Finding a Great Home Based Business

There are many reasons to make the decision to work from home. For many parents, it is the desire to spend more time with children and family. Even if you have the best quality child care available, there is no substitution for the love and care that you can provide as a parent. It is so rewarding to watch your child take those first few steps, speak those first words, and later on to be able to attend school events. For other people it is the flexibility of being in charge of your own schedule and earnings. For people with disabilities, the opportunity to work from home can allow you to be able to earn a living without the hindrance of commuting to a work place. And with today’s high gasoline prices, working from home makes more and more sense with the money that you will save by not having to commute.

Now that you have made the decision to work from home, how do you go about selecting a suitable and profitable home business? Here are some suggestions:

1) Telecommuting – You might already be working for a company and like your job. There are many jobs that can be done just as well from home such as bookkeeping and accounting, data entry, advertising, editing, and many others. Discuss with your manager the feasibility of being able to work from home for all or part of the work week.

2) Special knowledge and expertise – If you have special knowledge, experience, or talent, put this to work for you as you start a home based business. For example teachers can start a tutoring service. People talented and skilled in music, art or theater can give lessons out of their home or even start a small school or studio. If you are skilled in market research, accounting, advertising, human resources, website design, computer programming, or other business related areas, consider becoming a free lance consultant or starting your own advertising, accounting, internet marketing, or other business service.

3) Choose a service or product you are passionate about – When choosing a totally new business, be sure to choose something that you are truly passionate about. If you are passionate about ecology, choose a product or products that benefit the environment. As a Senior Regional Sales Director for AmeriPlan, the discount dental and medical benefits company, some of my best team members are those that are very passionate about wanting to help people save money on their health care.

4) Hobbies – If you have hobbies like making jewelry, sewing, writing, and various crafts, consider turning these into businesses.

5) Work at Home Jobs – While there are many legitimate work at home jobs, do investigate them thoroughly before signing up. Generally, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of such schemes as envelope stuffing, mailing letters, and assembling products. In some cases they are just trying to get your money for the purchase of a kit, and then there is no real work behind this. From my own experience, filling out surveys is time consuming, and most turn out to be just contests. Filling out surveys is very unlikely to pay your bills.

As with any important decision, be sure to do your research when selecting a home based business. Read as much as you can about the company, and speak to people who have been successful in similar businesses. If you will be working for or representing a company, be sure to qualify this company. How long has the company been in business? What credentials does the company have? Are they members of any professional or industrial associations? In addition, learn all that you can about their products and services.

Successful Flea Markets and Outdoor Shows

Whether you are selling a product or service, exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can bring some extra sales revenue. If you are lucky enough to live in an area like Florida or Southern California, you can do this all year long. For those of us who don’t, take advantage of these nice weather months and see what exhibiting at a flea market or outdoor show can do for your business.

Even if you do your business from a brick and mortar storefront or sell your product through the internet or by having parties, exhibiting at a flea market can bring in some additional sales. Even if you sell a service, exhibiting at a flea market is a great way to meet prospective customers and get leads. For those of you who are just getting started in direct sales, you will find that interested prospects will actually walk up to you to request information about your product or service. If you do this on a weekly basis, it actually gives you an inexpensive storefront.

Here are some guidelines for a successful flea market or outdoor show:

1. Make your flea market stall as attractive as possible. You can use a holiday or seasonal theme to draw people over. Cover your table with a bright colored table cloth and invest in a banner displaying your company name and logo.

2. Invest in some large readable signs. Make sure that they are easy to read from a distance and weatherproof. You can use an easel to display your sign, but make sure that it is weighted down so that it doesn’t blow away. If you are offering great prices or deals, let people know about this through your signs.

3. Do have a canopy for sun and weather protection. Both you and your prospective customers will appreciate it. A canopy also adds to the look of your display.

4. Give attention to how you display your products. If you sell a product, an attractively arranged display will bring over customers. Bring some of your more popular items for sale, and have catalogs available so that customers can easily order your products. Be sure to have catalogs and literature that the prospective customer can take home.

5. Set up an attractive display of your brochures. If you provide a service, have plenty of information available for customers to read. Display your brochures in nice holders and arrange them attractively on your table or counter. Also, have your business card available.

6. Have a system for capturing leads. Have lead sheets or cards available for your prospects and customers to fill in. Offer a free gift or DVD when they fill out the card. You can also have a drawing for a prize to help gather leads. If you do hold a drawing, be sure to award the prize to someone visiting that day. Your good reputation is very important.

7. Bring a portable DVD player. Playing a DVD about your product, service, or opportunity will attract prospects and customers to your table or booth.

8. Follow up on all your leads. As they say, “the fortune is in the follow up.” Make it a point to follow up on all leads and you will be successful.

For more marketing tips check out http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/. Good luck on your flea market or outdoor show.