Start Your Own Home Business In No Time

Are you ready to find a better way of living and working? Millions of people just like you have found the career satisfaction they have always craved through starting their own business, whether as a full-time job or as a second income. Filled with practical advice, easy-to-follow to-do lists, and step-by-step planning and preparation, Start Your Own Home Business In No Time puts you on the road to small business ownership. Walk through the process of starting a home-based business-from evaluating your readiness to launch your own business, to writing a business plan, finding financing, setting up your office and equipment, getting legal issues and records in order and crafting a marketing plan that will build a strong client base. If you are like the many entrepreneurs who don't have the time to figure it all out on your own, let Start Your Own Home Business In No Time be your first step toward building the business of your dreams.

List of contents

Introduction-Welcome to a Better Wayof Living and Working!
    Who Should Read This Book.
    How This Book Is Organized.
      How the Information Is Organized.
      The Small Business Troubleshooting Toolkit.
      Basic Tools and Special Elements.
      Recommendations for Using This Book.
I. GETTING READY.
1. Exposing Myths of Self-Employment.
    Calculating the Costs and Risks of a Nine-to-Five Job.
    Calculating the Costs and Risks of Self-Employment.
      Considering the Risks.
      Assessing the Costs.
    Summary.
2. Assessing Your Home-Business Readiness.
    Understanding the Basics: True or False.
      The Questions.
      The Results.
    Ten Questions to Assess Your Home Business Potential.
      The Questions.
      Assessing Your Responses.
      Evaluating Your Overall Score.
    Summary.
3. Creating Your Business Plan, Part 1: What, Where, When, and How.
    Eliminating the Biggest Obstacles.
      Review Your Employment Contract.
      Clear Up Outstanding Legal Issues.
      Calculate the Cost of Health Insurance.
      Overcome Your Inexperience.
      Determine that Your Business “Fits” As a Home Business.
      Studying Relevant Planning and Development Restrictions.
      Making Sure That Your Family Is On Board.
    Creating the Framework of Your Business Plan.
    Business Plan Form.
      Introduction/Overview and Goals.
      Outlining the Basics.
      Business Overview.
      Creating Your Marketing Plan.
      Describing the Physical Logistics of Your Business.
      Planning the Financials of Your Business.
      Describing Your Assumptions and “What Ifs”.
    Summary.
4. Creating Your Business Plan, Part 2: The Money Pages.
    Creating Your Budget Spreadsheet.
      Setting Up the Spreadsheet Columns.
      Setting Up the Spreadsheet Rows.
    Planning for Budget Items As Outlined in the Business Plan Form.
      Introduction/Overview.
      The Basics.
      Business Overview.
      Marketing.
      Logistics.
      Financials and Assumptions, Expansion, and Exits.
    Accounting for Expenses As Listed in Schedule C.
      Listing Gross Receipts, Returns, and Costs of Goods Sold.
      Costs of Advertising and Car/Truck Expenses.
      Accounting for Commissions, Fees, Contract Labor, and Depreciation.
      Budgeting for Insurance Costs.
      Planning for Costs of Interest and Legal and Professional Services.
      Budgeting for Office Expenses.
      Accounting for Pension and Retirement Expenses.
      Accounting for Rent/Lease, Repair, Maintenance Expenses, and Other Necessary Supplies.
      Budgeting Taxes and Licenses and Travel Expenses.
      Listing Utilities, Wages, and Other Expenses.
      Planning for Estimated Tax Payments and Other Expenses Not Included in the Form.
    Reviewing a Sample Business Budget Form.
    Planning Your Incoming Funds: Where Will the Money Come From?
      Developing a Pricing Structure.
      Trimming Back Expenses.
      Planning Necessary Savings.
    Pursuing Other Sources of Funding.
      Small Business Administration and Local Government Agencies.
      Banks.
      Home Equity Loans.
      A Caution About Credit Cards.
      Relatives and Friends.
    Summary.
5. Setting Up Your Records and Preparing to Open for Business.
    Setting Up Basic Records.
      Important Electronic Records.
      Must-Have Hard-Copy Records.
      How Long Should I Keep These Records?
    Setting Up Your Office Space.
