So you’re considering getting out of the corporate rat race and starting a home-based business? That’s commendable. But if you’ve told someone other than an entrepreneur about your dream, you’ve probably been told you’re crazy for wanting to risk your livelihood and leave the security of a stable job.
The gut desire for self-sustenance as an entrepreneur is difficult to explain to someone who has never felt it. But once bitten by the bug, you can never again be satisfied with a work life confined to a cubicle and limited by a job description. The office will seem like a prison, and you will be plagued with a constant feeling that you are cheating yourself and your family.
Starting your own business is a frightening prospect, which is why so few people make the attempt. There are so many things to consider and so many unknowns to face. But if you are brave enough to embark on the adventure, here are some tips that may help you build a business that is not only lucrative but fulfilling.
1. Life is too brief to waste on a career that you find meaningless, overwhelming, or boring. You want to create a vision that inspires you and a business that energizes you.
Your home-based endeavor should be as much about having a the lifestyle you want as earning the income you want. You should spend some time considering what is most important to you, what you really desire in life, what kinds of relationships you would like to have, and what kind of business would allow you to achieve those things.
As you develop a vision for your business, try to include your various senses. What will your home office look like? How will you feel when you work there? Try to imagine even the smell of the office and the taste of whatever you may eat or drink there. Imagine how it will feel when you land a big business deal. How will you celebrate, and with whom? Concentrate frequently on your vision until you can see it clearly in your mind and rejoice in it. Picture yourself living a life you love with the people you love.
It’s also important to consider – but not dwell on – the things you don’t want in your business. Remember the things you didn’t like about your past employment and the failures you experienced. How can you make use of those negative experiences to ensure that your new venture will be better?
2. Build your business around your passion. Magic happens when you love what you are doing and you are good at doing it. Figure out what you do best and love most. You have special gifts and talents even if you haven’t yet discovered them. A trusted friend or loved one can point them out to you. If you don’t have a passion or life mission, take the time to create one and then pour your heart and soul into it.
As you follow your passion and begin to live the way you were born to, an amazing thing happens. One by one, all the resources and people you need for success begin to appear. It is as though the universe is rooting for you and wants you to succeed.
3. Build a business that is not just about you. Set a purpose that is bigger than just giving you the lifestyle you want. Focus on what your business can genuinely do to help others: your customers, your suppliers, your prospects, your area, even the world. How would you feel if your service was directly responsible for improving the world in some way?
This line of reasoning can be mind-boggling at first. But it really helps you define the core purpose of your business. Your primary objective is to solve your customers’ problems. Period. And your customers are willing to pay for the solution you offer. The better you come to understand your prospects’ pains, their hopes, and their desires, the better you can serve them. Consequently, the bigger your income will be, and the greater will be your contribution to the world.
Define a business goal that’s bigger than you. Write it down and post it where you will see it daily. Then work to achieve it.
4. Write a business plan that fully supports your personal values, beliefs, and life mission. A clearly defined plan is the roadmap to your success. Create a succinct mission statement that supports your plan and guides your decision-making.
If you have a family, be sure to consider their needs as you plan your business. They need your time and attention as much as they need your financial support. Don’t let yourself become a hermit or an absentee parent or a slave to the phone as you build your enterprise.
There will, of course, be hard choices and sacrifices to make. But those should be clearly defined and of short duration. Be very clear about what you are giving up and what you expect in return.
A cornerstone of a purpose-driven business is integrity. Always behave consistently with your personal and business values. If you make a mistake, own up to it and correct it quickly. When you build an enterprise that represents the best in you and what you stand for, you will find fulfillment and enjoyment in your work.
5. Consider donating a portion of your earnings to a worthy cause. You may wish to pay tithes to your church or support an organization whose work you love. Our lives are and our companies are enhanced when we give generously without expectation of return. As Anne Frank once said, “no one has ever become poor by giving.”
6. Once you have figured out how to make a go of your business, reach out to help someone who wants to do something similar. One of the best ways to give your company meaning and purpose is to provide advice, training, or coaching to others. There is always someone who would be thrilled to learn from your wisdom and experience.
You could even create a training course or start a mentoring club. That would allow you to reach numerous individuals at once while better leveraging your time.
You might also work to develop a community by involving others in your undertaking. There is great power in getting a group of people together to focus on a particular objective. Seek opportunities to get customers, family members, friends and associates involved in your cause. You never know how much good you can do until you try.
So it’s up to you. You can stay where you are and always wonder what you could have achieved. You can create a company that concentrates exclusively on earning a profit, which might make you rich but will never make you happy. Or you can build a business that focuses on doing good and enriching others’ lives as well as your own. Which option will you choose?
Life can be a real pleasure when you have a purpose-based home business that embodies your values and gives meaning to your life while providing the financial support you need.
