Starting your own business has become a favoured option among many entrepreneurs and graduates from around the globe. There are many advantages that come with running your own business such as being your own boss, starting and finishing work as you please and being financially independent.
You no longer need to clock in and out of work or make small talk with other employees at the coffee machine; starting your own business from home puts the control into your hands. According to www.startupdonut.co.uk more than 60% of people who start a business are now doing so from home. This can be anything from IT to accountancy and fashion design; the options are endless but there are certain things you need to know about the process before you dive in.
Office Space
If you want to work from home, you will need enough space to allow you to do so. Balancing work with family life can be difficult for some people which is why you must consider whether or not you will be able to have a home business or not. If you need space for an office or to store stock, you may need to expand upon your storage options. For example, you can free up a spare room and transform it into an office or you may need to shift some stock supplies to and from a self-storage unit so that your stock isn’t bombarding your living room. You can find such storage facilities here that will be able to attend to your individual and business storage needs and requirements.
Employees
If you intend to employ people to work for your home business, you can certainly do so. However, you will be required to carry out a general health and safety risk assessment if the employees will be working from your home residency. Many home businesses tend to opt for the sub-contracting route of employment instead of the traditional option of hiring staff members, which means that you will be employing people outside the house. Which option you choose is down to personal preference.
Funding
According to Great Business, there are currently 2.9m home-based businesses in the UK and they contribute £300 billion to the economy. This emphasizes just how successful a home business can be to the economy as well as individual business owners. You may require additional funding to get your business going which is why it is worth taking some extra time to look into government funding schemes and bank loans to help you move your business forward.
Research Market
Development and planning is an important stage to any business start-up. You must write out a business plan that will help you distinguish your main customer base and target audience. Researching the market will help you to identify potential customers and allow you to come up with better solutions and ways in which to reach them. You must be sure that there is an intended audience out there for your business and then you must be able to prove that your business has the right requirements that will meet customer demands whilst making a good profit.