Are You An Empty Nester? Start a Home-Based Business

Some women dread being an empty nester. They imagine being alone in an empty house and feeling unneeded because the kids are all grown and doing their own thing.

But there is a positive spin on this empty nest thing.

Want to know what I imagine?

• a clean house
• not needing to cook all the time
• no more loads of laundry
• being able to walk around the house without a bra on
• waking up when we want to
• no longer being a chauffer
• taking as long as we want in the bathroom
• no more mysteries of who broke the glass or dish

And did I mention being able to walk around the house without a bra on? What I would give to be able to let the girls loose and not worry about my sons being home! Hehe!

In my years of blogging, I’ve had the pleasure of talking to women about making money from home.

And somewhere in the conversation they mention how they’ve always wanted to be their own boss but never looked into it.

They thought it would take up a lot of their time. And I’ve heard all kinds of excuses…

“The kids were too young.”

“My family needed me.”

“I don’t have the money.”

And finally, “I’m too old to start my own business.” I call B.S. on that because I was 41 when I started my business and I had no idea what the heck I was doing! LOL!

Start A Home-Based Business

Before, it was all about the kids. You made sure they were healthy, got an education, and taught them right from wrong.

But now that the kids are grown and out of the house – it’s time to focus on you!

What’s the one thing that comes to mind when you think about starting a business? If I’m right, it’s the start-up expenses.

That happens to be the most common reason people give when they explain why the delay in starting a business.

Here’s the thing. Thanks to technology you can run a business from home and that keeps start-up costs down.

The Benefits To Running A Home-based Business

Besides running a business from home, there are other benefits that come with it.

For example, there are tax benefits. You can deduct your work space, utilities like electricity and internet and deduct expenses like supplies, travel and the tools you pay for to run your business.

There are also no overhead costs. You don’t have to worry about things like paying for office space or gas expense for commuting to and from the office.

And you have the flexibility to whenever you want to. You can easily accommodate other activities in your life like volunteering or catching up with friends.

3 Types of Home-Based Businesses with Low Start-Up Costs

Here are some home-based businesses with low start-up costs. And, another good thing about it is, you don’t have to have a degree. But you do have to have some knowledge and a passion for the business you’re going to run.

Direct Sales Business

If you’re the outgoing type and you love to talk to people, this is a great business for you.

Direct Sales Businesses are popular with women because of the flexibility it gives them. And there are so many products you can sell. For example, you can sell cosmetics, home décor, candles, skin care products, lingerie…it’s a long list.

Plus, a lot of these direct sales companies start you off with the tools you need like a free website to promote your business. And start-up kits run about $100 to start.

For a list of direct sales companies, click here.

Kickstart a Transcription Business

If you got some typing skills and you’re a great listener, a transcription business might be right up your alley.

You can type for medical field, litigation, or general transcription for other companies.

It doesn’t take much to get it going. All you need is a website so clients can upload their files and if you can, recruit independent contractors to work for you.

The most work will come from marketing your business. Be sure you have a plan in place to keep track of your goals and milestones.

For a complete guide to help you start your own transcription business, click here.

Start a Dropship Business

A dropship business has to be one of the easiest businesses to run. When you receive an order, you forward the details to the merchant you’re working with.

The merchant processes the order for you and ships it off. That’s it!

Besides not needing a lot of start-up money, there is no inventory to worry about. The merchant takes care of that for you.

And you don’t have to worry about paying for a website because most merchants provide you with one.

For more information about starting a dropship business, click here.

How to Decide on a Home-based Business

I give my clients a little homework before starting a home-based business. It’s a three-step exercise to help you decide based on your interests as well as weighing the pros and cons.

First, make a list of about 5 hobbies, services, or products you’re passionate about.

Then narrow down the list to two of them by analyzing:

1. Is there a demand for the service you want to offer?
2. Is the market saturated?
3. Do you skills and experience in the field?
4. Do you have the patience to see it through?
5. Will you be 100% committed to the business even during the lows?
6. Can you manage clients and run the business from home?

Then make a list of pros and cons weighing them by asking yourself:

1. How much money do I need for start-up?
2. What equipment do I need to purchase?
3. How long will it take before I’m open for business?
4. Do I need a lot of work space to run the business from home?

Over To You

I hope this post inspires you to look into starting your home-based business. You owe it to yourself to go after your dream!

If you have any questions, ask away in the comments section and I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.

Pass this post on to any empty nesters you know!