Homeschool Entrepreneur » Home business ideas

7 Ways To Know If You’re In The Right Business

Deb — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:01:14 +0000

Choosing a business is by far the most difficult decision you will face in your entrepreneurial journey. You may have that idea for a business that is stuck in your head that you dream about daily, but will it succeed?

You may need to adapt your idea a little differently to suit what the market will bear. It’s absolutely essential that you are passionate about the field that you want to start a business in, but thinking long and hard about the factors that will make it succeed is a sub-category you really need to consider carefully. You may need to adapt your idea a little differently to suit what the market will bear.

So, HOW do you know if a business will succeed?

There are many ways to determine this, and its certainly a lengthier subject than this simple blog post can support. Even if we could, all the signs can point to inevitable success, and it still may not succeed like you hoped. I’m somewhat of a business bio nut. I love to read, watch and hear about how anyone has found some element of entrepreneurial success. One thing I have noticed is that is isn’t always the IDEA….but it’s the person behind the idea.

There are so many variables in the success equation, but what it boils down to is the biggest factor is YOU. Here are the six, no, seven, common denominators in 99% of successful entrepreneurs:

Are YOU passionate about what you want to do?
Are YOU ready to work hard, long hours to start with? (that’s why you need to be passionate about this!)
Are YOU ready to turn a deaf ear to those negative comments that are sure to come at you?
Are YOU ready to look at all your customers as friends, even the ones that are grumbling, complaining, and making your life, well….less than enjoyable?
Are YOU ready to allow your business to flow into the direction that the market seems to be taking it?
Are YOU willing to learn everything you can about your business, and humbly seek advice from experienced entrepreneurs?
Are YOU willing to surround yourself with motivated, intelligent, hard-working partners/employees….and let go the dear friends and/or relatives that are NOT?

These are really the most important factors in any new business. If you are willing to put your all into it and watch what works and sells and move your business in that direction, then it would be difficult to fail.

Here are some other places to find advice and do some old-fashioned research on deciding on a business to start:

http://www.ahbbo.com/starting-business-articles.html

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chrisfie/archive/2011/03/02/great-read-how-to-choose-the-right-business-intelligence-technology-to-suit-your-style-microsoft-bi.aspx

Unusual New Ideas For Start Ups

Deb — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:07:54 +0000

Springwise has been one of our favorite stops for business ideas (along with our all time favorite, Dane Carlsen’s Business Opportunities, a blog you must sign up for updates from!) and we have cited ideas from Springwise here several times before as a great place to fuel your entrepreneurial dreams. Actually, it’s probably more like food for thought, because many of the ideas are often so ‘out there’ that the homeschooler in us would shudder to think of trying to launch them.

For instance, the business idea for marketing ‘Living Grass’ or live bacteria as (!) a marketing medium (see: http://www.curbmedia.com/). Interesting, maybe-natural, of course. Do-able? Questionable, at least for an average entrepreneur that wants to work at home as a family.

This week Springwise has presented a few ideas that I thought were ‘do-able’ that you might like…some with a little added twist:

Re-Jigged – Taking the old and making it new again

Re-jigged is a UK company that “reclaims unwanted clothing and upgrades them with some signature stitchery for sale to new owners, so UK-based Re-jigged turns unwearable castoffs into bespoke, one-of-a-kind children’s clothing.” I saw this business as one that is perfect for the homeschool family – that is, if you have at least one member that is talented in sewing, mending and creating.

Re-jigged is run from a farm in rural Herefordshire (UK), and in partnership with EnviroAbility, helps the firm source, wash, sort and arrange the clothing and process it as needed to accomplish their goals. EnviroAbility is a non-profit in the UK that appears to be somewhat similar to our Salvation Army or Goodwill here in the US.

In the US there are Goodwill Stores in almost every state and usually the central store in any area will sell you bags of clothing for pennies on the pound the clothes that aren’t sellable in their other stores within one month. Of course, there are many other sources of clothing discards that would be easy to find for practically nothing here in America, also. If you could efficiently re-purpose these discards into something worthwhile, you could do quite well selling what will be primarily your investment of time. Time is what it would take, along with a little ingenuity, but it was an idea I thought worth considering and IMHO, a business fitting for a homeschool family. Another Springwise discovered business that is similar is http://www.dothegreenthing.com/saved.

