Ideas For a Home-Based Business That Work

Are you tired of working for someone else, of having to implement someone else’s ideas and getting embroiled in office politics? Have you dreamt of becoming your own boss but don’t know where to start; haven’t got that “great idea” you think you need?  Believe it or not successful businesses don’t have to be based on a unique idea – they simply have to do what they do very well and better than the competitors. There are literally thousands of options to choose from when starting your own home-based business and it has never been easier to become your own boss so, if not now, when?

Anyone can start a business from home with a PC and a fast broadband connection; young, old it doesn’t matter – it is more within the reach of everyone than it has ever been. But running a business from home is not for the faint-hearted and requires hard work and dedication, however, there are plenty of advantages. There are even businesses out there with the sole aim of getting “sellers” together with “buyers” who need their product or service so you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to start selling unless you want to. Though, believe me, after several years of working from home I take every opportunity I can to get out and meet people face to face. Yep, invite me to a meeting and I’ll be there!

So just what are some of the best ideas for running a home-based business?

The Ideas

• Online Retailer – long gone are the days when you had to have a shopfront on a busy high street. With more and more people buying online this is a very real opportunity to sell the things your love or the things that will make you most profit – or, hopefully, both. You can start out using eBay, Amazon or even Etsy (if you are into craft stuff) to showcase your products and start to build your brand. And don’t worry about storing all your stock – along with the internet revolution there has been a huge change in perspective about how and where businesses store stock. Increasingly a self-storage unit is a practical and inexpensive choice for storing business stock and it’s easy to compare self storage prices to get a good deal.

• Social Media Management – if you’re young and social media is a natural part of your life you could find established companies that need someone to manage their social media accounts (or even set them up in the first place)

• Become a Live-In Carer – if you are already a trained carer did your know that homecare or live-in care is an alternative to a residential care home where an elderly person remains in their own home but has a carer live with them 24/7. Such a job might even give you the option of renting out your own home for additional income.

• Consultancy Services – why not draw on the skills you already have and offer those skills on a consultancy basis to contacts you already have. This option enables you to put out feelers to your network while still in your full-time job so can seem less risky but do bear in mind that many companies or contacts will be enthusiastic about dealing with you as an independent consultant when it is just an idea than they might be when it is a reality so don’t just depend on your existing network to find work. Something else to bear in mind is that large organisations dislike dealing with a sole consultant as there is a risk that nobody can cover for you if you are ill, for instance. Many of the major consultancy firms actually have real premises not virtual offices to indicate that they are large capable companies.

• Tutoring– another option that uses your existing skills is to work as an independent tutor. Many large companies use associate or freelance tutors to teach the local language to employees who are relocating internationally so you would not have to start a business from scratch. If you have good contacts starting a full blown training company could be an option.

• Translations and Voice overs – yet another attractive option that could simply make use of skills you already have is to use your foreign language knowledge. There are options to work independently as a translator and for voiceover work through a voice over agency where you can work as little or as much as you like to fit in with the rest of your life.

Some Home–Based Business Stats

• There are over 18 million home-based businesses in the U.S.
• Nearly 7 million home-based businesses in the US generate 50% or more of household income.
• 7 out of 10 home-based businesses succeed (that may be a surprise to you )
• A home-based business is started in the U.S. every 11 seconds.