Marketing is key for a home-based business

In order to avoid putting my father in a nursing home, I took an early retirement and I left my job in banking to take care of him. To tell the truth, his nursing home care would have eaten up a large portion of my income. So it's less expensive to have him here in my home and to take care of him myself. However, I need to feel financially productive and of course I can use the money. I am very good at making decorative baskets and so far my family and friends have raved about them. What are some of the things that I can do to develop a good home-based business? Is a home-based business even a good idea or do I need to think of getting a storefront? Or did I wait too late to get started in a business? — H.B.

Often when I'm asked about the lateness in starting something I think of the artist Anna Mary Robertson Moses. Her more familiar name is "Grandma" Moses. She didn't start to paint seriously until she was in her late 70s. And Colonel Harland Sanders was 65 when he started his chicken franchise business. By the standards of these folks, we are never too late to get started in something.

As for developing a business and its location, keep in mind that what makes a business a real business are customers and clients. It doesn't matter if the business is home-based, bricks and mortar or Internet. The important thing is to get customers and keep them coming.

I often suggest to clients that for every hour of production, spend three hours marketing and promoting your business.

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A few weeks ago I went to a poetry reading at one of the most beautiful event facilities I'd seen in a long time. It was an old mansion that had been restored and turned into both a bed and breakfast and a coffee cafe on the first floor. The owner rents the first floor out to a performing artist.

While speaking with the owner I complimented him on having a beautiful pl! ace. He responded by telling me that he wasn't getting the business that he had hoped to get. As we continued to talk I learned that he was depending on word of mouth to keep his place booked.

I often say that "If I build it, they will come," was only a line in a movie and doesn't work well in real life. If you are going to be successful with your business don't let word of mouth be your only marketing system. Take time to plan out a sensible promotion and marketing plan that will keep clients coming.

Think about the kind of people who will buy your baskets. Then decide where these folks are. For example, maybe a corporation would buy them for employee or customer appreciation gifts. They might also work for baby showers, wedding showers, and birthday and holiday gifts. Use your imagination and come up with a number of possible places to promote your baskets.

Once you complete that list, make a separate list of how to reach each market. Perhaps you might want to develop a website or post flyers on community bulletin boards. Or have your friends host house parties to sell and take orders for baskets, similar to the Mary Kay model. You now have a road map to guide you toward a successful business.

Also, don't downplay your intuition. Listen to, trust and follow your intuition. One of my favorite authors, Florence Scovel Shinn, says, "Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way." Many successful entrepreneurs have paved their path by using their intuition.

If you follow these couple of simple steps and maintain faith in yourself and your business you just might be surprised at how successful you can become no matter what age you are.

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com.