The Jobs For Moms Resource Center Home Page - Career guidance for working mothers in search of family-friendly jobs, telecommuting options, better work-life balance, new career directions and work from home options

10 Surefire Ways to Find a Home-Based Business Idea

How many times have you thought to yourself: “I would just LOVE to work from home – if only I could find the right business.” It’s no wonder. Compared to the mad-dash of getting your children off to daycare, sitting on a congested highway, and dealing with a grumpy boss; working at home can be the perfect win-win for Moms looking for a better balance to their work-life needs. If you’re a work-from-home wannabe, here are ten surefire ways to help get your entrepreneurial engines fired-up for success:

1. Get Book Smart: Start your entrepreneurial brainstorming by taking a look at some of the many books that overview home–based business options. Books such as Mompreneurs by Ellen Parlapiano and Pat Cobe, 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women by Priscilla Huff and The Entrepreneurial Parent by Lisa Roberts with Paul and Sarah Edwards, will give you an inspirational overview of the different types of businesses moms are successfully running from home. Here on Jobsandmoms.com, we have a number of books that can help you get started.

2. Peruse the magazine stands: In addition to getting ideas from books, magazines are a great source for finding winning business models. Inc., Entrepreneur and Fast Company are just three of the popular magazines filled with articles, resources and profiles of successful small business and franchise options.

3. Tap into industry association resources: Whether you’re looking for a directory of wholesale suppliers for a gift basket venture, licensing requirements for a daycare business or training programs geared for personal chefs, there is probably an industry specific trade association that can help you out. To locate an association in your field of interest, consult The Gale Encyclopedia of Associations located in the reference section of most major libraries.

4. Attend adult-ed classes: A terrific resource for finding viable home-based business ideas is through your local adult education programs. These days, adult-ed is big business and there are a wide variety of topics covered by community colleges and local town programs. You can take classes in topics like How to Become a Wedding Planner, Website Design, Medical Billing, Small Business Management and Screenwriting (among many others).

5. Get ideas from friends: Let’s face it; sometimes it’s hard to brainstorm when you are the only person in the room. After you’ve done some investigation on your own, and have come up with some entrepreneurial possibilities, try running your ideas by some of your friends. They may come up with new ideas or offer suggestions on ways to improve your business idea to make it more profitable.

6. Find a solution to problems – Have you ever bought a product and thought, “It would be so much better if only it was smaller… or had larger buttons… or came in more colors or…” The next time you have one of those “what if” moments, think about ways to transform that problem into a business opportunity (similar to the paper sleeves used on hot coffee cups – a simple but ingenious product that is now used by millions of consumers on a daily basis). By paying attention to your inner voice, and listening carefully to the complaints of others, you might uncover some very interesting services/products that could help fill a gap in the marketplace.

7. Capitalize on trends – The rapid pace of change in our world drives a constant demand for new products and services. For example, as the baby boomer generation ages, there will be an increased demand for health care services, retirement counseling and niche travel services. Other trends worth noting include the growing interest in holistic health services, escalating concerns about online security and the growing obesity epidemic.

8. Build a business around your personal assets– Do you have a unique skill or ability that could be the inspiration for a home-based business? Perhaps your beautiful penmanship could be parlayed into a calligraphy venture or your soothing voice could serve as a springboard as a commercial voiceover artist. Think about ways to turn your natural gifts and talents into profits.

9. Turn a challenge into a triumph – As the saying goes, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” Leverage the knowledge you’ve gained as the result of a personal hardship into a business that helps others faced by the same challenge. For example, maybe you’ve created a line of fabulous nut-free cookie recipes that would appeal to other parents of children who suffer from peanut allergies. Or, you could write a book about your success helping your child succeed at school in spite of their learning handicaps. Using this approach is a win-win all the way around. You’ll be providing a needed service to others while building a viable business model for yourself.

10. Downsize an existing business model– Sometimes all you need to do to come up with a great business opportunity is to create a mini-version of an existing business idea. For example, instead of creating a full-service catering firm, you could deliver gourmet box lunches to small businesses in your town. Or in lieu of being a general party planner, you could specialize in birthday party services for children. Contrary to the belief that bigger is better, niche businesses can be quite profitable and generally are easier to run on a flexible schedule.

Remember; when it comes to finding a winning business idea, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Look to the world around you for clues, see what works for others, and then figure out a way to blend their successful track record with your ingenuity to create a profitable and unique home-based business.