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 an 8 1/2 x 11
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!