How do you choose the best home based business? There are a lot of factors to consider because there are many different kinds of work you can do. You may also need to consider factors such as the amount of money it will take to get started and whether you have the skills to succeed.What are you good at? The best home based business for you is going to be one that makes use of the skills you already have. If you don’t know how to cook, starting a catering service is probably not a good idea. Think about all of the things you know how to do already. What jobs have you had in the past and what skills did you develop while you were working there? What are your hobbies? Do you know how to build model airplanes or repair a leaky faucet? These are all skills that can be made into businesses.Why should you base your home based business on your existing skills? Your best chance of success is to do something you already good at. If you decide to design jewelry but you have never made a single necklace, it is going to take you some time to get good at it. There is a learning curve for everything. Start a service that depends on your existing skills to cut out the learning curve and go straight to the point where you are able to make some money.How do you get started with a home based business? The best way to start is by telling your friends and family about it. Tell them what you are doing and ask if they know anyone who might need your services. You can also post flyers on notice boards at local stores or place a newspaper ad advertising your service.
Home Based Small Business: How to Start a Home Based Business
Home based small business is a nice idea especially if you do not want to work in a traditional office scenario. This type of business is also ideal for anyone who doesn’t have the capital to start a business. Most of the home based businesses have no startup costs. They offer you a flexible working environment while helping you achieve your dreams. Still, there are things you need to consider when planning to have a business right at the comfort of your home.Decide what business you would like to start. You can choose a business that sells a service or a business that sells a product. Each of these two has its pros and cons. Make sure that the home based small business that you choose fits your needs. Most of the time, service businesses don’t require start-up costs. These services will include graphic designing, computer programming, accounting, and copy writing. They are ideal if you do not have a college degree. But when selecting a business idea, you have to be creative. So, apart from putting up a daycare center or pet care service, you can also look for opportunities online. The opportunities offered over the Internet do not require a startup cost. As long as you have a decent Internet connection and your own computer, you will be ready to start your own home based small business online.Find resources you need. If you want an online business, then the things that you will need are computer and Internet connection. You may also need a desk where you can work on. You should also gather your friends and family and talk about your business. You can ask them to disseminate information about your business to their friends. In this way, you do not need to invest more money on advertising.Whatever type of home based small business you choose, you should always develop a regular work schedule. Although it offers flexible time, you still need to work hard to bring in more customers. Your workspace should also be a place where there are no distractions. Therefore, it is recommended that you come up with an organized workspace to help you think better while working at home.Having a business at home can be overwhelming at first. You may experience lack of organization and focus at times. However, if you have a designated workspace, your home based small business can be run in an organized manner and free from any distractions. You can have a sense of organization each day. Do not allow your family and friends to disturb you during your work hours. And do not be tempted to engage in activities that have nothing to do with your work.
Auction Listings Are Vital to the Success of Fundraising Auctions
Fundraising Auction Tip: You should always provide potential bidders with a printed Auction Listing of both your Live and Silent Auction items at any Fundraising Auction. A printed Auction Listing is vital for several reasons:
An Auction Listing informs bidders of the order of sale, and what is coming up next. If you keep your bidders guessing, they will simply not bid.
If bidders are not 100% certain of what they are bidding on, they will not bid. A printed Auction Listing should answer any and all questions about what is being sold in order to encourage bidders to bid as much as possible.
Bidders often need time to plan their bidding strategies, especially on multiple and/or larger value items. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Couples often need time to consult with each other about what they are willing to spend on something. A printed Auction Listing helps them to do that.
Potential bidders need to know the specifics, the benefits, and the restrictions on any item they are going to bid on, especially on travel and/or other higher value items. A printed Auction Listing should answer all of their questions, in writing.
After bidders see that they have lost an item to another bidder, a printed Auction Listing makes it easier for them to re-strategize on what else they can bid on.
Printed Auction Listings generally come in 3 forms:
Printed in the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-inserted into the Event Program or Auction Catalog.
Printed on loose sheets of paper and hand-delivered to all attendees, or left on each dinner table in the room.
