Winds Of Change: The Shift Toward American Home Business

The last decade has seen more Americans than ever leave their nine to five jobs in search of a better life. A life with less work? No, not at all. But a life that they are in control of. A chance for unlimited advancement, unprecedented freedom, and the chance to make more money than they ever thought possible. It has been said that no one ever got rich working for someone else. While this isn’t entirely true, it’s true enough to apply to your own life. Unless you have the chance to become a movie star or a super athlete in the pro ranks, or the very unlikely prospect of becoming CEO of a major corporation, chances are self employment is the only pathway to financial freedom. And more and more people are starting to realize this. They are starting to realize that the only way to make their dreams come true is to stop saying. . .”One day. . .” and start saying, “Now.”

People are starting to turn around and take notice of the opportunities that exist in home business, too, especially with the advent of the internet. No longer are home businesses just a way to make a little extra money to supplement your full time job, or the job of your spouse. With the right marketing and the right idea, home businesses can be your income. The chance exists to make more money with your own business than would ever be possible working for someone else, riding out the time clock every day and praying for that lousy bonus at the end of the year. With a traditional start up business, the amount of money required is often a stumbling block. After all, it can take hundreds of thousands of dollars just to buy into an established franchise. This means business loans and government credits hanging over your head while you try to make a success of yourself. All of this while you work to support yourself and your family. With the new wave of home businesses, the capital needed to start can be minimized. There are people that have started successful home business with under a hundred bucks in seed money. On the internet, everyone is equal.

In 2006, almost ten million people had left their jobs and were working for themselves out of the comfort of their own home. Do any of these people possess qualities that you yourself do not have? Perhaps, but most of them are just like you. They took a chance, they worked extraordinarily hard, and they made a success of themselves. Every year, the internet produces more and more made-from-scratch millionaires. You could be the next one if only you have the desire and willingness to succeed.

If you’re looking to become part of the revolution, find something you are passionate abut and research the market to see if there is a chance you could turn it in to a profitable business. If the chance exists, go ahead and take the plunge. Of course, there are other considerations you’ll need to be aware of, but with enough thought and imagination, you can overcome almost any obstacle that stands in your way. Don’t let others discourage you. Only you can know if your idea is worth pursuing. Take the chance and see what happens. Even if you fail, at least you can say you gave it your best shot.

The Businessman (Women Please Change To Business Woman)

The businessman performs a vital role in the community. This sounds like an obvious statement but they are often taken for granted by the people that work for them and the entire support structure, but without them there would be no need for any of the above.

Take for example a person who sets up a restaurant in a local community. Initially, it is necessary to gather capital together – people want to dine in a nice atmosphere thus it is necessary to spend heavily on this. What does this involve?

It may be necessary to convert a previously unused building so immediately the full range of trades is required through joinery, plastering, perhaps plumbing, tile fitters, painters, decorators' etc. Additionally, a huge range of materials will need to be purchased from tiling, carpets, wallpaper, kitchen materials and cooking facilities etc.

So immediately the benefits to the local community are evident and suppliers of these trades and services benefit.

Going further back, when the idea was being formed, the chances are that an architect would be used to help form the final design and possibly a quantity surveyor to analyze the anticipated costs of the project, perhaps interior designers to help with the proposed theme. Additionally, an accountant’s services will probably be employed to prepare a business plan and cash flow projections.

Continuing down the line, once the restaurant is open it will require staff, again a benefit to the local community, and will require constant maintenance, taking us right back to square one.

Now, as we all know, each business has different requirements, but this gives a general idea of the necessity of entrepreneurs in the local community.

The businessman is proactive, takes financial and reputation risks, and, like other trades or professions, provides a valuable and necessary service.

In many communities, businessmen who do well are often scorned and questions abound throughout the community as to the morality of the individuals required, without taking stock of the above however this is perhaps a natural human emotional response.

It may be levied at the businessman that his goal is to maximize profit, but then of course he is or he wouldn’t have ploughed capital and taken the risks in the first place; indeed, is that not the goal of any profession or trade also? It would be absurd to imagine someone getting out of bed in the morning if the goal were not to maximize profit?

Of course there are unscrupulous businessmen and unfair employers, but are there are there not also unscrupulous tradesmen, professionals, or indeed politicians and heads of multi national corporations?

The average community, if there is such a thing, would greatly struggle without the businessmen; indeed, the argument could be put forth that the community as we all know it, would perhaps cease to exist – someone can only get employment if someone else takes the risk to set up a firm.

Every trade or profession is dependent on the businessman to a degree, they may even be businessmen themselves by definition and the community ticks round as we know it due to the businessmen taking risks, employing local advice and inputting capital to whatever venture is involved.

Change In Business - Personal History

Self Experience -- A brief story of our first major foray into the business world

The year is 1993 and three young men, who share a penchant for business, are searching for the right materials to get involved with after deciding that distribution as compared to manufacture is the way ahead in the day’s particular climate.

The studies went on for almost two years and as luck would have it, a relative of two of the men controlled a soft drink’s production factory; it was then intimated to the men that if they could source a certain product for him, even at the same price, he would give them a contract.

The men duly did this, the product was sourced and the new business was up and running.

Over the following several years, the product range expanded and the customer base continued growing, using the same business model of distribution with ever-increasing storage facilities, creating an ability to from an efficient part of any company’s supply chain management.

