| So you know, roughly, how to test your easy work | | | | homes in the area, until you get a little response. You |
| from home ideas. Before you go any further and | | | | could then see if it really is feasible to make and |
| start investing like an entrepreneur business | | | | deliver these things, and whether there would be any |
| opportunity seeker, though, you need to try it out. | | | | profit in it. |
| Here's how. | | | | The best dry-runs, though, are the ones where you |
| Build a Prototype. | | | | can get one client at full price. This generally happens |
| If you plan to sell physical things, or you're going to | | | | in the kind of industry where most transactions are |
| do something like starting a website or making | | | | business-to-business, and go through a bidding |
| software, then you should build a prototype to see | | | | process. If you're doing something like freelance |
| how easy your work from home ideas will work out. | | | | writing or artwork, this can let you take on one 'job' |
| A prototype is a version of your product that is built | | | | without being committed to any more afterwards. If |
| quickly by you alone, and serves to show that your | | | | you find it's not for you, at least you haven't lost too |
| idea is feasible in the real entrepreneur world of | | | | much - and if you love it, then you're getting valuable |
| business opportunities. If it would be too expensive | | | | experience before you try to take it full-time. |
| to build the whole thing, then just building the new | | | | As some entrepreneurs do when you try your |
| part that differentiates you from your competitors is | | | | business opportunity out, make sure to do some kind |
| good enough. | | | | of survey - you could hand it to the customer, |
| Show your prototype to a few people, to see what | | | | include it with your delivery, or even phone up and |
| they think. Are they excited? Would they use it? | | | | say that you're just calling to make sure everything is |
| Get a Few Customers. | | | | alright. Following up this way isn't just good for you, |
| If your product is relatively low-value, or you're | | | | it's also good customer service. |
| providing a service, then it should be relatively easy | | | | Don't Rely on Scale. |
| to get a few customers and do a few dry runs of | | | | One of the most common things I hear when I tell |
| your work from home ideas. Do them a generous | | | | people to try out their "easy" work from home ideas |
| discount (you could even do it for free), to make | | | | is that a small-scale trial wouldn't do the idea justice, |
| sure that everything runs smoothly and the | | | | since they 'plan to make money on scale'. |
| customers are satisfied at the end of it. | | | | Never, ever rely solely on scale. You think that |
| For example, let's say you plan to be a landscape | | | | supplies will get magically cheaper if you're doing ten |
| gardener from home. You could borrow the tools, | | | | orders a day instead of one? Guess again. You think |
| and volunteer to do a garden for some kind of | | | | you're going to save time by doing lots of orders at |
| charity project - this is good, since it means that | | | | once? You might save some, but not as much as |
| you're doing something nice for charity, but they're | | | | you might think. When you're trying to see whether |
| not paying for perfection, so it's not that bad if small | | | | your business is viable, you should always err on the |
| things go wrong. You should then go through all the | | | | conservative side - the thinner your margins are, the |
| motions as you would once your business is | | | | easier it is for something unexpected to happen and |
| established, and see what comes out at the other | | | | destroy them altogether. |
| end. | | | | You're cheating yourself as an entrepreneur if you |
| Here's another one. Let's say you're an Italian living | | | | don't try out your business opportunity before you |
| outside Italy, and you plan to try the business | | | | start it - you'll be throwing yourself in at the deep |
| opportunity to become an entrepreneur in a home | | | | end, and there won't be a lifeguard. Trying it out |
| business cooking pasta in your kitchen and delivering | | | | gives you the easy opportunity to make your |
| it to customers (you'd be surprised how many home | | | | beginner mistakes (there will be a few, I guarantee |
| businesses there are in the catering industry). You | | | | it), and to build confidence in yourself and your work |
| could make a rough draft of a leaflet (with | | | | from home business without the idea of taking |
| discounted prices) and deliver it to a small number of | | | | pointlessly large amounts of risk. |