Recently, one of my wellness clients came to me for advice on how to start up a business.  She wants to work from home and still utilize her expertise in the nutrition field. What a great idea since the health and wellness is exploding into a trillion dollar industry, and that niche is the perfect place for her!

Then, I gave her something to think about. Like many who first consider being self employed, she had no idea what was involved and was pretty blown away!  Following are just a few of the questions I asked her: 

  1.  In your mind, what does your business look like?
  2.  Where will you find your target customers?
  3.  Will they be repeat customers or one time customers?
  4.  Are you selling a product line with your service?
  5.  How many customers do you need each month to build a significant income?
  6.  Will they be coming to your home or will you make house calls?
  7.  How much time are you prepared to put into this?
  8.  What does your initial capital investment cover?
  9.  Do you have a web presence and how will you keep in touch with them?   And many more….

Questions like this are not  just for self employed or traditional businesses.  They are equally important to direct selling/network marketing businesses.  Now that I have been in this industry for many years, I often hear network marketers say “you really don’t have to do anything, except talk to a few people and promote the opportunity.”  While, this is in part true, there is much more to consider, like how  it aligns with your passion, your goals and your current life situation, etc.     

After having been a trainer for a multi-national company, a retail franchise owner, a real estate investor and now, a network marketing professional for the last 10 years, I was fortunate to increase my skills in  business, marketing and sales along the way.  Unfortunately, most people starting up a business (network marketing included) have not been so lucky.  I know many other business owners that are experts in their fields, yet they lack marketing, sales and business building skills to grow their companies effectively.   

Keep in mind, that every type of new venture should be treated like a business even when working from home and especially when it is a network marketing business.  My rule of thumb is, keep the business a business!

If you are thinking of venturing into the world of self employment and/or network marketing please let me know if I can provide some insights.  It’s amazing what can happen when you bounce your ideas and concerns off someone else!