    Summary.
6. Getting Technology You Really Need (and Only What You Need).
    Meeting the Technology Needs of Your Business.
      What Do You Really Need?
      Take Inventory.
      Purchasing Technology for Your Business.
      Choosing the Right Antivirus and Firewall Software.
    Designing and Maintaining a Business Website.
      Choosing the Type of Website for Your Business.
      Deciding on a Site Design.
    Summary.
II. PUTTING YOUR PLAN TO WORK.
7. Marketing for the Real World.
    Understanding Real Marketing.
      The Marketing Cycle: A Typical Story.
      Slow Frying Fish: Understanding that Marketing Takes Time.
    Marketing You and Your Business.
      Announcing Your Business.
      Tried and True Marketing Techniques.
      Marketing on a Budget.
      How Much Marketing Is Enough?
    Using Professionals to Help You Market Your Business.
      Finding Professionals to Hone Written Marketing Materials.
      Using Pros to Craft Your Web Presence.
    Summary.
8. Avoiding Expensive Mistakes.
    Making Financial Forecasting Work for Your Home Business.
      Creating a Simple Forecasting System.
      Forecasting Income.
      Forecasting Expenses.
      Scheduling Regular Reviews and Making Changes.
    Avoiding Risky Business.
      Avoiding the 1099/W-2 Tax Trap.
      Avoiding Bad-Risk Clients.
    Four Areas That Will Make or Break Your Success.
      Maintaining a Pricing Structure.
      Maintaining Scope.
      Making Sure That You Get Paid for Your Work.
      Maintaining Good Communication.
      Creating a “How I Work” Document to Set Policies for Good Practices.
    Summary.
9. Conserving Your Resources: Time, Money, and Health.
    Managing Your Time.
      Setting Your Working Hours and Hours of Availability.
      Prioritizing Tasks.
      Estimating Time.
      Managing Your Schedule.
      Avoiding Common Time Problems.
      The Gradual Transition to a Flexible Schedule.
    Maintaining Your Health.
      The Home Business Diet.
      Illness and Stress.
    Conserving and Managing Your Money.
      Personal Spending.
      Business Spending.
    Summary.
10. “What I Did”: Five Home-Based Entrepreneurs Talk About Their Most Important Decisions and Dilemmas.
    The Two-Business Couple-an Engineer and an Educational Consultant.
    The Printer/Graphic Designer.
    The Coach.
    The QuickBooks Consultant.
    Summary.
III. APPENDIX.
A: References and Resources.
    Forms and Templates.
      Business Plan Format.
      Budget Templates.
      Sample Invoice.
      Sample Press Release Format.
    Helpful Resources.
      Financial, Tax, Insurance, and Legal Matters.
      Technical Resources.
      Marketing and Networking Resources.
      Personal Development Resources (Organization, Learning Disabilities, and More).
      Helpful to Self-Employed and Small Business in General.
    Further Reading.
Small Business Troubleshooting Toolkit.
    Tool 1: When Your Business Is Well-But You Aren't.    PDF:1.
    Tool 2: Houston, We Have a Problem: Preventing Disaster During Equipment Failures.    PDF:9.
    Tool 3: Managing Angry Clients.    PDF:21.
    Tool 4: Surviving Lean Times: No Work, No Money.    PDF:31.
    Tool 5: Keeping Up When You Have Too Much Work.    PDF:43.
Index.

About the author

Carol Anne Carroll runs a highly successful one-woman writing business from her home office in Northern California. With clients ranging from individuals to large corporations, she specializes in writing effectively-and teaching others to do the same. Her published works include hundreds of articles and more than a dozen courses, as well as business and marketing materials. For more information, please visit her website, www.carolannecarroll.com.

Summary

With practical advice, to-do lists, and planning and preparation, this work walks you through the process of starting a home-based business - from evaluating your readiness to launch your business, to writing a business plan, finding financing, setting up your office, getting legal issues and records in order and crafting a marketing plan.

Product details

• Authors: Susan Armitage, Carol Anne Carroll
• Publisher: Pearson Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.01.2004
• EAN: 9780789732248
• ISBN: 978-0-7897-3224-8
• No. of pages: 264
• Weight: 460 g
• Series: Que; In No Time; Que
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Business > Individual industrial sectors, branches