be true? It’s not!

How to Get Started

Before you quit your day job, consider investing six months of your spare time on weekends and evenings trying out your new business. That way, you have time to learn about running a small company without the pressure of it supporting you right away. The fact is, most small businesses fail. It’s important for you to have clearly designed goals.

Ask yourself:

• How many hours do I want to work per week?
• How much money do I need/want to pull in?
• How long will it take for me to see a profit?

These questions will give you a good idea of where you want to go and what you need to do to get there. Above, I suggested not quitting your day job until you’ve tried out your new business. Some people may discover that they never want to quit their day job – they’re just looking for something fun to try on the side.

Deciding on Your Company

First, you need an idea. You need to figure out exactly what it is you are interested in doing! Start by making a list of all the things you’re interested in, things you do in your spare time. These could be things like shopping for bargains, working on your novel, painting the garage.

Then, take a good long look at that list and start brainstorming. If you’re a bargain shopper, evaluate how that could make you money! Could you shop for deals and open an online store? Have a weekly yard sale? Offer a personal shopping service? Take five of your favorite activities and write all the options of ways they could make you money. Now, look over those five activities with all their potential and put the list away. Don’t think about it for a day or two.

Believe it or not, the mind continues working out problems whether you think you’re solving them or not. Now that a day or two has passed, note which ideas are still in your head. The best ones will have marinated and developed into something even better than the original. These are the ideas you really want to consider. Run them by a friend that you trust – sometimes mail order pets sounds like a great idea but objective feedback will help you realize it’s not.

Legal Stuff

Okay, now that you have decided what you want your company to be, it is important to check in with your city and state to find out what the laws are.

Sometimes, if you’re opening a company that’s not under your name, you have to list it in a paper under Doing Business As... The Name of Your Company. Here’s a tip on this – choose the smallest circulation possible. Those usually charge the least amount of money for such an ad while still meeting the requirements of the law. In a lot of places, you have to have an actual small business license to have a company, no matter how insignificant you may think your company is. Better to be safe than sorry.

Contact your city council or chamber of commerce to find out exactly what you need to do now to save yourself grief later. Also, it’s time to start considering whether or not you are going to open up a business account for your company at the bank. If you do this, it will easier for you to keep track of your profits and losses at tax time. You can also obtain checks with your company’s name on them.

Utilize the Web

Alright, you have taken care of the tedious, necessary details. Now it’s time to have fun!

There’s nothing that gives a company more authenticity than a website. You do not have to be a computer genius to have a website. In fact, there are many computer geniuses out there who realized that supplying the non-genius an opportunity to develop a site quick and easily would one day be a money-maker. So, search the web and compare prices – you’ll find all sorts of domains where you can choose your company’s name and easily create a website using the resources they have supplied you with.

Advertise

Start small!

• Get business cards printed up or, if you are savvy, print them up yourself. Hand them out to anyone and everyone and before you know it, word of your company will spread.
• Print up flyers and post them in areas where the people you are targeting will notice them. Brightly colored and informative are key.
• Volunteer to be a donator for local events, there’s no better way to get your name out there! If you have developed a product that’s tangible, try and include it in local silent auctions or raffles. If you’re providing a service, offer discount coupons. The important thing is to let people try your product, that way they will know how great it is!

Enjoying Your New Company

Before you know it, the above steps will have helped make your dream of starting your small business a reality. Whether a huge success or a small one, be proud of yourself for your accomplishment. Many people only dream of taking that plunge – good for you for doing it!