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How to launch and run your own business from home while raising a family – the financial, emotional and inspirational preparation you need to make it work.
ALMOST a third of a million people have started home-based businesses in the last 12 months, mainly due to redundancy or job insecurity, according to Enterprise Nation, the organisation which helps entrepreneurs and home workers. It found that there are 5 million people holding down a day job and building a business at nights and weekends.
So what do you need to succeed? Antonia Chitty, who now runs ACPR, a public relations business, says the most important personal qualities needed to run your own business are persistence, vision and good communication skills.
Whether you are starting a business because you have been made redundant and are unable to find another job, or because you are looking for work which is more compatible with family life, the principles are the same. “One important lesson is to learn how to make the most of the day – work out how much you can do without getting run down,” she says. It helps to have a good network of people and advisers who can help take on different tasks – for example, a virtual assistant, book keeper or marketing specialist. Networking and delegation are also key to success.”
For the budding entrepreneur there is a lot of business advice available online and at local centres, plus information on funding options, such as support from the Rural Development Programme.
Antonia Chitty says: “Have a vision where you are going to be in five years time and fill in as many details as you can because it is easier to put steps in place if you know where you are going. Break it down into smaller goals so that when you sit down to work in the small amount of time you have available you can use it to the maximum. Keep chipping away at it - remember your motivation and your vision.”
More information:
Enterprise Nation:
www.enterprisenation.com
Business Link:
www.businesslink.gov.uk
By Marianne Curphey
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