We Go Look – at things needing looked at!

WeGoLook is a concept that could catch on, while I’m still wondering how they find enough people to accomplish their goals. In case you’re wondering what they look at, it’s items on Ebay and Craigslist that are too far away for you to make a trip for-yet know it would be wise to SEE the item.

You could apply to be a ‘looker’, or consider a service of your own! See it in action at : http://www.wegolook.com/

Vision Walks - Giving tours for a living

Do you live somewhere interesting that you could offer a tour of? Maybe not one tour, but maybe group a series of interesting tours in your area? Be creative! Vision Walks utilize night vision goggles. What new technology could you use? An i-Phone maybe? Visit or take a look at Vision Walks for some possible ideas.

Ebay goes green – and maybe another GREEN opportunity?

Ebay’s Instant Sale, a new offering for used electronics, could be a way to recycle your old electronics…and maybe other electronics that you are able to round up. I haven’t read all the details, but thought it was worth looking into. Many people that I know have no idea what to do with their old electronic devices..maybe you can help others, the environment, and make some cash from home in the process.

go to: http://green.ebay.com/instantsale/

Are you a Foodie looking for an entrepreneurial outlet?

UpBox, “Gourmet Food in a Box”, is another UK company that is offering prepared food to go. A niche that may be a big UK hit. In the US, there are always opportunities to satisfy America’s take-out urges. UpBox is smart in targeting the upscale market, knowing that they have a little more pocket change to spare in this economy.

However, one niche in America that almost any non-poverty budget will spend a little extra on is healthy or organic food. I’ve often thought how valuable a delivery service would be for those that are too sick to go out to buy food, or to prepare their own. That’s when they need healthy food the most, but often resort to unhealthy alternatives out of the inability to manage anything else. We can’t forget that there is a big world out there that may not have family, friends or a church to help when sickness strikes. Many would pay a premium price for healthy food, prepared AND delivered. (a service that could also be a ministry!) This is also a needed service in our growing elderly community.

That’s not all!

You can read more about these new start-ups and more ideas that will boggle your entrepreneurial mind at Springwise.com. What are some unique business ideas that you have ‘spotted’ recently?

Making Money With History – And Other Great Business Ideas

Deb — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:11:25 +0000

I found this idea on Business-Opportunities.biz, and if you haven’t bookmarked this site, it’s time you did. Dane Carlson has been posting new small business ideas since 2001, and not only could you find your next big idea on his site, but he would probably be happy to post your business on it, too. I can’t guarantee anything, but it’s well worth your time to email him about your business, and see what he says.

One of his recent posts tells about The History Factory which develops a complete history of a business with websites, videos, and other media tools to make a unique branding and/or marketing statement. It’s another example of how someone took their passion and developed it into a successful business. It’s fascinating to see what they’ve done.

Some other ideas you might be interested in that have been posted recently on Business Opportunities are:

Mom Invents Hammock-Style Seat For Babies – Solving a problem that she encountered on a flight with her small baby, this mom thought of a solution that she felt other moms would benefit from as well. She was right. See her website at www.FlyeBaby.com.

After Shark: Treasure Chest Pets – Lisa Lloyd knew she had a good product, but lacked the necessary capital to promote it. All it took was an appearance on Shark Tank, and now her Treasure Chest Pets business on it’s way. Learn more about Shark Tank here.

Used Books: A Great Online Opportunity – This is still one of the best work at home ops that anyone can do! This was a guest post by Adam Bertram, owner of the SellYourBooksOnline. blog.

I’m sure you will find many more that are interesting, and I have no doubt that it will get those creative juices flowing for your next big business idea!

Is a Disaster a Blessing, Or a Curse?

Deb — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:36:54 +0000

The following is an excellent story I (stole) from 48 Days to the Work You Love, which I have been meaning to review for ages. It’s an amazing resource/ministry that encourages and helps those that want to change their work situations. So many people are miserable at their jobs, but are either too afraid to make a change, or don’t know where to start. Dan Miller at 48 Days addresses both and offers some of the best helps on the market to do so.

