The advantages of starting a home based business outweigh the time and small expense involved in setting up a viable business. For the long term, the overhead costs for starting a business in your home are very low. The government provides several tax incentives for individuals who have businesses set up in their home. There are some strict rules and regulations that must be met to qualify for the home-based business deduction but once confirmed, the tax refunds for having a home based business are very lucrative.

In addition to the tax advantages, home based business owners have no daily transportation expenses. home based business owner has unlimited flexibility in balancing work and family commitments. Using technology for communication and business processes makes working from home a sensible and practical solution to the high price of gasoline, commuting time and costs of buying new clothes.

Home-based businesses play a crucial role in the free enterprise system. These entrepreneurs contribute to the overall economy as well as the financial viability of their families. The ultimate dream of a home based business is to provide financial independence for the owner, their family and the community at large..

Some of the most widely recognized software retailers and cosmetic companies had their beginning in a garage. Companies like Apple Computer, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Microsoft, Lotus and even the cosmetic giant, Mary Kay, were initially started as home based business enterprises.

But, like any other type of business, a home-based business requires initial preparation, start-up capital, registration and ongoing marketing. Home based business are traditionally set up as a sole proprietorship. The home based business owner has to be an expert in all phases of the business. At some time in the business start up process, the home based business owner must know the details of the operational, strategic, legal, financial and marketing concerns.

The following checklist covers the essential points to help you stay focused so that you can set up your own home-based business.

Plan to Succeed

Every business needs to create a comprehensive business plan. The business plan will focus your efforts from selecting a product to sell all the way to the actual marketing of the product. This plan will cause ideas to generate and perhaps new methods of distribution for your business.

The basic business plan contains a, executive summary, mission statement, marketing plans and profits that you want to achieve. The business plan is the blueprint that will guide you to your desired results. It is of utmost importance to prepare a draft of your business plan. The business plan will keep you on focused on your goals. If you intend to seek any type of funding for your business, it is imperative that a business plan is part of the start-up process.

Selecting the Business Structure

The selection of your long term goals for your business will determine which structure you chose for your business. The choices include:

o Sole Proprietorship
o Partnership
o Corporation

There are several different types of Corporation structures that you can choose. There are specific tax implications for each of the choices listed. Deciding on the business structure for your home based business enterprise is perhaps one of the most critical decisions you will make.

You can search online to find out the specific requirements for each of the business structures listed. Your decision will have far-reaching consequences and will depend on important factors like capital, ability to do business in specific locations and the type of your business you are starting.

To register or not to register?

It is important for all legitimate business to register their business name. For tax and other proprietary purposes you should secure all necessary business licenses. Registering your business protects the name of your business. It is also important to become aware of the compliance requirements in your area. Local zoning regulations should be acquired to assure you that the business does not contravene local zoning laws.

Insurance for Your Business?

It is just smart to purchase insurance for your new business if you need to acquire financing. Business insurance is a prerequisite of lending institutions in case you plan to borrow money for your startup operations For online businesses that do not sell physical products, having insurance is a choice.

Purchase Equipments

Remember to keep all of your receipts when you purchase any office equipments or supplies. Your new computer, fax, printer, cell phone stationary supplies, and business cards are necessary business tools and are all tax deductible for your new business.

Time Management

Home-based entrepreneurs also require better time management skills than a corporate employee. Home based business owners must learn how to leverage their time and money. It is easy to get off track when your office is located in your garage, a den or the basement. Decide how much time you will devote to your business each day and stick to your time schedule.

Automate as much of your business as possible so that you are always available to your customers. Schedule each phase of your business day and set up systems that will automatically reply to inquiries. Automation of your menial tasks is a critical element in your overall time management strategy.

Web Site

Businesses are longer restricted to brick and mortar locations. There are no limits to the number of customers that home based business owners can acquire. The home based business owner can no longer limit themselves to doing business in their local community. The Internet allows global business interaction from anywhere in the world. Having one website may not be sufficient to accomplish the level of success that a home based business owner requires.

Home-based businesses compensate for their lack of a physical presence with a virtual presence in the World Wide Web. This presence may take the shape of several websites on several domains.

Organization & Automation

To conduct business in a professional and efficient way, it is important to organize everyday tasks into simple automated processes. Your home office should include everything you need to complete a transaction. It is easier to stay on top of daily tasks when the work-space is well organized. It is so much easier to complete the daily grunt work when these menial tasks are automated.

Inventory and Supplies

For home based business owners who sell physical products, it is important that these products are kept in a specified location. If you use your garage to keep stock you need to know the exact dimensions of your garage that is designated for this purpose. The best way to handle stock is to have the company send and maintain the bulk of your inventory. This eliminates a time lag for your customers. If you sell digital products, this process is handled automatically.

Open the Door and Let Business Begin

You are now ready to open the virtual doors of your home based business to the global community. You have completed all the steps to insure that your business will be successful. You have a product, a website that allows you into the global marketplace.

Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:

An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.

If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.

Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.

Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.

Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.

After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:

Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.

Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.

Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.

A Case Study

Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.

Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.

Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.

I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.

There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.

According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?

As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.

When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.

While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.

So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:

The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.

Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.

If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.

When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.

And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.

Internet Marketing is the best new way to get your home based business going strong. You will find that many of the methods are inexpensive, while others are actually free. A few tips will help you get started.1. Learn to write quality articles for directories. You are a smart person. Otherwise, you would not be able to run a home based business. As long as you can read and use the keyboard of your computer, you should be able to write your own articles. The best way to begin is to go to the article directory you intend to use and take a look at their editorial guidelines. That will help you to understand what is expected of you.The articles themselves should be informative and should not include a blatant sales pitch in the body of the article. You can tell your audience something about your home based business in the form of a how-to article, for example. The specific information about your business and products will be in the author box for those who are interested.2. Make a blog. You can go to WordPress or some other blog site and create your own blog instantly. You just fill out the online form; it is simple. There are a few things to remember about this form of Internet Marketing. For one, you can set up the URL for your blog to be your business name. Think about what you want the name of your blog to be. When you fill out the username on WordPress, that username will become the name of your blog. Once you have your blog, you can write up-to-date entries detailing new developments in your industry. You can also educate about your products and their uses.3. Learn about Internet press releases. A press release is an Internet Marketing advertisement in the guise of a newsworthy tidbit of information. If you can find a way to make your home based business or product newsworthy, your press release will be picked up by more services and spread across the Internet. You can also use this form of Marketing to post the press releases on your website.There are a few different ways to do a press release. You can hire a press release writer to do the work for you. For a small fee, they will even submit it to the press services. You could write it and submit it yourself. There are some tools out there to help with this sort of Marketing. EzineArticles.com has a new press release feature on their website.You may even use other types of online marketing tools to promote your home based business. YouTube videos are popular. Another tip is to get links from compatible businesses to put on your website and request that business put your link on their website. There are numerous ways to do Internet Marketing, so do not limit yourself to only one.