Is the Home Business Legitimate?
When someone is looking for a home business, one of the things that they worry about is whether or not it is legitimate.After all, there are a lot of scams out there on the Internet that promise a lot but deliver very little. So how do you know whether or not a home business is something that is real, or just a way to get your money?
Research -
One of the best ways to know whether or not a home business is legitimate is by doing research. Go on the Better Business Bureau's website and see if it's listed there, and how long it has been a member of the Better Business Bureau. You also want to see if there are any complaints about it. This is one of the most reliable ways to see if the business is legitimate.
Talk -
Another way to find out if the business venture you are considering is a good one is to talk to others who have done it. But only do this after you have checked the BBB website for the business, because the Better Business Bureau has nothing to gain or lose. It's very important to check out anything that looks too good to be true, because it probably is. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who enjoy taking advantage of those who are too trusting. So stay one step ahead of them and make sure that you find out everything you can about a business before signing up.
Setting Up Your Home Office
Before you start your business in your home, the one thing that you should do is to designate a place for you to work.
The area that you work in should be free of distractions and have a laptop or desktop computer, some furniture, a cell phone, wi-fi, and, if possible, a bathroom. This way you will have everything you need until you take your lunch break. Something to remember is that you are 'at work' in this area. An ideal solution is to have every distraction taken care of. This means that you have someone looking after your child, if possible. If your child is younger than school age, hire someone to look after them during the day. This may seem strange since you are working at home, but would you bring an infant or a child into your office with you? Probably not - your boss wouldn't allow it. Having someone look after them while you are working ensures that you will get everything done during business hours.
If your children are school age and old enough to comprehend, show them that you are working, so that they know you should only be disturbed if it's an emergency. If they are still young, have someone watch them after school. This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but if you are talking to someone on the phone they won't take you seriously if they hear a crying baby in the office area, or kids arguing. Make yourself be a professional so that people know they can trust you.
With Your Home Business - How to Dress for Success
We have all seen the advertisements on the Internet about working in your pajamas, setting your own hours, and other things that entice us to want to work in our home. Even if you are not going somewhere, you are a professional person that is running your business from your home.
The first thing that you should keep in mind is that you should stay away from working in your pajamas. If you are in your pajamas, what are you thinking about? You are thinking about sleeping and that does not inspire you to work you business. It just creates no inspiration to do anything for you or your business and then you've accomplished nothing. Instead of wearing your pajamas, wear something that would be considered business casual. Even if you are the only one that sees you dressed that way, it will make you feel like you are working instead of just doing something from home. Something that those who work from home run into is that their friends and family don't think that they have a real job because they are sitting home in their pajamas and slippers, while the rest of the work force goes to work in suits and skirts. If you dress in business casual and someone does stop by, it will show that you are serious about your job, and that you have a real job. It will make you feel better and it will make them feel better as well. When you look like a confident business owner, you will feel like one as well.
Keeping Schedules in your Home Business
When you are starting up a home business, it's easy to ignore the alarm clock and get up when you want to get up. You are your own boss, you should be able to keep the hours that you want, right?
Wrong! This is a misconception that many who are going into the home business have. It is true that you are your own boss, but if you work from 9 to 5 one day, and then don't get up until noon the next day, people won't take you seriously. When you are setting up your home business, the first thing that you should do is to pick a schedule and stick to it. This way your customers know when they can reach you. This is good for business, and will help keep your customers coming back.
When you sit down to plan out your business hours, figure out a starting time and a closing time, and factor in time for lunch as well. If you were working in an office environment, you would take a lunch break so set an acceptable amount of time to be at lunch and stick to it. You don't have a time clock that you have to go by, but you will have customers who are counting on you to be available during the hours that you set. Just as it's important to stick to your time for starting, it's just as important to stick to your time when you will be closed for the day. It's easy to want to check your email, but unless you are talking to a customer when the time comes, don't spread yourself too thin by going over time.
