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The increase in the number of self-employed people in the UK over recent years has resulted in more and more people deciding to set up a business in the comfort of their own home. There are all sorts of businesses that you can set up and run from home, from online business ventures through to arts and crafts businesses.
If you are thinking of setting up a home business, there are a number of things that you need to take into consideration. This will help to ensure that you are on the right track with regards to your business idea as well as making sure you are prepared when it comes to other areas of the endeavour.
Some of the Things You Need to Take into Consideration
There are many things that you need to consider when you are thinking of setting up a home business. Five of the key areas you should think about include the following.
Whether your business idea is viable
The first thing you need to do is work out whether your home business idea is viable. This means looking at the level of competition, the success of your competitors, and whether there is sufficient demand for the product or service you will be providing. You will need to do some in-depth research in order to determine the viability of your business idea.
Whether you can get funding
Unless your business idea involves little to no initial outlay, you need to think about how you will be funding your business idea. You can turn to one of the various grants available, speak to your bank about borrowing the money, or even get family and friends to invest.
Where you will work from
If you are planning to run your business at home, you need to think about whether you have appropriate space. If you don’t already have suitable work space in the home, you will need to work out whether you will be able to organise this. For instance, if you plan to work online, but you do not have a dedicated work area, you may want to consider one of the home offices available from Betta Living.
How you will find money for day to day living initially
While your business may not make much money while it gets off the ground, the bills will continue to roll in. You therefore need to think about how you will fund your day-to-day living costs during the initial stages. It is advisable to have a solid amount put aside in savings before you take the plunge into setting up a home business, with most experts recommending that you have enough to cover your outgoings for at least three months.
How you plan to grow your business
You cannot just take things day by day when you start a home business. You therefore need to have some sort of long-term plan, with an idea of how and when you plan to expand your business and take it to the next level.
These are all important considerations that you need to think about when you are setting up or in the process of setting up a home business.
This post was written by and paid for by Betta Living.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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Starting a home-based business has many rewards as well as challenges. Another things to consider is learn how your local government’s zoning ordinances may affect your business. Not knowing the potential legal and community problems associated with having a business at home, and the rules, can have devastating consequences.