Finding A Small Business – Where Do I Start?

  If you have searched online, you will know that there is no shortage of potential business opportunities. You may have sought information, or even signed up and then felt let down or misled by a company, and walked away. You can be 100% certain that there are millions of shiny websites, fabulous lead pages, 100% auto-turnkey no-work businesses all over the web. These companies pay money to have these sites looking their best and attract customers. Your job is to know what you want to do, and focus on what is right for you.

   

So how do you decide?

As I suggested in my post So You Want To Work From home? get to know yourself, know what you really want to do, and know why you are looking for work.

If you are looking for short term local income and want to do a physical job such as gardening, or house painting, you are more likely to find this work in local job-seeker websites, or in your local paper or community boards.

If you are looking for typing, data entry, article writing or ghost-writing work, research this type of work online and offline.

• Local businesses and training facilities may be looking for typists.
• Job banks and agencies may be looking for temp typists.
• Look for sites that teach you how to find these freelance jobs.
• Check out www.squidoo.com or www.hubpages.com for ideas.
• If you are being asked to sign up to be able to access a site, find out why you need to pay.
• Are there other sites that offer the same service for free?
• Look for reviews on the quality of the sites.
• If you are being asked to pay, do they say what you will get for that fee?
• Who collects the payment for the job?
• Do they have a money back guarantee?
• If you are not living in the US, you may have difficulty making money filling out surveys.

You do not want to give away your last dollar to an "all talk-no action" site which does not meet your needs.

Do you want to market yourself online, but work offline?

• You can produce art or photography which you promote on an online gallery.
• If you have a trade such as plumber or electrician, a website can be used to attract local customers.
• Internet is being used more and more for education and communication globally. Music lessons, tutoring, and business meetings are three ways that people communicate online.

Do you want to spend most of your time online, marketing, socialize in social media sites, writing e.books or software, or marketing affiliate products?

• If you have decided you want to go down this track, work out what you want to do.
• Decide whether you want to do all the work yourself, or outsource.
• Get very clear about where you need to begin.
• Be very aware of "shiny objects", and read the description of any training you decide to buy.

Consider getting a mentor or coach to guide you through the process.

Have a wonder-filled day.

What Do You Need To Know Before You Start Working From Home?