Operating a business at home suits the dreams of many, but being one’s own boss means that it is simple to blow things off. These tips will help you stay focused on your business to help you build it into a living.
Track your business-related mileage expenses, as you will be able to deduct all or a portion of them. Any business related travel expenses can be claimed at tax time. Prove this and you will save a lot of money during the year.
Boil your business’ mission down to a sound bite. You can impress potential clients if you are able to describe your business in a few short sentences. A brief statement of your business function may be the basis of a catchy slogan too.
Keep your focus on maintaining your relationship with current customers. It’s much easier to keep the customers you already have coming back to buy than it is to solicit new business. Your customers will come back if you make them happy.
Keep the business phone line separate from the one you use for personal calls. Using the same phone line for both is unprofessional. Your business calls may be answered by your family, who know nothing about the customer. In addition, you should have a message on your answering machine that is specific to your business.
Anytime you decide to recruit employees for your home-based entity, you must conduct due diligence regarding their backgrounds. You need to make sure they are skilled and reliable with what they sell on your behalf, since you can risk taking a major hit to your business.
Make a list of products that are intriguing when you can’t come up with an idea about what to sell from a home business. Pick products that will be useful to people. The first step in selecting a product that will be successful is identifying a need. If it improves your way of life, it stands to reason others can benefit from it as well.
The tips in this article will help you run your work from home business successfully. If you put in the work, others will feel good about using your business and you will find that you can make a decent living. Remember to adopt a professional attitude and focus on your goals.
There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in
Portland, Oregon where you can make the most impact on civic engagement in the community.