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Forget the Commute: The Freelancing Home Business Option
Starting any business requires you to complete a number of steps and make some key decisions. Though part of your overall plan, you’ll need to decide on a business structure, and obtain the necessary licenses and permits. In addition, determining which financing options will meet your short-term needs and long-term goals is crucial.
If you have a specific skill that you can bring to the community, perhaps you would benefit from starting a freelancing business from your home. There are a number of job opportunities within the realm of the freelance world, and this situation is perfect for those who wish to work from home, like expecting mothers or people with disabilities. You get to be your own boss and make your own schedule, and in many cases, the freelancing skill you have is something you love to do. Consider a freelancing career if this all sounds appealing to you. Freelancing is a good career not only for artists and writers, but also for website designers, accountants, photographers, party planners, floral arrangers, political consultants, engineers, and chefs. The possibilities are endless.
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In starting a small business you should never think you can do it alone! One of the best ways to insulate yourself against business failure is to find and work with a mentor, someone with business experience who can guide and assist you.
The Small Business Administration also runs the Office of Entrepreneurial Development, which helps small businesses start, grow and compete in global markets by providing quality training, counseling and access to resources. The office offers a Network Of Training And Counseling Services.
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The most difficult part of starting a home freelance business is, without a doubt, building a customer base. You will often need to try many techniques in order to generate enough work to warrant quitting your job to do freelance full-time. There are many organizations you can join that specifically give job leads to their members. Websites on the Internet are especially helpful for this. Another way to gain clients, although this method is usually dreaded, is cold calling. In this technique you call companies who could potentially benefit from your services and offer your business information to them. This works more often than you may think, and it at least gets your name out there in case they have a need for you in the future.
Freelancing is usually a word-of-mouth type of business. Because of this, you want to be sure that your service is extremely high quality. When you freelance, a company can probably get the same service through a large corporation. The difference is that you provide an aspect of personal attention. If this quality isn't there, you will have no repeat customers and you will not generate a good reputation for yourself.
Freelancing is not for everyone. There is less job security here than with most other businesses because you work purely on contract. Freelancing takes time to build, so you need to devote a lot of time to your business at the beginning in order to be successful. However, after a few positive jobs in your community, freelancing will get easier. If you wish to work from home, consider this option for a home based business.
About the Author: Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He edits a site on Starting a Small Business and is president of Information Organizers, LLC.
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