I think it is fair to say that most of us dream of starting a home business but have no idea where to start and more importantly, what to do!
How many times have you searched for home business ideas or how to make money from home, only to be left with the same boring ideas time after time? Does anyone really want to spend their days taking surveys for a few measly bucks or becoming a virtual assistant (what even is that?)!
Coming up with home business ideas is hard but coming up with an idea that actually makes a decent income feels nearly impossible!
Don’t worry, I am not going to start listing off 101 ways you can make money from home and leave you feeling like you’ve just read every other blog post on the internet. I have no desire to do freelance writing, become a personal assistant or do bookkeeping (it’s totally ok if you like doing those things, I just don’t).
Nope, this is not one of those posts. Instead, I am going to talk about real ways to hone in on your talents, passions and hobbies and figure out the best home business idea for you!
So go get your pretty colored sharpies and notepad and jot down some of these ideas.
1. Brainstorm
Yes, that’s right. I am going to bring you back to your elementary school days here but instead of brainstorming 50 ways to use a fork, I want you to brainstorm all the things you enjoy doing from home.
For me, I enjoy gardening, baking, playing piano, spending time with my children…you get my drift. It doesn’t have to be profound, just honest. If you love colour coordinating your closet or labeling your entire pantry, perhaps you like to organize. List it!
2. Review
After you have exhausted your list of things that you enjoy, then it is time to review it. What items are on your list that perhaps you enjoy but don’t particularly want to do everyday as a business? I really enjoy gardening, but it is not something that I want to do every day and certainly not all year. If you have items on your list that would fall into this category then put a simple line through it. You can always come back to it again later.
3. Ask your Friends/Family
No, I don’t mean ask them to sign up for your latest MLM subscription service, that is not what we are doing here. I mean, ask the people that know you the best, what they think you are good at. You might be surprised to hear what people say.
4. Research
When you have narrowed down your list to a few ideas then you need to do a little digging. You don’t want to invest heavily in an idea if there’s no market for it. Unless you plan to sell online and capitalize through a website or platform, you need to determine if there is potential demand in your community.
Before I moved to northern BC, I had a half-decent little cupcake business that I operated from home. It was something I liked doing on the weekend and it made a nice side income. I wasn’t striking it rich by any means, but it helped pay the bills. When I moved, I found out quickly that cupcakes was just not a thing here. No one was paying premium prices for mini cupcakes.
So how do you determine if your idea will sell? One such way is to ask around and see what is already out there. Is there competition? Demand? I knew that cupcakes weren’t going to sell here (at least not for $2 a bite) but sugar cookies was a whole different story. People will pay premium prices for beautifully designed cookies. Sometimes a small shift in direction is all you need.
5. Start small
Test the water a little before jumping in with two feet. Keep your costs low and have a business plan.
If you decide that you want to become a photographer and shoot weddings and newborn sessions, don’t go and buy the fanciest most expensive camera and lens out there. Use what you have and slowly upgrade while mastering your talent.
One rule that I made for myself is that my business has to pay my upgrades. If I want the latest cookie-making gadget (and there are a lot of them!), then my business has to pay for it. If you start spending money from your 9-5 job on your sidekick, then you essentially just have a hobby.
6. Practice
I don’t want to sound like your mom or your grade 5 piano teacher, but seriously, work on mastering whatever it is you want to do.
When I started making sugar cookies, they weren’t so pretty…but I really wanted to turn out these beautiful works of art that I saw on Instagram. I had to do A LOT of research to figure out exactly how to master a technique or mix that darn icing. I am still learning and still have so much to figure out but I really enjoy doing it.
The vast majority of people that are exceptionally good at something had to work at it. The best part is that it’s rewarding in the end. Hard work always pays.
Mastering your idea will also keep you in the game. Remember, competition is usually just around the corner! If you want to make money from home, you need to be the best at what you do.
Now that you have found the perfect home business idea for YOU, get busy!
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