For millions of Americans, going to work every day loses its luster after a while. In fact, according to Gallup Polls, 87 percent of employees around the world are not engaged at work. That’s not good for a company’s culture or productivity, but it can also be detrimental for the individual. After all, it’s hard to feel fulfilled if you are doing the bare minimum to stay employed. 

Whether you’ve suffered a setback in your career or you’ve simply realized that your career just isn’t what you’d hoped it would be, starting your own business may be a good solution. And while starting your own business may seem like a huge leap of faith, it doesn’t have to be. Advances in technology have made it easier than ever to become one of the (at least) 14.6 million people in the United States who are self-employed.

The key is to start with a solid plan. Knowing how to find clients and how to advertise your services will help you get a good headstart on your new business and prevent quite a bit of stress down the road. It will also be imperative to come up with a good plan to stay motivated. Since working for yourself means there’s no one around to do those things for you, you’ll need to define your own mission statement and plan to execute it. You’ll also need to prioritize self-care in the form of sleep, rewards, social time, and personal development. Otherwise, being your own boss can become all-consuming, even unhealthy. 

Keep reading for some tips on how to start your own home-based business.

Figure Out Your Preferred Schedule

When you’re working for yourself, it’s incredibly important to make sure you have a schedule. Many people find they need something flexible if they’re going to keep a day job or if they have families, which requires careful planning. This will also help you decide what sort of business you want to pursue, since some are more flexible than others.

Stay Productive

It can be difficult to stay productive when you’re working for yourself, especially if you work from home. Finding a quiet place in the house to get work done is imperative, so set up your desk in an area that is away from the normal traffic flow, and set rules with your family members about your time there. If possible, find a time to work when you feel most energized, whether that’s in the morning or late at night. Don’t forget to take breaks and make yourself comfortable so you can stay motivated while you’re getting things done.

Advertise

You don’t have to spend a ton of money to advertise your services or business. These days, many people find that it’s enough just to have a great social media presence. Maintain pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and share solid content every day in order to engage with potential customers and to get shares and new followers. Many social media pages now offer the option to pay for sponsored ads, which are a much more cost-effective marketing choice when you are on a budget.

Find the Best Tools

With so many people working for themselves or working remotely these days, there are now tons of tools available online that will help you maintain your business and grow it successfully. Whether you want to find the best spots for WiFi when you need to work outside the house or figure out the most effective way to send large files, there are sites and apps that have you covered. When you need help accomplishing tasks you don’t have time to do yourself or that are outside of your skillset, you can turn to services like Fiverr and PeoplePerHour to get the help you need from freelancers. 
Creating your own home-based business takes time, so try to stay patient as you go through the process. Do your research so you’ll be well informed about your competition, your options, and your potential allies as you move forward. With a good plan, you’ll be able to grow your business in no time.

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Small businesses make up a majority of the businesses in America, yet there is a huge risk when opening your own business. Small businesses’ odds of surviving decrease as time goes by, according to a report from Small Business Trends. 

Statistics are fine to analyze until you realize that there are individuals behind each one, business owners who have to deal with closing a business. If you’re one of these individuals, you’re the one that must reach a decision to board it up, which causes emotions that statistics and numbers can never truly convey. You tried and succeeded for a while, but the business is closed now. Here’s your path to starting over and overcoming this hurdle.

Remember Your Success

We have a tendency to reach our goals and immediately want something new. No matter how much time you put into one achievement, you usually want the next big thing immediately afterward. This is a wonderful trait to have since it keeps you striving for something better.

However, this can also lead to you forgetting everything you’ve accomplished along the way. After your small business closes, give yourself time to reflect and remember the obstacles you overcame to get to the point of opening a business at all.

Starting your own business and the courage, drive, and work ethic it takes to accomplish that is worth celebrating. It’s also exactly what you need to start again. You learned what worked and what didn’t. Carry that knowledge into your next venture, and don’t let the fear of failure stop you from trying something new after you process this “failure.”

Give Yourself Time

While you shouldn’t let one business closing stop you from ever trying again, you should give yourself time to process all the emotions that come with a business closing. Everyone has their own way of dealing with emotions and unplugging for a while.

Everyone recovers from a failure, and some even view failure as an achievement. Take this approach and spend time doing things you haven’t done in a while that bring you joy. Practicing self-care is one of the best ways to rejuvenate your mental and physical state.

As a small business owner, you probably wore an array of different hats and had little time outside of work to focus on yourself. Take the opportunity now to come up with a sustainable self-care routine that you can continue into your next venture.

Reconnect with friends and family, catch up on your reading, head outside — do what makes you feel good. If that means getting a makeover, by all means, head out for a cut and color. While you’re taking care of yourself, though, keep your finances in mind.

Allow Your Bank Accounts to Bounce Back

Don’t immediately go into another venture unless you’ve dealt with the fallout from your closed business. Wait until the time is right, finances are secure, and you can focus on the future. 

After your business closes, tighten your belt and make a stricter budget for yourself. The last thing you need is to worry about finances right now, so save all you can. If you have enough in savings to get by until you start something else up, pat yourself on the back.

If your personal savings were tied into the business, then filing for bankruptcy might be your best option. If not, you need to secure a source of income and fast. Your experience as a business owner provided you with a network that you can reach out to for help securing a job.

Though it might sting to become an employee for someone other than yourself, you can stop stressing about the bills and use the time to come up with your next business venture. Perhaps you can start small while employed and open an online store. Your platform options are endless nowadays. For example, dropshipping allows you to sell trendy products without a storefront or inventory, from backpacks and bags to gadgets and electronics. Find out what strikes your fancy and then take it slowly. There’s no need to rush this decision.

