Home Based Business Ownership

Owning A Business In The 21st Century
By Trina L.C. Schiller

Remember back when you were in high school, trying to figure out what you wanted to be when you grew up? Remember trying to decide whether or not you were going to get a job after graduation, or go straight onto college?

That was a time of goal setting, if there ever was one. Big decisions needed to be made; a future needed to be planned. It was a time of trying to figure out where you fit into this great big world we live in.

Are you living the life you had laid out for yourself, way back then? Are you in the career you dreamed of, a small business owner, or captain of industry? Or... are you working at a job you hate, for a boss you hate even more; making an inadequate salary, and wondering what went wrong?

If you fall into the, 'what went wrong,' category, you are not alone, and all is not lost. You can change the circumstances in which you are currently living.

Becoming your own boss is a dream that most of us have had, at least once, in our lifetime. Believe it or not, it is a dream that need not die. In this day and age, anything is possible, including starting your own home based business, even if you are on a shoestring budget.

It used to be a major undertaking to start a business. First, you need a business idea. Then, you needed a whole lot of cash, or perfect credit to get a loan for the funds needed. You needed a physical place of business, an inventory and employees. You also needed a lawyer and CPA to help you manage your business. And finally, you needed to spend big bucks to advertise it.

Today though, you only need the idea, a small amount of capital, a computer, tenacity and a business plan.

The Internet has made the possibility of owning your own home based business a whole lot easier. Your virtual office can be in your kitchen, your clients can be anywhere on the planet, advertising is less expensive and can reach more people, and you don't need employees. All you need is a product or service that other people want.

I started my home based business from my kitchen, back in 2001. All I had was a dream, a product and time. I had a lot to learn about the Internet, but that was the easy part. There is a lot of good information available on Internet marketing a home business.

When looking for a home business to start, the first thing you must do is to get the notion of easy money right out of your head. I said that starting your own home business was easier to do because of the Internet, but I didn't say it would be effortless. It is easier because there is less financial investment required, but the actual work for building a business is the same as in the offline world.

Be realistic about the amount of time you can commit to your business. If you only have 3 hours a week to devote to it, your business will grow much more slowly than someone who has 10 hours, or 20 hours to commit. So, don't compare your success or failure to others, because the variables are not likely to be the same. When you compare your progress to that of another, you are setting yourself up for frustration and failure, so don't do it.

Look for a business opportunity that suits you personally. Find something that fits with your lifestyle. For instance: say you are a fitness freak... then a good field for you to investigate would be something relevant to fitness, because it is something you know about and something that is not outside your lifestyle. This is why turning a hobby into a full time business works so well for so many. The last thing you want to do is to start a business in an area that you know nothing about.

If you are looking at existing Internet programs to build a business with, find one and stick with it. Don't jump from opportunity to opportunity, and expect to make money. You won't make money that way, you'll spend it, and get extremely frustrated.

Make sure that you have a place to work that is quiet and conducive to productivity. It is nearly impossible to deal with clients and prospects in a noisy environment.

Set realistic goals for yourself. Post them where you can see them, and review them daily. Ask yourself this: Did I do everything I could've done to grow my business today? If not, examine ways to improve.

It is never too late to begin again, and get back on the track you had once set for yourself. You can own a home business (be your own boss), get more education, or start a new career. It is all up to you, just as it was when you were back in high school. The only difference now is that you have MORE opportunity than you did back then.

Copyright © 2005
The Trii-Zine Ezine
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Trina L.C. Schiller : About the Author
http://www.trinaschiller.ws

Keywords: home based business, home business, business opportunity