Launching your home-based business can feel invigorating and stress-inducing. Fortunately, there are many paths to work-at-home success. Joining a career platform can help you make professional connections and grow your network. Then, you can take these steps to start your home-based business and prepare for success.
Cover Your Startup Bases (Legally)
In most places, starting a business requires some paperwork and even fees. For example, if you plan to form an LLC, you’ll need to choose an original entity name, pay filing fees, and meet other requirements specific to your state or jurisdiction.
Find out what you need to do — and think about what business model you want — before taking any other steps. Then, once your documents are in order, it’s time to get down to business.
Create a Cohesive Workspace
While you may be able to work from anywhere, it’s not ideal to perch on a kitchen stool for an eight-hour workday. Having a special spot to work can get you into a more productive and business-oriented mindset. It can also ensure that your environment is distraction-free. But you’ll need to start with decluttering and cleaning up your chosen area to keep negative energy at bay. Piles of household ‘stuff’ and a lack of natural light won’t help you think big when it comes to your business activities.
Lurk Where Your Customers Congregate
Finding customers is business 101, but it can be tough when you’re first starting out. Figuring out where to find clients doesn’t have to be challenging, though. In fact, the solution is simple: go where your customers congregate.
Zeroing in on your prospective customers’ hangouts depends on your business offering. Track down the people who will most benefit from your service or product and position your sales pitch in front of them.
A few ways to use this approach for attracting clients include:
- Run paid ads. Paid advertisements on the social media platform that fits your target demographic can help you reach consumers. In fact, marketers agree that the most effective digital marketing technique is content marketing, notes Statista. That means your social media posts could turn into moneymakers. Pinning down a concept of your perfect customer will help you figure out where and how to interact with them.
- Start networking online. With a home-based business, you might not have a board room to invite clients to meetings in. But thanks to social media, you can begin networking online. Making professional and personal connections can help your product or service get seen by more eyes – and some of them might need what you’re selling.
- Begin cold pitching. Many companies suspect that cold pitching is on its way out, but it can still work for your business. Plus, if your brand is new and unknown, spreading the word through cold emails or phone calls can help get your name out there. Entrepreneur.com recommends finding a winning format for your cold email and sticking with it but also personalizing each pitch.
Gather Your Work-at-Home Tools
A quality computer – whether it’s a laptop or desktop – will be part of your work-at-home toolkit. But what other tools should you have on hand to keep your operations running smoothly? These are the basics you’ll need. Accessories for video interviews and other virtual meetings. Items like a microphone or headset, a webcam, and even a tripod can help ease frustrations and enhance communication online.
Digital accounts for free and low-cost tools. Signing up for a Google account, for example, is free and offers everything from word processing tools to auto-fill capabilities and even advertisement creation. Plus, Google Drive lets you share all types of documents with clients and colleagues. Other free tools include Skype (for voice and video calls), Slack (for collaboration), and social media scheduling tools for orchestrating your brand’s Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other accounts.
As your business grows, you’ll no doubt need more tools and resources to achieve profitability. Do you need help brainstorming ideas about what type of work-from-home job you should pursue? If so, The Couch Commute has plenty of wonderful avenues to explore.