One of the big realities of starting a home-based business is that, like any small business, we have to invest time and money at the onset in order to get the enterprise off the ground. At the planning stages, therefore, it is important to calculate your initial expenses and try to figure out how much of your own money you are able to invest in order to get the business started…
If you have ever done any research on purchasing a franchise or an existing business, you will know that they all have different “up front” capital investment requirements. Some businesses can be purchased with only a few thousand dollars up front, while others take quite a bit more. Many of us start a home business because we need to be able to create a viable business on a shoestring–we don’t have the thousands of dollars it takes to buy an existing business or go into business on a large scale. We will still need to invest something, however, and determining what we can afford can help us choose our business wisely.
Starting a home business can be a frugal operation–you might not need more than a computer and printer, telephone and some office supplies. This still has a price tag, however. You will also need to figure out how much time you can put into your business and whether you can afford to work for a while without pay. Some individuals choose to save up to invest in a home business or to continue working a “day job” in order to support the start-up costs of the business. Regardless of HOW you choose to go about supporting your business at the onset, the first step is to figure out how much it will cost and decide how much you can afford to invest in the business.
Also: Starting from Scratch
Finding a Business to Match Your Lifestyle