Owning a home business has many advantages. You will be able to work at your own pace and at a schedule you set for yourself. Finding a business which will be profitable and one in which you will excel, can be the hard part. Of course, most businesses take some capital to get started, too.
Always keep an eye on your operation costs and keep them to a minimum. You have already begun this path by choosing to use a home office, but keep operation costs in mind in all of your choices. This way you can keep your product costs as low as possible, giving you a competitive advantage against other businesses.
You can decrease family interruptions while you are working at home. Too many interruptions can hinder your ability to work, so always let loved ones know when you will be working as well as when you will be finished. Let them know that by giving you your much needed privacy, you will finish quicker, leaving you more time to spend with them. Make sure children are supervised and that you can be reached in an emergency.
You may not be able to justify hiring full time help right away, so consider whether you want to and are able to do everything at your business. You will have to deal with accounting, web design, computer maintenance, making calls, running marketing campaigns, you-name-it. As some tasks may not be fully within your skill set, be open to taking classes at a community college.
You can write off part of your internet bill on your taxes if your home business is internet based. Be honest as this will protect you in case of an audit.
Keep a receipt of every business related expense that you incur. This information is valuable when it is time to do your taxes. Create a folder to file the receipts so that you do not lose them. Periodically put the information into a spreadsheet so that it is not overwhelming to look through at the end of the year.
When you have decided on what type of home business to start, think of a catchy and descriptive name for your business. Your business name should be something that will catch the attention of potential customers who are looking for that specific type of goods or service. For example, “Betty’s Distinctive Chocolates” will attract the attention of people who are chocolate lovers.
It is important to set aside some of the money you make so that you have it on hand to pay your annual tax bills. 15-20% is usually the average tax rate so instead of having to scramble during tax season for the funds, it is nice to have some already set aside.
You may want to hire a professional to help you set up your website when you are starting your home business. They will be trained on what helps to attract traffic to the site and will be able to help you reach a larger marketing base. Many of the professionals charge very reasonable rates and will often do upgrades when needed for marginal costs.
Keep track of your driving. Your gas, mileage and repairs to your car may be tax deductible if they are for business purposes. Keep track of these in a small notebook that you keep in your car. It will be so easy come tax time to just add it all up for your accountant.
When starting a home business, remember to file for a DBA license. A DBA license stands for “Doing Business As,” letting the state know the name you are operating under. You’ll be able to stay within the letter of the law, and register your business legitimately on various web services as the owner.
While the comfort of working from home is enticing, the lack of human, face-to-face interaction may make the job more difficult than you think. Try to become involved in activities that allow you to maintain personal connections.
Get a business checking account. You can keep your business and home money in the same account, but come tax time you are going to have a difficult time separating one from the other. Get a business account and you will be more organized as well as ready for tax-time.
When working at home, set a schedule to follow that you can live with. It doesn’t have to be 9-5 if you don’t like that. Take your natural, biological rhythms into account and establish a schedule that will allow you to sleep during your best sleep hours and work during your most productive work hours. That’s one of the benefits of working at home!
To increase the visibility of your home business, you really need to have a website. To get the most bang for your buck, choose a domain name that is easy for your targeted audience to find and remember. That means avoiding a domain that is unnecessarily long or hard to spell.
A great home business tip is to buy a new computer. Purchasing a new computer for your business is smart because you’ll be able to write it off as a deductible. You just have to make sure that you write it off the year in which you buy it.
Consult with your tax professional because a home business has a lot of advantages: one of them is the tax write off. The mortgage or the lease you pay on the portion of your home you exclusively use for your home business is tax deductible as an expense. Rearrange your home so it clearly shows which area is occupied by your business.
There are also some disadvantages to owning a home business, with the most obvious one being that there are no guarantees. You will need to have some money to get started and also, money to live on while your business gets off the ground. Once your business is up and running, you may find it takes many more hours than you had anticipated.
