Running a home-based business has many challenges that you never had to face as an employee. A successful home-based business is more than just taking orders from your kitchen and enjoying snack breaks whenever you want. To ensure that your efforts are rewarded, consider whether or not you are making any one of these three deadly home based business mistakes?Mistake #1-Starting your business without checking out the legal and liability issues of running a home based business.Driven by passion to get started on a business idea many budding entrepreneurs set up shop without checking with their city regarding licensing, permits and an insurance broker regarding liability issues.Everyone may rave about your brownies, and may even buy them from you, but selling food you created in your home kitchen is a code violation in many cities.Offering financial planning services from home but meeting your clients in their offices or the local coffee shop is likely to be acceptable in many cities.While you may think of your business as unobtrusive and discreet, if you’re operating in a residential area you may be in violation. While you may operate undisturbed for a while, all it takes to shut you down is a complaint to the city from a disgruntled neighbor who resents that you’re working from home while he has a 37 mile commute.Liability is also serious concern no matter what type of business you operate. Just one lawsuit can not only dampen your spirits but damage your business assets.Solution:
Visit your city online or in person to learn what licenses and permits you will need regardless of whether your business offers products or a service. Even though you operate from home, some cities will approve with no-business-in-residential zones may still allow you to operate if you get a private-mailbox in a commercial zone.
Your city business license department can tell you about all the permits you need in addition to the license, such as a seller’s permit or health permit.
Contact an insurance broker to discuss the type of liability insurance you will need to cover potential lawsuits. Insurance is not only a very wise choice, but is often required by corporations with whom you will do business. Some homeowner insurance policies may protect your home based business, while others won’t.
If you discover at the beginning that it is not feasible to operate your business from home, you can seek a proper location, get adequate insurance and start off your business with peace of mind.Mistake #2-Overlapping your business and personal life.You probably chose to work from home so you can spend more time with your family and enjoy a more flexible schedule. These are worthy goals, but your business success depends on the extent to which you keep the two separated. It may be great talking to clients in your pajamas, but trying to make sales calls with screaming children in the background is not likely to win many accounts.At the same time, your children deserve your time and must have their needs met as well. Your spouse is likely to fall out of love with your business and you too if your business consumes all your time. Solution:
Set up your office in a separate room preferably away from the main family-gathering room.
Install at least a second phone dedicated to your business so you can answer it with your business name or create a voice mail with a business greeting.
Set up business hours and adhere to them as much as possible. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you can run without a schedule. You have the flexibility of adjusting your schedule, of course, but you must have one to start.
Set up rules and guidelines about how you want your family to behave during your “business” hours.
Plan activities that will engage your children while you are working. For children who are not school age, some business owners hire a babysitter or work in the evening after their children are asleep.
Carve out time in your day when you leave your business to spend quality time with your family. It may mean taking your dog for a walk to the park, playing games with your children, and having meals together.
Mistake #3-Undercharging for your products or servicesThe biggest mistake many home based business owners make undercharge for their products and services. Some do this in an effort to drum up business in the beginning stages, especially if potential customers balk at their prices. Others undercharge because they don’t document how much it cost to create their products or render a service. Then others don’t place a high enough value on their time. It’s very awkward to be forced to raise your prices after you created the expectation of low prices in your clients.No matter how passionate you are about your business, if you don’t make a profit you will not be able to keep your business nor your personal life afloat. Solution:
Research the fair market value of your product or service. Don’t make the mistake of believing that because you work from home your fee should somehow be less.
Determine the actual cost of doing business. Be sure to count business overhead, supplies, shipping costs, materials costs and especially your labor.
Consult a coach and others in your industry to learn their pricing strategies
Remember that profit is your net, not your gross. You must keep records that enable you to track your income and outgo so you’ll be able to easily see if your business is profitable.