TURN ANY HOBBY INTO A PART-TIME BUSINESS
If you are planning on beginning a business, your best bet is to start out
part-time while you are still earning a full-time income at your present
job. If you are like most people who are existing from payday to payday -
you don't have a lot of money to invest in a full-time business. No need
to worry! Just use your favorite hobby as your business base and grow from
there! There's no telling where you'll be at 2 or 3 years down the road.
Perhaps you can even tell your present boss to "take that job and shove
it." Wouldn't that be great?
Using your present hobby or favorite pastime as your business base has
many benefits. Why? Because ANY business you decide to become involved in
should be doing something you LOVE _ something you believe in _ something
that you would work at NO MATTER what income it would generate. This will
give you the stamina to see your business through the beginning hard times
and times when there is more work to do than you can handle. We all know
the feeling of doing a job that we hate to do. There is no way we can give
it 110% of our abilities because we procrastinate getting through it and
just want to get it over with. That's why it is vitally important to
dearly love the product or service you have chosen to build your business
around.
Do you like cooking? Start a recipe newsletter for others who like the
same thing and sell your recipes by publishing a simple booklet. Do you
enjoy making crafts? Sell them through mail order (be sure and mark up the
price for shipping and handling). Do you enjoy working on cars? Print and
distribute flyers in your neighborhood listing your prices. Offer a coupon
discount for the customer to use on their first auto repair job. Do you
enjoy writing? Write a small booklet or how-to manual and sell it through
mail order or to multi-level enthusiasts. Do you enjoy computer programming?
Write a program and sell through shareware groups or even to mail order
computer owners.
Yes - just about anything you love doing can be magically transformed
into a business opportunity for you. Some items may only sell well in your
neighborhood, while some products and services do well in mail order. If
you decide to sell through mail order, all you need to do is write a simple
ad and have it typeset. Start out with a smaller 1-inch, 2-inch or 3-inch
ad. Ask the customer to send a "first-class stamp" or "$1.00" for more
information. When they write you, include a 8 1/2x11 sheet detailing your
prices. Make sure you have a small order form to make it easy to order your
product or service. And of course _ include a cover letter stating that you
appreciate their inquiry and look forward to doing business with them in
the near future. You'd be surprised how many sales have been lost because
a business didn't take the time to write a cover letter and personalize the
mailing.
Also, start educating yourself by reading and researching other home-based
businesses. Before I opened up my business I read national publications
like "Small Business Opportunities," "Entrepreneur," "Home Office
Computing," and "Spare Time Magazine." Although there were some full page
ads in there filled with hype (claiming to make me $1 million dollars with
a sheet of paper) _ the articles are excellent. Don't spend more than $3
for information in the beginning of your business because if a company is
legitimate you should be able to call them and discuss the opportunity over
the phone with them. Businesses that claim to put you in business
overnight should never demand a large amount of money from you. On the
contrary _ legitimate businesses have nothing to hide and will not charge
you more than a few dollars in postage to learn the "whole" story behind
their claims. Instead _ use these publications, as well as books from the
library on starting a business to further your knowledge of the world.
Another good move on your part is to invest a few hours by attending a
meeting that is sponsored by SCORE from the Small Business Administration
in your area. It's free _ and the valuable information you obtain from
actual people who have been in business before is something that will be
extremely valuable in the months ahead. Just call the SBA to find out more
information.
Yes - it's that easy! Of course, this is only the beginning. As with any
hobby, it will take time (probably many months) to realize a profit but
think of it this way: Most people that have a hobby know they have to spend
money to take part in their hobby. It only makes sense to invest money in
advertising your hobby to others so you can eventually make some of that
money back in sales for your own business!
