How to start a small business at home. If you’re reading this, there’s a chance that you are tired of working for someone else or you’re not happy with your job. You may also be just trying to supplement your existing income with a side hustle that you would love to transition out of your current job with someday. There’s also a good chance that you don’t have a stable source of income or any source of income at all. Either way, if you want to know how to start a small business at home, then I have a good outline for you to follow.
First off, I want to debunk the idea that there is a get-rich scheme. If you need money now, or in the next week or two, then this approach will not meet your needs. Starting a small business at home takes a bit of work, but most importantly you need to be consistent! Luckily, you will be able to start your own business for less than $1,000 if you follow the right steps! Learning is one thing, actually implementing and sticking with it is another. Let’s get started!
Ask Yourself These Questions
This may seem silly, but get a piece of paper out and something to write with. Don’t type your answers into your phone or your computer. You can scan this later! Write down your answers to these questions:
- Why do you want to start your own business?
- How committed are you to yourself? Are you willing to do what it takes to succeed?
- How do your family and friends feel about you starting your own business? (Don’t tell them the fine details!)
- Are you surrounded by like-minded people who also want to start their own business or own their own business? If not, then are you willing to meet people who are?
- Do you have a business model in mind? What is it?
- Describe your physical health. Would life be better if you made improvements to your physical health?
- Describe your personal life. Would life be better if you made improvements in your personal life?
- Describe your professional life. Would life be better if you made improvements in your professional life?
Look over your answers and think about how this business will impact your life. There’s a good chance that the last three questions were all answered yes! If you improve your professional life, then it gets easier to improve everything else! Owning your own business is a stepping stone to your own awesome life, and starting your own business at home is one of the most accessible ways to achieve your financial goals!
Here are a few of the main reasons people fail to have a successful home business:
- They fail to act when they create a plan.
- New business owners fail to follow through with their plans.
- They quit too soon when faced with problems.
Start a small business at home.
If you really want to start a small business at home, you need to follow these steps:
- Define your purpose for starting a business.
- Identify what business model you want to use.
- Identify what niche your business will serve.
- Write down where you would want to be in the next:
- 6 Months
- 12 Months
- 18 Months
- 24 Months
- 30 Months
- 5 Years
- 10 Years
- Write down milestones that your business would need to accomplish to meet these goals in Step 4.
- Break down your first 12 months into quarters, starting with today’s date.
- Write down what goals you want to accomplish for each quarter.
- Estimate your desired income at the end of the quarter.
- Create a budget for each quarter that you’re willing to spend on your business.
- For your first quarter, add the essential business goals for starting a business. (Listed in another section)
- Break down each quarter into 12 weeks.
- Write down what work you need to do each week to accomplish your quarterly goals.
- Organize your 12-month plan in a document that can be printed or imported into a planner to help you get started.
- Start your business! Keep track of how many tasks you complete, and don’t give up!
Essential business goals.
- Identify Business Niche.
- Come up with a business name. (Make sure it’s available!)
- Secure a web domain with your business name.
- Open an e-mail address with your domain name. ([email protected])
- Determine if you need to use your home address for your business. If not, get a PO Box, UPS Mailbox, or virtual mailbox to protect your privacy. (Depending on your country, these paid mailboxes may be called something else.) Do this before you register your business!
- Register your business with your local government.
- WARNING! If you are starting a business with one or more people, you need an operating agreement between partners. I highly recommend that you do this with a business attorney and have it notarized when signed by all partners! Pay now or pay later! Partners are legally bound to this business, and conflict may not easily be resolved if nothing is written down beforehand.
- Register your business tax account. (This gives you your business tax ID number.)
- Open a business bank account.
- Deposit your initial owner contribution to your bank account.
- File away all paperwork into a dedicated file box for your business. Include receipts for everything up to this point.
- Open up a Google Business account to register your business with Google.
- Find a tax accountant if you don’t want to do your taxes.
- Find a business attorney to help answer questions you have while running your business. (LegalShield is a good option)
Do you want to be a Millionaire?
It’s safe to say that 99% of people who aren’t millionaires want to be a millionaire. Did you know that most millionaires are business owners? How many people who work a regular job become a millionaire? Very few people! There are only a few professions where people become millionaires over their careers, but keep in mind that it is important to recognize that we’re talking about net worth. You can own a $1,000,000 house, but that doesn’t make you a millionaire if you owe $1,000,000 on the house!
If you want to take your life to the next level and turn your business into a $1,000,000+ business, you should check out Jeff Lerner’s “The Millionaire Shortcut” available for free! Since you’re still reading this blog post, I would say that you are pretty serious about starting your own business and transforming your life as a millionaire! Keep in mind that only a small percentage of people actually commit themselves to become a millionaire. The question is: How committed are you to yourself?