Five Steps to Start Working from Home by Char
Posted on
May 18, 2007 by
dc
Here's another great post from Problogger's recent Writing Project on Top 5. This is from my blogging buddy, Char from Casual Keystrokes who shares about the "Five Steps to Start Working From Home". I believe this would be a useful article for everyone who is thinking along this line of working from home. Enjoy!
1. Identify your skills and your passions.
* Take a quick inventory of the skills you have and make a list. At the time I had pretty good desktop publishing skills - these were skills I had developed at my most recent two jobs. I knew that I was a whiz at all the Microsoft Office products and that I could learn new software quickly.
* Think about what you like to do and where your passions are. At one of my previous employers I was always getting in trouble with the publications department - I was forever bucking their WordPerfect structured system. I hated boring, ugly documents - I wanted pretty. They wanted me to follow the rules, I wanted to break them. From this I figured that desktop publishing and document production might be a good way to get started.
2. Do your research.
Find out if what you want to do is going to fly. There are so many resources on the web, but here are a few that I have found to be helpful and legitimate:
* WAHM.com - You could spend hours on this site alone, but its true power is in the message boards. Members discuss business ideas, strategies, scams, and it is a great community.
* HBWM.com - Home Based Working Moms is another great resource of ideas, what to do and what not to do guidance, a community, and tools like income and savings calculators.
* Other good resources are StartUpNation, StartUpPrincess, AllBusiness, 30 Second Commute, and eMoms at Home.
3. Start with your current or most recent employer.
It never hurts to ask. When I decided to take that leap of faith, the first thing I did was approach my current and most recent employers. I was careful not to burn any bridges, but as it was, I could easily do parts of both jobs from home and both employers were more than happy to continue receiving my services. Granted, after about a year, the projects from these two were done, it still gave me some incoming work and pay while I lined up other clients and projects.
Another good friend of mine has been working for a very high profile employer (think of that lingerie catalog most of us receive in our mailboxes monthly) for many years and realized that everything she does for them could be done from home. Luckily for her, her area of expertise was so specialized and she does such a good job, that when she approached them with the idea of work from home or resign, they quickly responded and set her up to work from home. That was about 8 years ago.
If you do approach a former employer, be very clear in what you propose to take on, how you will track your time, how you will be accountable, and most of all, how it can be of benefit to them.
4. Network online and off.
You can not run your business in a vacuum. The only way to develop new work is to get your name and your face into the marketplace. With the evolution of the internet, it is certainly making it easier to network without ever leaving your house, but face-to-face networking is still powerful.
* Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Our’s has a women’s group that meets once a month for lunch. This group was absolutely key in the beginning stages of my business. One of the first clients I took on, I met through the group - and 10 years later, she is still a client! The relationships you can build often provide more than just immediate income.
* Participate in a few targeted forums online. Find ones that fit your personality and goals. I have found the boards at WAHM.com, HBWM.com, and MomGadget to be most useful (and friendly).
* Try blogging. Not only does blogging give you the ability to join in conversations all over the globe, it is a great way to showcase your skills, meet potential clients, and participate in non-stop professional development. Need to know where to start? Check out eMoms at Home, Problogger’s Blogging for Beginners series, Essential Keystrokes - Getting Started, or the Blogging 101 topic on the MomGadget Forum.
5. Be prepared to run your business.
* Create a dedicated work space for yourself. Sometimes this requires some creativity as the ideal spot may not be right under your nose, but you need to do it. A corner of a room, an under utilized closet, or under utilized room in the house will do. You need to have somewhere to keep your paperwork, files, and supplies at a minimum.
* Get all required local business paperwork out of the way. Some jurisdictions have strict rules on starting a new business, others don’t, but you need to do the research and get it done.
* Set up an accounting and filing system that works for you. Not all systems are created equal. This may even require some restarts on your part, but be prepared to make changes as you
go.
* Put your best face forward. Whether it is your business card, web site or blog, take the time and energy to put the best possible look for yourself out there. First impressions are CRITICAL.
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