While working from home is the quintessential American dream, financing the entrepreneurial spirit has the potential to quickly turn into the prototypical nightmare. After all, there is equipment to be purchased, licenses or permits to be applied for, and probably also a fair amount of advertising that needs to be bought and paid for. Some entrepreneurs have resorted to desperate acts of financial gymnastics, but more often than not these are too dangerous to contemplate. Yet even in light of this bleak picture, did you know that there are two home based businesses you can start with less than $75?
For example, if you have a talent with needle and thread, if fabrics are your world, and if your eye for colors, patterns and material rarely steers you wrong, then becoming a seamstress and freelance fashion designer may be right up your alley! The odds are good that you already own a sewing machine or – if you still stitch by hand – a well equipped sewing kit. Take $75 and put together a professional looking portfolio of your work and print up some business cards. Include in the portfolio pictures of your niece’s first communion dress you made, your daughter’s holiday outfit, the dolls’ clothes you might have put together and anything else that you have crafted as a gift or simply in your spare time. Shop around this portfolio to bridal shops, dry cleaners, and other places where clothing alterations may be needed. Start a website and advertise handmade dolls’ clothing or whatever other garments you want to make. As the profits begin coming in, gradually upgrade your equipment.
If you cannot tell a sewing needle from a knitting needle, do not fret. If you know your way around the kitchen, you may have a promising career as a caterer ahead of you. Begin by catering small events for your friends or family. As you gain exposure for your business, do not plan on making a lot of money right off the bat, but instead focus on having the cost of the food paid for and perhaps make a little extra to put toward advertising. Prepare beautiful spreads that stand out, take copious pictures, ask your friends for some quotes of praise, and put together a professional portfolio. Print up business cards and spend $75 to advertise in local advertising directories. Start out small but try for the slightly larger events, such as wedding receptions, the church picnic, or your spouse’s company party. The trick to this business is the gradual development of a clientele and the word of mouth advertising that will cause your business to grow by leaps and bounds.
Even as starting your own home based business may seem complicated and might even appear to be out of reach, remember that by deliberately graduated growth you will have the chance to make it big in workable steps – none of which will require funds you do not possess!
Together we shall win,
Adesegun Akitoye
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