A home-based business needs to be built the same way you build a house. You have to have a good plan, a solid foundation and the best materials. Read on to learn the basics of planning your business and getting everything you need to put that plan into action.
Your customers will be happier if you excel at customer service. Pack a free gift with their purchase, or include a thank-you note expressing your appreciation for their business. Two things people love are free gifts and appreciation. Let them know that you are grateful for their patronage.
If you are creating a product from scratch, be sure to determine your production costs so you can price the finished product appropriately. A basic wholesale mark-up would be twice the price of your cost. Retail mark-up is twice that of the wholesale price. Make it a fair price both you and the customers can agree upon.
Clearly mark products that aren’t in stock. Let your customers know the status of their order. If you are out of stock, let them know. Give your customers the option of choosing another product by making it clear when an item is on back-order.
When running a work from home business, it’s a good idea to have a peer group for support. It can be a good idea to set up your own work from home business network to easily communicate with other businesses. These people may come from completely different industries, but they, too, will be striving to run a profitable work from home business.
Sign up for online business discussion groups and forums on the Internet. You can network with professionals of a like mind, but you can also use these groups as another way to market and promote yourself. It’s impossible to know what a new contact may bring to the table in terms of sales.
With this information you can begin running the work from home business you’ve dreamed of. There is nothing to say the process will be simple, but you have what you need to get going.
There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in San Mateo County where you can make the most impact on improving your community.