We discovered 48 Days in their early years as a result of a Dave Ramsey consult. Shortly after our personal disaster (which God worked out for good), we were encouraged by the Ramsey Group to take a look at what Dan Miller offered and well… as they say, ‘The rest is history!’ I fell in love with what they were doing and wanted to do something similar, to help others like ourselves that wanted to work at home. The seed for our Homeschool-Entrepreneur.com vision was born, but did not take form for many years later.

I have read almost every newsletter Dan Miller has sent out for the last 6+ years. It’s always been brief (who has time for a long newsletter?), encouraging, uplifting, and I have printed out and saved several for the impact it had. I promise, you’ll love it. Sign up for the newsletter at 48days.com. I also highly recommend his Personality Profile for your graduating junior or senior.

Here’s a story that came from this week’s newsletter, for all the millions of people that have suffered disaster-because…’what the enemy intended for evil, the Lord works out for His good‘:

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Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, because he owned a beautiful white horse. People offered fabulous prices for the horse, but the old man always refused. “This horse is a friend, not a possession,” he would respond.

One morning the horse was not in the stable. All the villagers said, “You old fool. We told you someone would steal that beautiful horse. You could at least have gotten the money. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune.”

The old man responded, “Perhaps. All I know is that my horse is gone; the rest I do not know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say.”

After fifteen days the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses back with him. Once again the village people gathered around the old man and said, “You were right – what we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us.” The old man responded, “Perhaps. Once again you’ve gone too far. How do you know if this is a blessing or a curse? Unless you can see the whole story, how can you judge?” But the people could only see the obvious. The old man now had twelve additional horses that could be broken and sold for a great deal of money.

The old man had a son, an only son. He began to break the wild horses. Unfortunately, after just a few days, he fell from a horse and broke both his legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and said, “You were right. The wild horses were not a blessing; they were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs and now in your old age you have no one to help you. You are poorer than ever.” But the old man said, “Perhaps. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. We have only a fragment of the whole story.”

It so happened that a few weeks later the country went to war with a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he had two broken legs. Once again the people gathered around, crying because there was little chance their sons would return. “You were right, old man. Your son’s accident was a blessing. Our sons are gone forever.”

The old man spoke again. “You people are always quick to jump to conclusions. Only God knows the final story.”

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And so it is with our lives. What we see as a blessing or a curse may simply be part of God’s preparation for what lies ahead. Be careful in seeing “disaster” in any change. Just recognize it as change – which opens the door for good as well as bad – for gain as well as possible loss. (comment is from Dan Miller)

Be blessed. Bob & Debbie, Homeschool-Entrepreneur.com

New Ideas For Kid’s In Biz!

Deb — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 04:51:52 +0000

photo credit: rachaelvoorhees
Just received a book I ordered today called The New Totally Awesome Business Book for Kids, by Arthur Bochner & Rose Bochner. This is a unique edition because it was written by the kids themselves. Mom and Dad wrote the first and second edition, while the kids were growing up. Now you can read their take on having a home business, and it’s well worth the read!

There’s the typical chapters on everything you need to know about starting and running a business which wasn’t too impressive, but what I found fascinating was the 20 ideas they had for businesses that kids could start immediately. Creative takes on some old ideas, like growing the lemons for the lemonade stand, and composting the leaves in the leaf raking business, are some of the greatest ideas I’ve read!

The most interesting idea was the one that obviously Arthur and Rose have seen significant success at, and that is ‘waste management’. No, it’s not a new take on garbage collecting, but then again, it could be seen as that. Waste management, as profited on by the Bochner kids, is assessing and trouble shooting the “waste” that all households commit daily. They have several areas of waste they deal with, from saving water to your electric bill, but it’s one of the best ideas that will not only save their customer’s money every month, but will help save the planet, too. Green business is hot right now, so check out their book for ways to start your own!

Start a Scrapbooking Business-For $1

Deb — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 04:12:23 +0000

There’s an E-book out there I discovered today that looks like it could really be worth a try. A homeschool mom that discovered a better way to make money doing what she loves to do most, scrapbooking, has written an e-book detailing exactly how she did it.

