Search
Forum - Tips for launching a home-based business?
Tips for launching a home-based business?
Fri, 20/11/2009 - 15:57 — Mark Williams
As one of our news stories reveals today, almost 300.000 people in the UK have started home-based businesses in the past 12 months, mainly a a result of redundancy or job insecurity, according to a new report from Enterprise Nation. The 2009 Home Business Report found that a total number of 2.8m ventures are run from British homes.
Do you run a business from your home? How have you made it work for you? How do you manage to keep your business separate from your home life and vice versa? Maybe this is some thing you really struggle with. What advice can you offer to other who are thinking of setting up a business from their home?
Founding partner
Starting a new business - free advice, tools and resources | Start Up Donut
Published by 
Do you think that the office space a business occupies, be that a home office or otherwise, has any effect on how the business is perceived? Are there any businesses which would not suit being home based?
i run my business form home - i make amazing cakes!! this fits in perfectly as each one takes so long to make. i can still be conected to the familly that way. i have made it work for me by simply telling everyone 'this is my kitchen keep out!!' the way that i struggle is seperating the two - i eat sleep and dream cake (excuss the pun!) and if i'm not making them then i am on the computer marketing etc.
i hope i have given the illusion i am a larger company, rather than little old me in my kitchen! i would love to know your comments! - www.clevercow.webs.com
also a way to seperate the two - home and work!
i also agree i hate 0845 numbers - i go to - say no to 0870.com and get the landline then i am guarenteed to speak straight to someone. i think the number makes people think there will be a machine on the other end -even if there isn't.
I started my business from home 3 years ago, I employed my husband a year later!!! We've now got another member of staff and are just about to move into our first office.
For anyone looking at starting up a business from home the first thing I would recommend is getting a website. My business kicked off by advertising on ebay and then later on the local services (free to list on), people would travel to my website, look at my portfolio, see that I was a new mum, and by offering full refunds if they weren't happy - I got quite a number of clients, most of which still require work today!
Get a website, be clear about what you're doing and why you're passionate about it, and then start shouting about it!
Good luck!
Jen
Graphic Design Wales
Web Design Wales
You may be working from the kitchen table, but you can still create the impression that your business is much more than that. Here are my tips – and they’re all free or low cost...
1 Get 24-hour telephone cover
Nothing creates a better first impression than an efficient – and best of all – real person to answer your company’s phone round the clock. But it needn’t be you. A 24-hour telephone receptionist will answer in your company name and it’s a cost effective pay-as-you-go service. Mention ‘Business Smiths’ and get £10 FREE credit.
Visit http://www.alldaypa.com/index.html
2 Use a top high street address
You don’t need to rent expensive office space on the UK’s most prestigious streets to make one of them your business address. Get your company an impressive location without the high price tag. Find out more at http://www.mbe.co.uk/mailbox_services/
3 Set up a business email
Liz66@msn.com is fine for your friends, but for a professional impression, use an email address that uses your business domain name, so you’re liz@yourdomain.com instead.
4 Get an 0845 telephone number
An 0845 number gives the impression of a larger, national business, but your customers can still only end up paying a local rate. You can get an 0845 number for your business for under £10 with no call charges. Visit http://www.telecomsworldplc.co.uk/0845-numbers.asp
5 Scale up your business
To make a big impression, however small your company, create a number of email addresses such as: accounts@yourdomain.com, advertising@yourdomain.com, sales@yourdomain.com, press@youdomain.com. They can all go to your existing account, and they’ll help you prioritise your workload.
I would tend to agree with you here simon apart from the high street address and 0845 number, from personal experience I find that people often react better to a local number rather than 08XX and the same for an address.
Apart from that - great tips there and completely agree.
Add a comment
Not registered? We'll create a new account for you when you add your comment