Tips for Launching a Business You Can Run from Home

Being your own boss has a lot of appeal, but it’s even better if you can run your business from the comfort of home. Not only are operating costs lower when you work from home, it’s also great to have a nonexistent commute. All those perks are nice, but it doesn’t mean starting a home-based business is easy. The resources below can help guide you through the process of setting up a successful business to run from home.

Getting Established

Knowing you want to run your own business is just the beginning. To get your ideas off the ground, you’ll have to develop a business plan, think of your ideal customer or client and find ways to fund your business. 

You’ll also want to think carefully about the business structure you want. Your business structure determines what taxes you pay and what paperwork you need to file. Not only that, you have to choose a structure before you can register your business. 

Common structures include sole proprietorship, partnerships and limited liability companies (LLCs). For many people, an LLC is ideal because it limits personal liability for business issues. The rules for establishing an LLC as well as the tax requirements vary by state, so be sure to do your research to determine what’s best for you. 

Making a Distraction-Free Home Office 

In addition to establishing your business, you will also want to carve out a work area to operate your business at home. If you make and sell products or need to keep inventory on hand, think about setting up in the basement or converting your garage. If you simply run an online service, your space requirements will be much smaller and you can easily set up in a spare bedroom or other unused space. 

When choosing a work area, you also have to think about how to keep your work and personal life separate. This is hard enough if you live alone, but it’s even more challenging if you have pets or kids. BusinessKnowHow.com says it helps to keep regular hours and to make sure all business-related things are contained in one area. 

Finding Clients 

After putting together your work space, you’ll be ready to start focusing on running your business. Landing your first customer or client takes a lot of work, but you’ll need to persevere to be successful.

First, you have to make sure people know about your products or services. If your business provides a service like writing, consulting, accounting or just about any other service, it doesn’t hurt to make a profile on freelance job boards to find your first clients. You’ll also need to build and maintain a strong digital presence, but you’re best off hiring professionals for these tasks. Patrick Cox, The Cre8ive Consultant can help by creating a website, working with you to develop a strong social media presence, and build an email list using inbound lead generation to grow your email list.

You might also find it helps to run advertisements to help spread the word. Running ads on Google and Bing can be beneficial, but social media ads are often effective as well. Ads do cost money, but ThriveHive points out that you can also get free exposure on Google by diversifying your approach. Publishing useful content on your website or offering a free introductory consultation are just a few ways to put yourself out there. 

Maintaining Business Growth 

Landing a few clients and making your first sales is exciting, but now you have to think about ways to keep your momentum going. Maintaining relationships with your best clients and customers is a good way to earn repeat business. However, you also need to work on expanding your customer and client base. Posting regularly on social media, keeping your website fresh and starting an email newsletter are a few ways to bring in more clients. 

If you’ve always wanted to run a business, don’t let fear get in the way. By following these tips for success, you can ensure your great ideas get off the ground.

Amy Collett is creator of Biz Well, a website that helps professionals and entrepreneurs build and strengthen their personal brand. When she isn’t helping clients boost their careers or businesses, she enjoys coaching her daughter’s soccer team and training to become a yoga instructor.