It is an exciting time for growing your online business

We can tend to think of home-based businesses as somehow being “left out” or distinct from the rest of the business world, and it’s an impression that has been somewhat falsely cultivated, at least to a certain extent. While running a business from home certainly does have a particular set of idiosyncrasies, there is at least one area where we could all learn a thing or two from, the digital and online experience.  The fact of the matter is simple, if you mean to turn a consistently growing profit from your business at home, then you’re going to have to learn how to engage with the online community.

We know that for some, it can seem quite intimidating to transact in the online environment especially if it’s not something that comes particularly naturally to you, but the truth is this: if you are not doing business online, you’re simply not doing business. 

Far from being an insurmountable experience, here are a few tips to get you started.

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1. FIRST, KNOW THYSELF

As with any process of change, it is critical to know who you are as a business. What is it that you manufacture or supply and who are your current clients? This may seem like a no-brainer, but many home-based businesses started as a vehicle for filling a specific need, more chance than planned. This means that those owners may not entirely understand who their clients are and this could cause you to miss out on many additional opportunities.

2. KEEP IT SIMPLE

If you’re just starting in the online world, it makes more sense to grow with your online business, than to have it grow outside of you. Take it slow, find a decent agency to help you get your website planned, designed and launched and while you’re at it, take the opportunity to learn about the online environment.

3. LEARN, AND THEN KEEP LEARNING

Whether you’re just starting in business or you are a seasoned home business operator, you can never know everything there is to know, and you can never know enough.  The online environment is exciting and is constantly evolving and if you’re meaning to grow the online side of your business, you’re going to want to learn as much as you can about it. If you’re just starting in this exciting field, there is a whole new language you need to learn. 

Websites don’t just happen and if you’re not a developer yourself, you’ll need someone to help you grow, have a look at SEO companies, for example, they can help you optimise the content and quality of your web page to help you be more searchable and findable on major websites like Google.

Working from home is more attractive now than ever before and you’ll find entire networks that have been set up in local communities to support, promote and grow local businesses, so if your community doesn’t yet have a network like this, consider setting it up yourself. It’s a great way to get into the guts of a business and meet some interesting people besides.