Most businesses start at home. With a starved capital, starting up a business at home is perhaps one of the most practical things to do. Other than that, there are also established businesses one could choose to be home-based so as to enjoy some of its perks. Proximity to family, flexibility of work time, overhead cost reduction and providing an avenue to test out business ideas are some of the advantages of having a home-based business.
According to a study, there are about 69% of startup business and 59% of established businesses chose to be home-based. However, aside from limited capital, home-based businesses may face challenges that can hurdle progress. This 2017, it is time for home-based businesses to step up. You need to come up with a concrete game plan so you can survive the challenges of 2017.
Here are some of the challenges you may face as a home-based business and some tips on how to respond to these challenges.
Challenge #1: Lack of Brand Awareness Campaign
Unlike office-based businesses, a home-based business may find it difficult to maximize their brand awareness efforts. Home-based businesses offline strategies like posting signage are limited. This is the very reason why as an entrepreneur you should start learning the different online opportunities which can be used for home-based business.
Taking your business online will save you time and effort coming up with a feasible offline strategy (which in this case, is very limited). Start your online efforts for brand awareness by creating a website; this will be your online identity. You should also utilize your social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & etc). With social media, you can spread a word to your target online market. Start building your connection from there.
Additionally, to maximize your business’ online potential, you can also start blogging and share relevant updates about the industry and your business including promos, specials and programs. Also, in online marketing, you have a greater chance of tapping into industry leaders and influencers and they can help you in creating a business identity in your industry.
Challenge #2: Proximity to Clients
A study shows that 70% of home-based businesses succeed as compared to 30% of regular business in a span of 3 years. This is a very motivating fact. However, home-based business needs to grow their client-based to progress. A majority of home-based location aren’t strategic and far from the target market. It can be difficult for clients to reach out to you physically but that doesn’t mean you can never grow a good B2C relationship.
Maximize the use of technology to have a consistent communication with your customers. Nurture customer relationship by having a rich communication with them to address their concerns. Also, you should welcome friendly meeting with your clients outside your home from time-to-time. For home-based businesses, always be prepared to meet with your clients personally when you need to. There are concerns that are better discussed personally than over the phone or other online communications.
Challenge #3: Home Distractions
Choosing home-based business instead of regular ones can hurdle your productivity because of home distractions. There are a lot of distractions you may face while having a home-based business. Distractions like your baby crying, your spouse barge in to ask something or your dog wanting to play may likely to happen in home-based businesses. These and more can affect productivity. In a recent survey, 59% of work from home people said that family demanding attention is their top work distractions. This is followed by difficulty in concentrating (43%), family members and pets disturbing work telephone calls (39%) and difficulty in accessing office equipment (32%).
But you can do something about these. Aside from setting up a home office, sort out work-related activities and separate repetitive tasks from tasked that needs your attention. You can work on your repetitive tasks like checking emails or tweaking some documents formatting while you are dividing your attention between family and work. However, you need to make every family member understand that when you are doing major tasks like talking to a client over the phone or creating a business plan, you need to be free from distraction.
Additionally, when you feel like you are getting distracted by other things like a text message from a friend or getting sleepy, you need to be in control. Treat your home business like a real job. There are rules that you should follow.
Challenge #4: Limited Expansion
Home-based offices have limited space and expanding your office could hurt your capital as a startup. This is why most work-from-home people think twice before expanding their business space. However, with creativity and a little resourcefulness, expanding home-office space is possible without spending large bucks. Does your house have an unused garage space? Converting this space into a home office space is a smart garage alternative which can help you expand without breaking the bank.
Other than that, you can make use of unused materials in your home as additional office materials which can help you save up space and budget. Unused boxes and old window shutters can be used organizers and document sorters.
Conclusion
Starting your entrepreneurial journey in a home-based location is a challenge but with the right mindset, you can provide growth to your home-based business amidst its marketing limitations. The tips mentioned above are just some of the ways you can do to alleviate problems. It is fundamental that as an entrepreneur, marketer or business owner, you should stay proactive in facing the challenges ahead.
Key Acanto is an editor of scoopfed.com. She creates content for business, marketing and technology sections. She also has been a contributor of several authoritative publications. You can stay connected to her through her Linkedin account.
