Image by talha khalil from Pixabay

By James Daniels

With the help of this guide, you’ll be able to experience some fun and success whilst running an online business from home. If you’re a current (or aspiring) entrepreneur, you won’t want to miss a detail.

Since the turn of the new decade, millions of people around the world have either graduated college or quit their jobs to start their own businesses.

In the U.S specifically, there’s now over 15 million home-based businesses, which makes up around 50% of the U.S small business market. This is incredibly exciting, as it highlights just how easy it is to start your own business, whether you live in a small apartment or a 4-bedroom house.

The appeal of starting your own business is self-explanatory:

-You get to be your own boss

-There’s no need to pay for office rent

-You can be very flexible with your schedule

So, if you’ve just recently launched your own online business or are giving serious consideration to it, here are some top tips that are sure to help you along the way.

1) Figure out your storage

Whilst running a business, you’re going to deal with a lot of stocks and supplies – even if you’re only operating on a small scale.

Because your home is the business HQ, you will need somewhere to store everything. Sadly, you can’t use a spare bedroom or empty closet, as it’s unprofessional and will lead to your interior becoming cluttered.

It’s because of this reason that you should rent a storage unit from BoiseBox. This type of storage unit can be dropped off at your home, left in your backyard (or other suitable area), and then collected when you no longer need it – simple.

Let’s say – for example – that you start your own online t-shirt business. You might decide to print hundreds of t-shirts, which will then need a storage space. A warehouse would be too extreme, which is why portable storage units are the perfect solution.

2) Build a professional network on LinkedIn

After officially registering your business name, you should create a LinkedIn profile.

On LinkedIn, you can promote your products, reach out to customers, and grow your professional network.

The latter is particularly important, as it means you can potentially form strategic partnerships with suppliers and other similar companies. To kick start this, all you need to do is send them a ‘connect’ request and you’ll be able to grow a professional relationship from there on.

3) Work closely with a web designer  

You can’t run a successful business from home without a high-quality, mobile-friendly website. This is why it’s important to work closely with a web designer (and developer), who will then be able to create a website in line with your brand and business personality whilst ensuring it functions in a modern way. Remember, dated and clunky websites drive customers away instead of attracting them.

So, even though it will require you to pay a fee, working with a web designer is an excellent way to ensure you get a business website that will work well for you.

4) Be as eco-friendly as possible

Over the coming decade, big companies – such as Apple – are going to drastically reduce their carbon footprint and poor environmental practices. There are several reasons for this:

-To future-proof their operations

-To attract eco-conscious consumers

Because you’re running an online business from home, your supply chain’s carbon footprint likely isn’t bad at all. However, you can implement an eco-friendly strategy moving forward to ensure that it stays that way.

For example, make sure to use recycle (and returnable) product packaging. This way, when consumers aren’t happy with any products they receive, they can immediately send them back to you without having to waste money on new packaging and labelling.

5) Use video communication apps to communicate with clients

As the months and years ahead unfold, you will likely be communicating with a lot of different clients. However, rather than wasting time and resources travelling to have meetings with them, you can use video communication apps, instead. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet are perfect for this.

6) Ensure that you have customer service channels available

When you provide customers with high-quality products and services, they will gradually start to become loyal to you. As this starts to happen, you’ll then notice an uprise in customer service queries – and it’s your responsibility to stay on top of them.

Ideally, you should offer customer service via social media, email, SMS, and a direct landline. This way, you’re covering all the major bases.

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James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.