Starting a Growing Home-Based Business from Your Apartment
Starting your own apartment-based business is one of the most rewarding tasks you can do. It requires tenacity, focus, and flexibility to manage the challenges and weather the storms. However, there’s a lot to think about and a lot to prepare for. Brought to you by Skylight Designs, here are some things to think about.
Earning Customers
Your first customers can be reached through your family, friends, and colleagues. Establish a website with photos that demonstrate your services or products. Make sure it is user-friendly and provides a back story to personalize your business. Go into the community and meet people in person and online. Eventbrite and social media can be great places to find events to attend. Use opportunities such as trade shows to get your company name out there and offer demonstrations of your goods or services.
Simply Business notes that word-of-mouth is the best way to earn customers. Share your business as widely as possible in the early days to help you to establish a clientele. As your business grows, put some of your earnings back into the business to upgrade production, expand your product line, or broaden the scope of your marketing plan.
Important Tools and Tasks
For apartment-based businesses, you’ll want to be sure you’re allowed to operate your specific type of business from the rental. Check your lease to make sure there are no provisos that would interfere with starting and running your venture. Also look into the zoning codes that cover your apartment complex so you don’t later find that you’re breaking an ordinance or two. Your landlord or property manager is a great source for such information, so make them your first call.
Once you’re good to go, set up a designated space for an office, including an appropriate setup for video conferencing with potential clients. Working out of a home office can be distracting. Try to remain productive by setting up noise buffering to reduce sound distractions and alert the family when you need solitude in your office to focus on a task.
There’s a danger in running a business out of your apartment that your work life and home life will overlap and with the work stress will park in your living room. Remember to keep healthy snacks on hand and consider devoting time and space to meditation, which will help swing the work / life balance back toward solitude and relaxation. Also, keep your work area as neat and tidy as possible; Mayo Clinic points out that the lack of clutter will help you stay organized and focused, as well as keep that space free of stress and anxiety.
Creating a Plan and Hiring Experts
To stay productive and move forward in your early days, invest time and money in developing a comprehensive business plan. If this sounds daunting, remember you do not need to do it yourself — you can hire a professional to assist. For example, instead of trying to figure out marketing and website design all by yourself, hire a one-stop shop marketer and designer like Skylight Designs. You don’t want your inexperience to make your business look amateurish. When it comes to marketing and design, it always pays to hire a pro.
Part of your business plan may include expanding into some consulting work. You can offer webinars and group coaching services, as well as individual hourly sessions to help people boost their skills. Make sure you charge a rate that reflects your skill level — giving away your services at too low of a rate may convey that you are not experienced or knowledgeable.
Long-Term Planning
As your business grows, you will need to keep scale in mind. The last thing you want is to have more work than you can handle alone, so you may need to hire someone part-time to help. You may also find that your apartment becomes too small for your venture. With an at-home business, really the best you can hope for is outgrowing your at-home business. If you have an idea or service, put your dreams to work for you and give your startup a try. With a practical approach, you can live the entrepreneurial life.