Then, as is the subject title of this article, the business had to change, was forced to change -- through clever marketing and good fortune we won a supply contract for packaging related materials that we did not even supply!

Hence we suddenly required a great deal of additional space, a great deal of new equipment and guess what? We were involved in a business model which went against the grain of every ounce of our studies and took us in a totally different direction to that planned. Thus, we had changed.

One may argue that business is always the same -- it’s just the commodity that changes.

So there we were with 45000 square feet of storage and manufacturing space, a large work force, health and safety issues and lorries to boot-everything we had planned against -- but we had a contract.

However, the years went by and we began to see a pattern emerging throughout the country of manufacturing businesses closing around UK in favour of moving to Eastern Europe or indeed the Far East.

Since our business was primarily in the field of primary or secondary packaging and it is essentially manufacturing company’s that use packaging we decided that it was time to sell the business as too many companies were chasing an ever-decreasing market.

So when we received an offer from our managers to buy, we accepted it and moved on.

Summarising, it is no longer possible to be inflexible in business and more than ever, since general market knowledge is greater than ever before due to the internet, the customer must be treated with kid gloves and cannot be pressed too strongly.

Whereas in times gone by, it was relatively easy to work with decent margins, even on generic products, customers can access swathes of information at the press of a button, thus forcing the seller’s position down and down.

This is all very well but it must be remembered that a business producing anything or storing anything must work off a decent profit level to be able to maintain the standards of quality and delivery performance.

Change Your Career and Change Your Life By Starting Your Own Business

Even if you're not a born entrepreneur, at some point in your life you've probably toyed with the idea of starting your own business. Perhaps you've even opted out of your mainstream career to strike out on your own. If you have, you're among the legions of men and women who have made the choice to start their own businesses.

Unfortunately, many dreams of self-employment turn into nightmares, primarily because many of those who start businesses don't know how to critically assess business opportunities, how to create a business plan, how to read a financial report, or how to design and implement a marketing plan. Truly, the difference between those who succeed and those who fail most often boils down to whether or not the person has acquired the knowledge necessary to launch and operate a business.

What most aspiring entrepreneurs don't realize is that the skill set necessary to start a business isn't out of reach. It's simply a matter of finding the right tools and using them to your best advantage. These tools can be found in books, through online college courses, through training, or through the mentorship of a successful businessperson.

In a nutshell, these are the steps you need to take in order to change your career and change your life through starting your own business:

1. Identify and build on your strengths. If you are a creative person who thrives on the unexpected, starting a bookkeeping business that requires endless hours of number crunching is a recipe for disaster. You need to assess your talents and interests, and then discover how you can use them to create a niche and demand for your product or service.

2. Create a business plan. A business plan is both your vision for your business and your roadmap to achieve your goals. It must include defining your product or service, identifying your competitors and differentiating yourself from them, and pinpointing funding and financial opportunities.

3. Lay the groundwork. Businesses aren't built in a day, and you have to go through the mundane tasks of setting up bank accounts, securing business licenses, and jumping through the necessary regulatory hoops.

4. Create a marketing plan. Whether or not your business includes e-commerce, you can be sure that the Internet will play a major role in marketing your new business. But there are many other ways of garnering low cost or free advertising and marketing, and you need to make it your business to learn about them. You must also identify your target market and come up with a strategy to bring your product or service to that market.

5. Pay attention to the details. Many businesses fail because of a lack of attention to details - whether that means sloppy accounting practices, poor inventory control, or missing the deadline for a funding source. Launching a business is a balancing act, and you and your team must walk the high wire with aplomb.

6. Acknowledge and dismiss fear. Fear is what often holds us back from achieving our dreams. There's no doubt that leaving your career to start your own business is a downright frightening proposition. But with the right tools, you can acknowledge your fears for what they are, and then boldly move forward on your new career path of self-employment.

Big Questions That Could Change Your Business

How does your business perform in these areas?

Effecitve Meeetings

What if people:

* Called a meeting only when they had a specific goal supported by a detailed agenda?

* Checked with the key participants to help them prepare for the meeting?

* Involved all of the participants in the work during a meeting?

* Obtained results with a team process based on consensus?

* Took responsibility for implementing the decisions made in a meeting?

> Could this help your business become more profitable?

Business communication:

What if people:

* Helped others express their ideas during a conversation?

* Created a safe environment that facilitated clear thinking and free expression?

* Treated each other with respect in their conversations?

* Listened carefully and completely to what the other person was saying?

* Let others be the star in their conversations?

> Could this help your work proceed more efficiently?

Business presentations

What if people:

* Understood the goal for a presentation before preparing for it?

* Spoke with key people in the audience to learn about what they hoped to gain from the presentation?

* Rehearsed what they planned to say with a clock (to make sure that they finished on time)?

* Spoke about the audience and their needs instead of about themselves?

* Delivered compelling presentations that informed and inspired others?

> Could these leaders be more influencial?

Personality styles

What if people:

* Could recognize how others preferred to think, work, and communicate?

* Knew their own strengths and how to apply them for maximize benefit?

* Knew their weaknesses and how to manage them?

* Were able to work together in harmony?

* Could earn trust and respect from each other?

> Could this help people get along with each other?