Modern Day Pioneers

Each year millions of Americans are converting their living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms,, guest bedrooms, etc. into areas that can function as workspace as well. Latest statistics show us that about 45 million people operate a home based business, full-time, part-time and through telecommuting. This is roughly 33% of the work force; by the year 2010, it is estimated that number will jump to 60%.

This is not just a group of people with elaborate hobbies or fleeting avocations. These are bona fide businesses producing billions of dollars in goods and services annually. They represent not only a very large range of established businesses, but new ones that have been developed with their creativity, their energy and their interminable desire to control their own lives.

A woman in New York just had a baby. She didn't want to quit her job because she loved what she did and the people she worked for; they in return, didn't want to lose her either; so they built her a studio in her home and she now broadcasts her daily program from her spare bedroom. Merrill Lynch created a Work-At-Home program for several of their agents. A major advertising agency has "Virtual Offices" for their work at home employees. Outside of Toronto, Canada, a small town has been zone, developed, built and marketed for people with homebased businesses. The list goes on and on.
Another list is multiplying even faster. Now that the homebased business professional has emerged and developed into a major player, companies and corporations are falling over each other as they rush to market their products to them. Homebased business owners have become target markets. Telephone companies have created equipment and services promising high-level technology in the middle of suburbia; some are even publishing homebased business telephone directories. Real estate developers are building homes with an extra room - or suite of rooms in a basement or attic - specifically for homebased offices. Homebased Business Associations and Networking groups have mushroomed in every community, as well as regionally and nationally. Lobbying groups in Washington and in state capitals monitor the laws that affect us and make sure that our voice is heard. The local Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations are courting businesses operated from home. Consultants, seminar leaders, interior decorators, etc. now specialize in home offices and how to best make them work. Books and software programs abound. All of the above, and more, are our allies.

There is no doubt that this is the fastest growing industry business has seen in a very long time; there is also no doubt that it is not for everybody. The idea of a 3-minute commute from bedroom to office, or no office politics is very seductive. So is being your own boss, waiting for your kids to come home from school, or as in my case, sleeping in on Monday mornings while everyone else is sitting in traffic. The reality is that working from your home takes discipline, perseverance, flexibility and the ability to manage your time. Not everybody has those skills. Some people know that and they stay within the comforts of their talents by working for some one else. Others take the plunge only to discover that it is not what they expected. And then, there are those who can feel the thrill of running the show in their veins and take off without ever looking back. Whatever category you find yourself in, do your home work before you work at home.

Start with "what am I really good at doing and can I make a living at it?" Research the market and find out who the competition is. Don't lull yourself by thinking there is none - there is always competition! Survey the marketplace and see if people are actually buying, on an ongoing basis and not just once in a blue moon.

At the same time, you will need to organize your information on the legal aspects of running a business in your home. First, check with the zoning department. Some areas are more lenient that others; some allow certain types of businesses, but not all. Make sure you know the zoning rules before you get started and it's always a good idea to have them in writing.

Next stop is at the City Clerk's office to obtain a Business License (or Permit). You pay a onetime fee when you apply; then an annual business fee at the end of each calendar year. At the County Clerk's office you file your Fictitious Name Statement (DBA - Doing Business As) followed by the publication of it in a recognized periodical. These are the basics.

Marketing a home-based business starts with the incentive to get out of the home. If it's raining or if you're having a bad hair day, or if you just don't feel like it, the rationalization is made that there is too much paperwork on your desk and simply can't get away! We are our own worst enemy. The answer to the growth potential of your home-based business lies in the ability to network. It has been proven to be the single best vehicle to increasing your client base. Join the Chamber of Commerce, Trade Associations, Leads clubs, the Rotary and become active on a committee or two. Bowl with your church group and play bingo at the community center. Get to know people on a personal, one-to-one basis. People usually buy from people they know and trust. Wouldn't you rather visit a doctor, a florist, a locksmith that came recommended than one you pointed at in the phone book? Once you get their card, call them and set up a lunch date - or a simple coffee break would do if that’s all you have time for that week.

On a final note, pay attention to your image. Don't be apologetic about running your business out of your home. Maintain a professional attitude at all time by the way you dress, the way you speak, the way you carry yourself. Your stationary, flyers, brochures sell your business long after you have left the building. Shouldn't they carry a positive message about you?

