{guest blogger :: Much Ado About You}

Emmy Blakeley of Much Ado About You creates super darling planners/organizers. Since I found her work I’ve been sharing her shop URL with everyone I know!

Follow Much Ado About You on their blog & Facebook.

Starting a Successful Home-Based Business

In 2007 I started Much Ado About You because it had been a dream of mine to get into Professional Event Planning. I joke that I suffer from OCP… Obsessive Compulsive Planning.

What I didn’t plan for was the turn that my business would take just a few months later when some of my friends saw the nifty little calendar that I had made for myself.

You see, what naturally comes along with OCP is an obsession with calendars.

I am very particular about my calendar. I had searched all over – from here to Timbuktu – and could not find the very specific layout that I was looking for. So I enlisted my husband, the Excel Spreadsheet Master {as I lovingly refer to him} to create it for me. I bound it, decorated the cover, added a family photo and some bling, and was left with the perfect calendar!

Well, apparently some of my friends thought it was perfect, too.

Within a couple of months I was working full-time at producing enough calendars to meet the demands of my ever-increasing calendar business.

Wait, you thought I was an Event Planner…? So did I!

Today I am blessed that the demands of my business allow me to employ some of my best friends.

We whip out calendars as fast as we can, in between making phone calls to Caterers and putting the final touches on those invitations that just have to get out in tomorrow’s mail! {Although truth-be-told, those are few and far between these days… who has time to be an Event Planner when you are running a Calendar Empire?} At Much Ado About You we work hard, laugh hard, and take turns refereeing the kids that play downstairs while we run the company.

I truly enjoy running my own Home Based Business. God has so blessed my desire to be at home with my son and still have a creative outlet that allows me to contribute to my family’s finances.

I have found that I really enjoy the challenge of growing a small business and making it successful. I have developed a passion for helping other women build their own businesses, and have been fortunate enough to be able to encourage and advise many friends who are just getting their businesses off the ground.

1. Sell a Product that you Love to Make
If sewing makes you want to throw your machine out the window, do not sell handmade quilts.

2. Be Concentrated
If you are serious about wanting a successful business and not just a hobby, pick just one or two products and make them the best version of those products that you can.

3. Make Sure the Price is Right
Price your products reasonably, but don’t undersell yourself! Remember to account for your supplies and your time, and leave room to grow into paying for labor costs. If you can’t do all this… you probably shouldn’t be selling that product.

4. Brand Yourself
No, don’t get a tattoo of your business name on your shoulder, but do create a logo that accurately represents yourself and your business.

5. Be Creative with your Packaging
Make your customer feel like they are opening a gift when their order arrives.

6. Use Inexpensive Shop Hosting Services
Etsy and Big Cartel are two great shop hosting services that offer very reasonable rates. Until you know that your business is profitable don’t waste any money building your own website.

7. Start a Blog
Blogs are another great {and free} alternative to a website, and a great way to get the word out about your business. Update your blog frequently and it will be likely to show up at the top of web searches when people are looking for your types of products.

8. Be Organized
Organization with your supplies and products will make work much more enjoyable for you.

Organization with your invoicing and expenses will make work much more profitable for you.

Organization with your clients, like responding to emails in a timely manner and getting orders shipped quickly, will make work much more marketable for you.

9. Take Advantage of FREE Marketing Opportunities
Social Networking sites are not only great for locating your long lost Kindergarten crush, but they have opened up the door to tremendous advertising opportunities for your home-based business. Have a fan page for your business and post frequent updates about your shop.

10. Have Excellent Customer Service
Ultimately, the best free advertisement is a happy customer! Go above and beyond to ensure that your customers will not only want to come back, but will also be sending their friends your way. People that are willing to spend a little extra for handmade products expect a little extra service to go along with the price… give them more than they expect!

If you are interested in more information about these tips, please visit my blog and check out my series on starting a successful home-based business called You’re the Boss.