Business from home

 

Are you thinking about starting your own business and working from home - but you are still missing the brilliant business idea? Then let us inspire you! After all, professional independence is too tempting not to have dealt with it at least once. However, founding a company also means taking certain risks with a clear head and leaving the comfort zone of permanent employment.

In this article, we would like to show you the advantages and pitfalls of working from home and discuss possible business ideas for full-time and part-time self-employment.

Working independently at home: the advantages

Being your own boss is a nice thing. Whether you are going to be self-employed as a part-time job to find out how well your idea works, or whether you put everything on one card and go straight full-time into self-employment: the home office in particular makes independent work a very pleasant affair as the following points prove:

• Flexibility : You just do what you want - when you want. Okay, of course it's not that simple. Nevertheless, no boss will talk you into your work, you don't have to hold any meetings or adhere to a dress code. Just sit down at the computer in your coziest baggy clothes and start working. Basically you always have flextime !
   
• No outside control: You divide up your work yourself. Of course, your clients also set you deadlines and you will be asked from time to time to do a job as quickly as possible. And as the founder of an online shop, you can also be dependent, for example on suppliers. However, you specify the framework conditions.
   
• Short commute to work : From bed straight to your desk - working independently from home makes it possible. Anyone who has ever been stuck in a busy commuter train or on the motorway will appreciate not having to deal with wind, weather and loved ones every morning. And time is money: By eliminating the need to commute to work, you can start right away and effectively have more time to earn money - if you want. Also nice: You save the travel costs for car or train.
   
• Low cost : Of course, that depends on what exactly you want to do. However, only a few things are really necessary for many self-employed activities from home. This usually includes a computer and a stable internet . If you have a laptop, you don't even need a desk - in the long run, however, it is much more pleasant than working from the sofa. The bookkeeping, which you will not be able to completely avoid, can be done with the relevant software programs - also not a big expense.

Self-employed in the home office: you should keep that in mind

Before you happily plunge into self-employment, there are a few things to consider - it would be too nice if everything were so simple. You should consider the following points in order to be able to work independently from home:

• Start-up phase : It may take a while for your business to flourish or for the idea to bear fruit. So don't throw the gun in the grain if you don't succeed immediately - there is usually a certain start-up phase that the whole thing needs to get going. Nevertheless, set yourself a deadline by which your business idea should prove to be suitable. The good thing: if you start off part-time, you can still run the business full-time afterwards - if things go well.
   
• The concept : In order to be able to assess the risk , you should have developed a concept. Unfortunately, a certain amount of planning cannot be avoided - as nice as the idea is to just give it a try with self-employment. We have summarized helpful tips on this topic for you in our start-up platform guide “Developing a business model” . Our business plan template can also help you .
   
• Time investment : Appearances are sometimes deceptive, because self-employment (part-time) also requires a lot of time and effort. Sometimes you will not be able to do most of the work on the side. And precisely because you work from home, you will be tempted to do a few things in your free time - after all, you don't have far to go to work. Sure: Nothing comes from anything. But you shouldn't ignore the work-life balance .
   
• Employer's permission : If you want to work independently from home, but do it on a part- time basis, ask your employer for permission. Because: If your self-employed activity belongs to the same industry as your main job, your boss could have justified objections to your sideline. After all, you might be competing with him for jobs.
   
• Tax return : Your new income is of course also of interest to the tax office . You have to apply for a tax number and possibly also deal with the issues of trade tax and sales tax. If you want to work with clients from other European countries, you also need a sales tax identification number (USt-ID).
   
• Optional: Register a business : This is not necessary for every type of activity -  liberal professions , for example, are not subject to this obligation. If, on the other hand, you want to earn your money by buying and selling goods, you are considered a trader and need a trade license. In case of doubt, you can simply clarify with your tax office whether you are classified as a freelancer or a trader - you can actually get information by phone or on site without an appointment. So don't be afraid to just ask there.

