I have talked to so many people who have desperately wanted to start their own business. Whether their reasons were wanting to stay at home with their children instead of going into an office, to supplement their income by working for an hour or two in the evening, or to utilize the couple hours they have in the afternoon when the kids are napping, there really is a business for everyone (see listing at the end of this article for some great resources).
So, where do you start? My suggestion would be to take some time to think about what you love to do. Have you always been interested in a particular field? Maybe you always wanted to be a make-up artist or esthetician. Have you ever looked at a work from home skin care/cosmetics company? Do you like meeting with people or would you rather stay home and introduce people to the products online?
You can learn how to have skin care, nutrition or other parties, or simply send people to your website to view the products. Have you always been interested in health and disease prevention? Maybe you should check out a nutrition/wellness company. Perhaps you are more interested in products for children. There are several companies that sell books, toys, or clothing.
The key is to figure out what you would enjoy the most. I personally think it's easier to join an existing company, but you may have a great idea of your own! Maybe you have artistic talent and would like to design and sell greeting cards or gift baskets. Working from home can be such a rewarding experience. Especially if you hate your current job! But it does take discipline, and if you don't enjoy what you are doing, it is too easy to make excuses not to do it. There are many places to go on the Internet to check out home based companies. However, be forewarned. There are many, many scams out there. Listed below are some guidelines to follow:
1) Make sure the company has a good reputation. Check out their main website. Does it look professional? How long have they been in business? If the business offers a "ground floor opportunity," realize that it may never get OFF the ground! It always sounds exciting to be one of the "first" people in a new opportunity. Unfortunately, that is one of the ways scam artists lure you in. Don't get me wrong, it may be a great business, but let others be first, so you can be sure.
2) If the company requires an investment, what is it for? Do you get products for the money you are investing? Is there a money back guarantee? If you don't get anything for the investment, my suggestion would be to back off. It could be a scam where you only make money if you get others to invest. That is NOT a business! It's called a pyramid scheme and it is illegal! If you DO get products for your investment, make sure you get a money back guarantee.
3) To make sure the products work, try them first! Suppose you invest $100.00 for a "kit" of some kind and the products don't work for you? Could you really sell something you don't believe in? And this is where your money back guarantee comes in. I once invested $200.00 for a skin care kit that gave me a case of acne you would not have believed! The person who sold it to me suggested I get a letter from a dermatologist and maybe she could get my money back. I didn't need to see a dermatologist to know I was allergic to something in the product!
4) Make sure there is someone to show you the ropes and support you. There is nothing worse than having a potential customer ask you a question which you can't answer, and have no one else to turn to for help. I also suggest getting 3-way calling from your local phone company. It only costs a few dollars per month, and is such a great help. If you have a customer on the phone, you can press "flash" on your phone (or another button, depending on your phone) and get a third person on the line to help you.
Once you have made a decision on what you want to do, start networking. (There are several great articles about networking in the last issue, and one in the archives.) Let everyone know what you are doing. In my business, I refer people to a wholesale buying company for nutritional products. I can't tell you the number of times I have had people say to me, "You never told me you did that! I ran into Bob the other day and HE told me he gets his products from your company!" Shame on me! Tell EVERYONE! Get creative in your marketing efforts. I was at a resort last weekend planning a family reunion, and the activities director said, "We have several companies who come in and do facials or jewelry parties. Would you like me to call one of them to come in when your group is here?" How brilliant! I would also suggest getting a website (there are many companies that offer them for free, including AOL), and doing some networking on the Internet.
Finally, manage you time. If you are at Work At Home Mom, you know you have very little time to begin with! Manage it wisely. Set a schedule and stick to it. Get organized and try to stay that way. For more help in getting and staying organized, see "People Don't Plan to Fail, They Just Fail To Plan" in the archives.
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