Keep in mind that you are part of a group that is the backbone of America today - an entrepreneur. America was built by people who took risks and envisioned a better way to live life. The American people have come full circle and we - the home-based business owner - are now the new, modern pioneers.

Helene K. Liatsos
President
Home Office Management Experts
www.thehome-office.com
Get your DVD on "How to Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business" now!

DVD - How to Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business

DVD Release - "How To Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business"

Home-Based Business Proponent, Helene K. Liatsos announces the release of the DVD “How to Start and Operate Your Own Home-Based Business” based on her twenty years of experience as a Consultant, Trainer and Instructor helping others to realize their dream of working from home.

“There are many reasons why people want to work at home, especially now with the issues facing us regarding employment and economics”, says Liatsos. “Controlling your finances, avoiding traffic and office politics, being your own boss and creating better time management for you and your family are typically the basis for taking the risk of self-employment.”

For more information and to order your own copy: www.thehome-office.com

Why I Started My Own Home-Based Business

Every now and then I take a look at my life and am amazed that I could be living it. Each day is different from the day before; I do what I like to do and I do as much as I like to do, when I like to do it!

Has it always been that way? NO. I'm a product of a generation that believed that working for a large and solid company would be the ideal way to have a secure future. But along with all the corporate climbing that I did, I kept asking “what is wrong with this picture?” I was in an environment that controlled my creativity, my initiative and my finances. Finally, after three successive corporate career reversals through take-overs and downsizing, I started to look at other options. I began the history of my own family.

My parents were immigrants to America. They and many, many others just like them, came to this country without skills, without money, without knowing the language. What they had, though, was the wisdom to see the abundance of opportunities in this newly chosen home land. They were the real risk-takers who believed in hard work, self-reliance and being their own boss. They had the motivation, the discipline and the perseverance to pursue their dream. They believed in themselves. I spent much time in talking with them and through those discussions, I confirmed what I had been feeling all along - I have those entrepreneurial qualities as well! Holding on to this revelation, I looked at the business world from an entrepreneur’s point of view…starting with how business has evolved since the first settlers. I found some interesting history.

When this country first began most, if not all, businesses were home-based - the seamstress, the shoemaker, the butcher and baker, the candlestick maker, the stable owner, the tavern keeper, etc. all worked at home. Their private quarters were attached to the storefront, either above or in the back. Then the Industrial Revolution came along and this modern technology moved services and production out of the home and into factories and office buildings. It became an important goal to get a job in one of those places because having a job there was a matter of pride and self-respect. Businesses were moving out of the home and moving into the future.

Sadly, over the many decades of enormous corporate and technological advancement, the secure future, that was promised to me and countless of others turned out to be an illusion. Yes, many people made lots of money, but it extracted a heavy toll in our personal lives. Heart attacks, stress, divorce, etc. were the by-products of the fast track we are led to believe is the only way to achieve success. The world was changing so quickly and we suffered the negative effects of an economy that has gone wrong.

And so, I gathered up my courage and said goodbye to office politics, to a long, daily commute to un-satisfying jobs and to a financial ceiling imposed on me by someone else. I was now in charge of my life and I loved it. I wanted to grow and explore not only what else was out there for me to do, but to see what I was made of. Back then, I didn’t know much about taxes and deductions; had no idea about how to write business plans or marketing plans; couldn’t tell you the difference between a permit and a license…but I learned. I taught myself how to market my business; I discovered the best sales techniques that work for me; I studied accounting and understood how banks work…it was endless, it was exciting! It was scary! There were times where I asked my mother to call me to make sure that the phone was working – I didn’t have one client calling me! There were also times that I looked through the paper to see what jobs were available! But I persevered – primarily because the thought of failure was non-acceptable; and secondly, the thought of going back to an office, with all its restrictions and limitations depressed me.

Once I was armed with how to start my business and was operating fairly successfully, I decided that I wanted to help others to do the same. This idea has served me well. It is enormously gratifying to see others take their idea and make it an actuality. It is rewarding to help people make better decisions on how to earn a living and enjoy their family life as well. And finally, it makes me truly happy to know that I have found what I was truly meant to do with my life.

Helene K. Liatsos
Home Office Management Experts
Visit me at: www.thehome-office.com