Ideas for independence from home

Your options are diverse. Of course, not every option that we present to you is exactly the right one for you - some require a certain mindset or certain prior knowledge that not everyone has. But if you dig into these business ideas a little, you might discover something for yourself.

Take the first steps towards self-employment from home, for example as:

• Copywriter : If you can express yourself well, know what research means and can also explain complicated issues in an understandable way , the job as a copywriter or author may be the right thing for you. All you need are appropriate language skills, a computer and of course clients. You can earn your first fees on relevant copywriting platforms - but you are better off with regular customers, who of course you have to acquire first. The specialization in a topic helps to make a name for yourself. If you are particularly good at spelling, grammar and semantics, you can also consider working as a lecturer .
   
• Blogger : What is the difference to writing? That you make your content available for free and earn money with advertising - for example affiliate links on your homepage or in your blog. To do this, however, you also need a loyal readership. If you as a blogger specialize in a topic, you could also sell your own niche product .
   
• Selling homemade items: Whether jewelry, textiles or handicrafts: You don't have to go to the weekly market to profitably use your talent for creative handicrafts . Simply sell the products online! You don't even need your own shop for this - corresponding portals do it for you for a commission and have the necessary reach.
   
• E-learning : Helping people to help themselves is becoming increasingly popular. So why not monetize your knowledge and make a living from it? All you need is a course that you can then offer online for purchase. It should of course be well developed and offer real added value for further training . Here, too, there are already platforms that connect you with your potential customers.
   
• Influencer : Would you describe yourself as authentic, personable and always up to date? Then earn your money as an influencer ! Basically, your job is to sell something to your followers - but it doesn't have to be a product: Some will just follow you because you have something interesting to say. With a sufficiently large following, you can then generate income through sponsored content, for example.

Working independently from home - but not only

Some good ideas for self-employment cannot be easily realized from home, but are still worth mentioning here. Therefore, we are now also introducing you to some business ideas that you can only partially implement in the home office, but which are still far from a normal office job. All of these jobs require a certain competence or qualification - but this is often present through hobbies and talents. Basically, you make what you are good at into your profession - but as a self-employed person.

How about:

• Photographer : If the camera is your best friend and you have a feel for motifs and lighting conditions, you can start your own business as a photographer. Specialize in events such as weddings and sporting events or simply wander around the world in search of the perfect subject and then sell your photographs to the highest bidder.
   
• Speaker : conveying know-how, passing on knowledge, sharing experience - and all that with enthusiasm and authenticity? That's what working as a speaker is all about ! When you have something to say to the world that either not enough people already know or that nobody can convey as well as you can , you should think about making a living from it. Of course, you should like performing on stage and communicating with people. In addition, it can't hurt to use other channels in addition to appearances in order to gain awareness. First, you could share your excitement with people through a book or blog.
   
• Personal trainer : Are you in top shape, do you like doing sports and understand something about healthy eating and training content? Then try it as a fitness coach. Here one can appropriate education not hurt, since a license in the acquisition hermacht course more and you get it conveys important theoretical and practical key skills. Once you have it in your pocket, you will help your customers keep fit - and maybe one day you will open your own gym .
   
• Music teacher (or rather: teacher of a specific instrument): Whether guitar, drums, piano or trumpet does not initially play a major role. It is important that you have a very good command of this instrument and that you are willing to teach beginners (and perhaps also advanced) something . If you have a suitable room and the right equipment at home, you can hold your lessons within your own four walls (exception here: drums. They are very loud.). And even if you have to rent a room for it: You still do the preparation of the lessons and the office work from home.

Conclusion: Working independently from home offers many opportunities

As you can see, there are numerous ways to set up your own business from home and realize a business idea. You can try out a lot of it first and deal with risks and opportunities before you go all out. The initial costs are usually manageable - but here, too, it does not work without certain talents and qualifications.

Find out more about self-employment here on the start-up platform and discover a variety of advice and suggestions for your start as a founder!

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