KNOW YOUR BUSINESS

RESEARCH YOUR BUSINESS INDUSTRY

Contact the City Clerk and County Clerk offices to find out if a license or certificate must be obtained to operate the type of business which you desire to start from home, and follow up as needed. Legal requirements vary by type of business; for example, electricians, plumbers, day-care providers, and cosmetologists must have licenses to perform work in their respective fields.  To find out if you need to collect and pay sales taxes for your business products, visit the small business administration, which is available online.

READ PUBLICATIONS 

• Read MAGAZINES for your business industry or your specific expertise.
• Read the LOCAL NEWSPAPER(S), particularly, the business section, and look for information which can benefit you and your business. Many newspapers and magazines can also be read online, and libraries have a variety of newspapers and magazines available.

Consider subscribing to your business industry’s magazine or local newspaper.

CONTACT YOUR MUNICIPALITY

Once you have decided what type of home-based business you want to start, you may want to call the municipality (Clerk’s Office) where you plan to operate your business from your home. Depending on the codes and regulations of the municipality where you live and perhaps the type of business you intend to start, there may be zoning rules and regulations to follow when operating a home-based business. You must follow the municipality’s zoning rules and regulations, or you may be fined and/or closed down. Your municipality may have regulations regarding:

• certain chemicals produced or stored at a residential home;
• business trucks and cars parked in a residential driveway or street;
• business signs placed on front lawn and in the window of a residential home;
• flow of traffic at residential home. The traffic of customers in and out of your home and the decrease in street parking availability may incite your neighbors to call the city -- to have you fined or your business closed.

After all, it is a residential area -- not a commercial area. So follow your municipality’s zoning rules and regulations.

TALK TO COMPETITORS 

Attend trade shows and business functions -- and check out your competition. Talk to them. Ask questions. Ask your competitors how they got started; learn about the market. Successful, confident business people like to share their experiences and knowledge, and they are generally helpful.

• Review your competitors' brochures to learn what they are offering, and determine how you can meet or exceed their services and pricing.
• Call and get prices for comparable services which you will provide in your business.
• Learn what is unique, different about your business service or product.

Remember, too, that, once you start your business, your competitors may be calling you.

In Summary, Read as much as you can about...

• the OPERATION of your type of business
• the RULES AND REGULATIONS of your type of business
• your COMPETITION and the INDUSTRY
• BASIC INFORMATION about starting a home-based business