She understands how expensive it can get when you go the route of signing up as a scrapbooking rep for a company, and how much materials can be just doing your own scrapbooks-not to mention the time it takes! I thoroughly admire this woman for following her passion and finding a way it can be done, and developing a method others can follow! If you are good at scrapbooking, and would love doing it for extra money, this e-book will give you a step by step guide to how you can do it. There’s checklists, a regular newsletter to keep you up to speed in the market, and lots of ‘inside’ marketing tips.

The best part is she is so sure you will succeed with her method, that she is offering it for only $1 for a 30 day trial. If you find that it isn’t what you thought it was you owe nothing. I think that’s very fair. There are many moms out there that would LOVE to have their photos organized in a scrapbook (like me!) but have NO time to do so. It would be a blessing, and fun, too! But if you find it’s just not what you thought it would be, then you haven’t wasted any money.

If anyone has tried starting a scrapbook business with or without this e-book, please let us know your experiences. It’s always helpful to hear what others have done.

You can find this e book $1 trial at: ScrapVenturePro

Anyone Tried Fat Brain’s Biz Course For Kids?

Deb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:26:04 +0000

I came across Fat Brain Coffee’s website a few weeks ago and found something you will definitely be interested in if you have an 8-12 year old! It’s a course you can do with your child that teaches them sales and marketing techniques, accounting skills, day-to-day business operations, and public relations by starting a coffee business.

So I ordered the course and a box of coffee for Benjamin, since he is always wanting to do some kind of business. (Gee, I wonder where he gets THAT from?) Arriving within a week, Ben was ready to do the first lesson immediately. Now why doesn’t he get that excited about his writing assignments? Anyway, it had seven easy to follow lessons with everything we needed to start a sustainable coffee business. It comes neatly arranged in a black, 3 ring binder, and a CD containing the forms and graphics for a label or other advertising. The lessons require little or no preparation to teach them, and offer a great beginning business basics curriculum. We’ll keep you posted on how Ben does as we go along.

Of course, we had to try the coffee, too, and their unique selling proposition is FRESHNESS and QUALITY. All coffee is ground to order, and is targeted to arrive at your home within 1 week of roasting. It’s reasonably priced, and you are free to set your own retail price. It’s comparable to Starbuck’s coffee. We even did a blind taste test (my husband’s idea) and it won hands down!

One of the best parts of this course is the emphasis on giving back. The lessons encourage giving a portion of your profits to a charity of your choice, and rightly budgeting the rest of your profits in a healthy manner. In every lesson, there is emphasis on character in the marketplace, which is one of Homeschool-Entrepreneur‘s core reasons for making entrepreneurism a part of your homeschool. Making right decisions, good stewardship of your money, and ethics in all your business dealings are all principles you can’t teach early enough.

Nicole Hunt and her daughters have made quite a splash in the short time they have been in business. They have been featured in several local newspapers, and have even made it to the big screen! You can see the news clip that Tampa Bay’s CBS News did on their business just last week. Nicole has a flair for the PR side of business and that is reflected in her success and in the course! The stir they have created is a sign that people like the idea of teaching kids how to run a business.

If you would like more information on how to buy the course or Fat Brain Coffee, you can go to FatBrainCoffee.com, and take a look at the news clip about them too. Nicole is a delightful woman, and even makes herself available by phone. Of course, if this gets as big as I think it will, that might change soon! They charge $20 for the course, and a offer a discount if you buy the course and your first round of coffee together. Let me know if you try it, and what experience you have, we’d love to hear!

Homeschool Entrepreneur » Home business ideas

7 Ways To Know If You’re In The Right Business

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

Unusual New Ideas For Start Ups

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

Making Money With History – And Other Great Business Ideas

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

Is a Disaster a Blessing, Or a Curse?

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

New Ideas For Kid’s In Biz!

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

Start a Scrapbooking Business-For $1

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur

Anyone Tried Fat Brain’s Biz Course For Kids?

More From HomeschoolEntrepreneur