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Advertising a
Home Business
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Q.
I have just recently been unemployed
from a job I held for 12 years. I was the head of technical support for a
small software company. I had many job duties and wore many different hats. I
decided instead of going out to try and find a new job, I would start my own
home business. We have a real need in our community and surrounding
communities for Technical Computer Assistance to small businesses, personal
home computers, schools, etc... My current employer is a pretty big customer
right now, I have also just landed a pretty large school district.
However, I know these are not long term jobs and to keep the business growing
I need to do some advertising. What are the best areas to advertise in? The
other question is, how do I know when it is time to bring another consultant
into the business to send them out on jobs. I see a time (very soon) when I
cannot be in 2 places at one time, but I also want the business to grow. Any
suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank youI
- Beth
Advice
by Yvonne Buchanan
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(article continued below ...)
Dear Beth:
Congratulations on choosing a business that fills a real need: that's
half the battle. The other half is letting your market know you're here. It
sounds like you have landed a couple of big fish already. Where did they
come from? Can you tap that source for more customers? Can you tap your
current customers for referrals?
Try to gauge who your target customers are (the type of customers you'll
most likely get 80% of your business from). Then be where they are. If they
belong to a specific industry, attend industry trade shows; join industry
organizations; network. (Never leave home without your business card.)
As for when to hire, you'll probably know. It will be when you're working
80-hour weeks and you can't remember what your family looks like. You may
want to bring someone in sooner rather than later and ask him or her to work
part-time or on an as-needed basis for a while.
Good luck, Beth. Let us know how it goes.
About the PowerHomeBiz.com Guide:
 Yvonne
Buchanan is a 20-year veteran of public relations, marketing and advertising.
She teaches public relations courses online for career changers, freelancers
and students through The PR Academy www.learnpr.com
and is co-founder of Real-World PR www.realworldpr.com
, a public relations information provider for small businesses. Real-World PR
offers public relations toolkits (manual/CD combinations) that allow small
business owners to create and maintain their own public relations programs.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the
author, not of PowerHomeBiz.com. Users should not treat the Guide's response as
legal, accounting, or professional advice as all answers are intended to be
general in nature. Such advice can only be properly given by qualified
professionals who are fully aware of a user's specific geographical areas or
circumstances, such as an attorney or accountant.
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