Many people dream of owning their own business one day — in the current economic climate, with few rewards and long hours in the city, more are taking the plunge into independent ventures than ever. If you want a slower pace and a richer quality of life, perhaps you’ve thought about going into catering and hospitality. Opening a small café or boutique in the country is hard work but it’s more of a lifestyle than a nine to five.
Most of us are familiar enough with Dragon’s Den to know that there’s more to it than turning up with a good idea: before you start you’ll need to calculate your outgoings and estimate your turnover.
Here are some of the essential things you need to know about when planning your start up.
Whether you’re just starting out with your work at home business or you’ve had your home business for many years, there will be times when motivation levels can take a slump.
During this time of year, when the days seem shorter, a d the weather is getting chillier, working from home can feel a little isolating.
Here are four simple ways you can stay motivated in your work at home business, even when you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom:
Social media has really made it easy to make contacts with the people you need in your business sector.
Remember the days when you had to try to get past rottweiler-like receptionists and PAs, who made life as difficult as possible to get through to your contact? It was almost like you were a predator they were trying to field off, and by the time they had taken your name and contact details reluctantly, it felt like you’d just done 10 rounds with Mike Tyson…knowing full well that they were not going to pass your details on anyway!
Then in walked LinkedIn…all you need to do is search for the company or the job title of the person you’re looking for and then drop them an email, or ask one of your contacts who are linked to them to connect you!
Still confused? Want to find out how else LinkedIn can help your business, then read our LinkedIn for Business guide.
Starting a home business is an attractive prospect for lot of mums looking to make extra money or forge a new career – and all with the flexibility needed to still raise a family.
But in the excitement of it all, have you stopped to check if your home insurance covers your home business?
It can be easy to think that you don’t need to buy an additional insurance policy on top of your current policy, but you may be leaving yourself open for a nasty shock should the worst happen.
