You Started Your Home Business, What Next?
Okay, you have started your own home based business.
You may even be making a little money.
Time to take some further steps to build your business.
What next? Surround yourself with success.
Find other people who may be successful in your line of business or close to it and try to get involved with them somehow.
When you find and surround yourself with successful people, especially with those who do the same thing you do, the possibilities for your future success are endless.
After all, success breeds success.
Besides, if a potential customer can't use your services, for one reason or another, you can refer them to others in your line of work.
Once you refer business to another, not only will they be grateful, but they will know you are looking out for them and thus, in the future they will look out for you and they will trust you.
In turn, one day, they may send business your way or help you in some capacity.
Don't be afraid to seek help from others in your line of work.
Although competition sometimes breeds resentment, you may be able to find organizations that are specific to your niche business.
Contacting others in your niche may lead to other things like trade organizations, support organizations or websites or any other groups that may cater to your line of work or similar.
Don't be afraid to knock on a few doors or make a few phone calls, if you don't, worse case is, as a quote from John Corbett goes, "nothing ventured, and nothing gained".
It is always good to find others to help us along on the path to success.
You will find that getting others on your team will not only help your business but may provide fringe benefits, you may find a mentor or even make friends.
You may even find that others may respect you for your opinions and your knowledge and you may end up as a valuable member of someone else's team! Not sure what to do? Not sure where to go? First, try your local, "Chamber of Commerce".
If they don't have the most current information on local businesses and resources, try the chambers of commerce for the surrounding towns.
If they can't help, go to the next towns to check their chambers of commerce and so on.
You will eventually bump in to something down the road.
Second, try your local or county newspapers.
Look in the community section, they may have local businesses listed or even events sponsored by local businesses, it can't hurt to get involved with community events to find successful businesses in your area.
In addition, you may even be able to market your business through community events.
Thirdly, your local library is a gold mine of resources.
Not only can you look up business directories, but you can also use their abundant resources including reference material to look up business owners through public records and other means to find information you won't be able to find anywhere else.
Fourth, check with your local courthouse.
You won't believe the amount of public records you may have access to.
After all that's how accountants gain new business.
They check what businesses have recently applied for occupational licenses and then solicit them for new business.
With that being said, you can check for occupational license applications to see if any previous licenses have been renewed.
Lastly, you can check out your local SCORE office.
SCORE used to stand for, "Service Corps of Retired Executives", however as of late they are now simply called SCORE Association.
SCORE primarily offers workshops and seminars on a variety of business topics, sometimes for a fee.
They also provide business mentors who donate their time and expertise to assist new and established small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Mentoring services are usually free of charge and are provided by working and retired business executives, business owners and entrepreneurs.
It most certainly is a benefit to check into how SCORE could help you.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and knock on a few doors.
Also, people love to help out.
Never be afraid to ask and start with the phrase, "Maybe you can help me?" Most people want to assist in any way they can, it's a natural instinct.
Give it your best shot.
Never give up.
Good luck!
You may even be making a little money.
Time to take some further steps to build your business.
What next? Surround yourself with success.
Find other people who may be successful in your line of business or close to it and try to get involved with them somehow.
When you find and surround yourself with successful people, especially with those who do the same thing you do, the possibilities for your future success are endless.
After all, success breeds success.
Besides, if a potential customer can't use your services, for one reason or another, you can refer them to others in your line of work.
Once you refer business to another, not only will they be grateful, but they will know you are looking out for them and thus, in the future they will look out for you and they will trust you.
In turn, one day, they may send business your way or help you in some capacity.
Don't be afraid to seek help from others in your line of work.
Although competition sometimes breeds resentment, you may be able to find organizations that are specific to your niche business.
Contacting others in your niche may lead to other things like trade organizations, support organizations or websites or any other groups that may cater to your line of work or similar.
Don't be afraid to knock on a few doors or make a few phone calls, if you don't, worse case is, as a quote from John Corbett goes, "nothing ventured, and nothing gained".
It is always good to find others to help us along on the path to success.
You will find that getting others on your team will not only help your business but may provide fringe benefits, you may find a mentor or even make friends.
You may even find that others may respect you for your opinions and your knowledge and you may end up as a valuable member of someone else's team! Not sure what to do? Not sure where to go? First, try your local, "Chamber of Commerce".
If they don't have the most current information on local businesses and resources, try the chambers of commerce for the surrounding towns.
If they can't help, go to the next towns to check their chambers of commerce and so on.
You will eventually bump in to something down the road.
Second, try your local or county newspapers.
Look in the community section, they may have local businesses listed or even events sponsored by local businesses, it can't hurt to get involved with community events to find successful businesses in your area.
In addition, you may even be able to market your business through community events.
Thirdly, your local library is a gold mine of resources.
Not only can you look up business directories, but you can also use their abundant resources including reference material to look up business owners through public records and other means to find information you won't be able to find anywhere else.
Fourth, check with your local courthouse.
You won't believe the amount of public records you may have access to.
After all that's how accountants gain new business.
They check what businesses have recently applied for occupational licenses and then solicit them for new business.
With that being said, you can check for occupational license applications to see if any previous licenses have been renewed.
Lastly, you can check out your local SCORE office.
SCORE used to stand for, "Service Corps of Retired Executives", however as of late they are now simply called SCORE Association.
SCORE primarily offers workshops and seminars on a variety of business topics, sometimes for a fee.
They also provide business mentors who donate their time and expertise to assist new and established small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Mentoring services are usually free of charge and are provided by working and retired business executives, business owners and entrepreneurs.
It most certainly is a benefit to check into how SCORE could help you.
Don't be afraid to ask questions and knock on a few doors.
Also, people love to help out.
Never be afraid to ask and start with the phrase, "Maybe you can help me?" Most people want to assist in any way they can, it's a natural instinct.
Give it your best shot.
Never give up.
Good luck!