Starting your own home based business takes a great deal of planning, forethought and preparation. As you work from home, the temptation to get distracted will be great so you will need to be sure to separate work from home. Try make sure that you have a suitable space or separate room which you will set your office up in, so that the daily activities of the household will not get in your way.

A profitable home based business will need to be based on a good idea, so be sure to look into all your options and settle on an idea that suites your budget, life style and interests. Once you have an idea of what you would like to do, it is time to start setting up your own home based business. Your next step would be to spend a bit of time researching the job or business you plan to be doing. Make sure you have a set idea of how you plan to carry it out, what your pricing structure will be and who your competition is. Knowing your competition is a way to ensure that you always offer the very best service you can and that you remain competitive in your chosen market.

Once you have the main plan sorted out, budgets in place and research done, you need to pay attention to your work space. As mentioned above, it is a good idea to have a separate room in the house as your home based business office. You will need to ensure that you have a comfortable work surface such as a desk and a comfortable office chair. You will need to ensure that you have a working telephone line, computer or laptop and access to the internet. Make sure that you are also in possession of a reliable printer and stationery as you are sure to need them along the way. Once you have this set up, you are ready to start your home based businessand make your first sale.

Promoting your new home based business would be the first place to start. Once you have your basic idea in place, you need to let people know who you are and what you have to offer. Making use of online and internet marketing is a fabulous way to advertise a work from home business. You may consider having your own website designed advertising your services or products, place adverts in classifieds sections and even make use of Google Adwords marketing. Word of mouth marketing is also a great way of getting your name out so be sure to speak to your family and friends and attend social networking breakfasts/ meetings. Remember to have some business cards made up for your new home based business, so those who are close to you can pass them out.

When you start promoting your home based business and putting in a few extra hours of effort and dedication, you will see your business start to grow and flourish. Be sure to speak to those who have experience in running their own business from home – you are sure to learn a lot of helpful pointers and tips which can assist you in making your own home based business an absolute success.

Author: Franchise Finder, Online Directory of Franchises and Business Opportunities in South Africa