When you have the next plan ready to go, invest time into the plan. You know where the pitfalls are and how to avoid them. Be patient and wait for the right time, place, and investor. 

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If you’re in addiction recovery, you may not be able to report to your regular job on a daily basis. It puts you in direct contact with temptations and stressors that may lead you into negative behaviors. It may seem like you have no choice but to suffer the effects of income loss and unemployment if you’re going to have a successful recovery. But thanks to the internet and the flexibility of the gig economy, there are many ways to make an income while you’re following your recovery regimen. If you have a web connection, some creativity, and plenty of initiative, the gig economy has something for you.

Product Reviews

If you have a Twitter account and plenty of followers, you have the basis of a home business. You can get paid for tweeting about products and services you enjoy. Or, you can take a more conventional approach and get paid for taking surveys online by offering your opinions about various products or getting paid for testing websites for functionality, indicating which are the best and easiest to use. 

Writing

Websites require an enormous amount of content, and there’s a great need for freelancers to produce articles on a wide range of subjects. There’s also a high demand for blog posts, many of which pay quite well (some as high as $100 or more per post). You can even make good money writing letters to members of Congress on a variety of issues for lobbyists and interest groups. This is a good opportunity for someone who feels strongly about certain issues to make money while helping to advance your interests. Simply research an issue that’s important to you, decide whether you want to pursue it, and go from there.

Virtual Salesmanship

Many people do quite well selling items on sites such as Craigslist and eBay. Think of it as an ongoing, virtual rummage sale. You can sell old objects you don’t need anymore without having to order inventory or invite strangers onto your property. 

Think Outside the Box

Your condition might call for a job that allows you to work without a lot of intense interaction. If you have a creative background, there are a number of solitary job opportunities available via the internet. Website design is a popular side gig these days, a way for those with some experience in the field to make a decent salary as a freelance designer. Some web-based opportunities aren’t lucrative, but provide a steady income. For example, you can sign up to be a “mock juror,” reviewing the evidence from a case and delivering an opinion as a way of helping attorneys get ready for cases. 

Name It

You’ll need to create an identity for your home-based business. Selecting a memorable name is one of the best ways. It’s an important part of branding your business and making it easy for people to find you. That said, coming up with a meaningful and memorable name isn’t an easy task. If you get stuck, consider using a business name generator tool, which will offer plenty of naming options and make the difficult task much simpler.

If you have a specific skill or interest, there’s a good chance you can take advantage of it and make money at home. It can be a great benefit if you’re in addiction recovery and can’t report to an office, restaurant, or other physical job location. You might even find you like the gig economy enough to commit to it full time.

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Are you a stay-at-home mom who wants to own your own business? Not sure where to start? If you’re nervous about starting your own business, you really shouldn’t be! As a SAHM, you are already used to managing schedules, budgeting money, and multitasking like a pro. Moms are natural when it comes to running a business, but here are some tips that can help you build your new business into a success.

Decide on a Business That Works for You  

The first item on your mompreneur agenda should be to figure out what kind of business to start. You may need a business that’s easy to start or one that doesn’t take a lot of funding to begin. Budgets are especially important to busy parents, but there are tons of businesses you can begin without spending a ton of your own money. One business that works well for busy parents is a drop-shipping business. Managing a drop-shipping business, where you work with suppliers to sell in-demand products to customers, is a low-risk option that is simple to set up (you only pay for products that you actually sell to customers) and will not take too much time away from your other responsibilities. 

Get Your Work Life Organized 

As a mom, you know that sticking to a routine can help you manage your day. The same applies to your new business needs. In order to make any small business a success, you need to stay organized. If you are used to using a whiteboard to track your to-do list, incorporate your work tasks into it. You may even find it helpful to start a new one and organize it, such as a Kanban board, in order to manage your new workload. You can also look for time management and scheduling apps to keep deadlines from slipping your mind. 

Make Home Life Easier to Manage

Starting a new business doesn’t mean your responsibilities as a SAHM are going to stop or even slow down. You’ll need to find ways to squeeze your new work life into your life as a mom, and changing up your weekly routine can help you do just that. If you usually cook every night, try meal prepping some healthy options on Sundays to save yourself some time during the week. If business really starts to boom, look for ways you can get a little help around the house. Hire a part-time dog walker or use grocery delivery apps instead of running errands. 

Multi-Task When Kids are Around  

If you can swing it, try to schedule your work duties during times that your kids are napping or out of the house. But as a busy mom, you’re likely to find yourself working even when the kids are around. Hiring a part-time sitter is a great option for squeezing in work when the kids are awake. If you can’t hire help, try using some of these tips for managing your children while trying to manage working from home. Talk to older kids about your need to focus and offer incentives for good behavior. It’s also helpful to set up a home office where you can work while your kids play in another room. 

Save Some Time for Self-Care  

Mom stress is a very real thing, but adding a small business to your life will only increase whatever stress you typically feel. It will take some time to adjust to your new schedule and demands, so try to be patient. Take care of yourself by eating a healthy diet and making time for exercise, even if it’s just some daily yoga or a walk. Exercise can boost your energy levels, which will definitely come in handy. Find positive ways to relieve stress and make sure you are always leaving some time in your schedule for self-care. 

If you are a stay-at-home mom looking to start a new business, you shouldn’t stress about it. After all, being a mom is the toughest job, so if you can take on that, you can take on whatever your small business throws at you. Get out there and make your business a success!

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