Auction Listings cost practically nothing to produce and they can make the difference between the success and failure of a Live and Silent Auction. You should never conduct a Fundraising Auction without one.
A Case Study
Let me share a real-life experience with you. Once I was hired to conduct a Fundraising Auction for a nationally renowned organization. The event was held in a major hotel, in one of the country’s largest cities, with several hundred “black tie” participants attending. It was an extremely professional event, with the music, singing, lighting, speeches, and awards all perfectly timed and choreographed. Everything was done to perfection… exception the Fundraising Auction.
Although I had signed an agreement to serve as their Auctioneer nearly one year in advance of the event, no one bothered to contact me for any advice or help. Approximately one week prior to the Auction date, I contacted the group to see if they had replaced me with another Auctioneer. But they said that I was still their man.
Upon arriving at the event I asked for a copy of the Auction Listing. I was told that there were none. I’m not sure whether they felt that the Auction Listing wasn’t necessary, or whether someone forgot to have them printed. This was never made clear. When I asked what I was to use at the podium, I was told to copy the list of Live Auction items from a committee member’s computer. It took me about 30 minutes to copy three pages of hand-written notes in order to prepare for my role as their Auctioneer.
I knew that they had created a PowerPoint program showing the various Live Auction items. When I asked whether the PowerPoint slide order corresponded to the order of sale I had copied from the committee member’s computer, I was met with a blank stare. The committee member left to check the slide order, and returned to let me know that the slide order did not correspond my notes, and he provided me with the correct slide order… hand-written on a paper napkin. This forced me to re-arrange my three pages of hand-written notes before taking the podium.
There was a Live Auction Table with descriptions of the Live Auction items that were to be sold, but the table was not clearly marked, and it received significantly less attention than the Silent Auction Tables, which were clearly identified. Since the Live Auction Table was located adjacent to the “Raffle Table”, it appeared that most people thought it was part of the raffle and therefore paid very little attention to it.
According to the event program (which did not include an Auction Listing), I knew approximately when I was to begin the Live Auction. At the designated time the Master of Ceremonies announced the start of the Live Auction to the several hundred people in attendance, and introduced me as Auctioneer. As I approached the podium I realized that photographs of award winners were still being taken… directly in front of the podium where I was to stand… which required me to stand aside for several minutes until the photographers were done. Can we say “awkward moment”?
As the photographers cleared, I approached the podium and began my Live Auction introduction. Approximately one minute into my introduction, the “Raffle Committee” approached the podium and stopped my Live Auction Introduction in order to pull the 8 or 9 Raffle Winners. These drawings lasted about 5 minutes. Upon it’s conclusion I was allowed to resume the start of the Live Auction.
When standing at the podium two intense and extremely bright spotlights were pointed directly at the podium. The lights were so bright that I literally could not see the center 1/3 of the room. I could see the tables on the right, and on the left, but was totally blinded when looking straight ahead. It took perhaps five minutes before the spotlights were turned off.
While at the podium and describing Lot #1, I had to ask someone to start the Lot #1 PowerPoint Slide… because apparently no one was assigned that job.
So with only the Auctioneer’s verbal description, and a PowerPoint slide, it appeared that few people in the room had any idea about what we were selling… or when we were selling it… until it was announced by the Auctioneer. As a result, bidding was extremely light and the final results fell several thousands of dollars short of where they should have been
The learning experience is this:
The Live Auction is where you place your better items, and where the real money should be made at any Fundraising Auction. Let bidders know as far in advance as possible what you will be selling, and the order of sale, so they can get excited about the Auction, and plan their bidding strategy accordingly.
Auction Listings are absolutely vital to the success of both Live & Silent Auctions. In my opinion, revenues at this Auction fell thousands of dollars short of where they should have been, because no Auction Listing was provided to the guests.
If bidders are not perfectly clear on what is being sold, including both the item’s specifics, benefits, and restrictions, they will not bid.
When you have a committee of volunteers, especially volunteers having full time jobs and/or very busy schedules, the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer can help to keep the committee on track.
And once you retain the services of a professional Fundraising Auctioneer… use the services that you are paying for.