Don’t let recession rumours scare you away from starting a home based business.  Of course a recession is not the ideal time to start a home based business but it can be done.  Starting a home based business is never easy so waiting for a time that things will be simple is futile.  The rewards of working for yourself are worth all the effort you need to put in to get your home based business off the ground.

 

Here are a few encouraging facts to keep in mind when you are starting up a home based business.  First of all, there are several well known companies that took the plunge during a recession.  Ever hear of Walt Disney?  Well, he decided to start the Disney Corporation during the recession of 1923-24.  How about Hewlett-Packard?  They started in 1938 during the Great Depression.  In 1975 Microsoft began during a recession and they have grown to be a monster of a company.  While your gift basket business may not turn out to be as big as these two, it can still thrive in a recession.

 

When starting up a home based business watching how much money you spend is extremely important.  Keeping cost low during a recession is a necessity.  You will need to keep your home based business costs down.  This will increase your cash flow and keep your profit margins high.  Your business overhead can be kept low due to depressed wages.  Any employees you happen to take on will have lower wages.  Also, since recessions effect all industries, goods and services will be less expensive.  Take your time and find discounted services.  The amount of effort you put forth to save money will benefit your bottom line. 

 

Manage your home based business well.  You want to make money.  Do your invoices immediately so that you do not end up overlooking them.  Also, stick to your guns when it comes to prices.  You may want to charge just a little bit less than what your competition is to attract more business.  However, you should not offer huge discounts that will cause you not to make a good profit.

 

A website is absolutely essential for any home based business.  Not only do you need a website, you also must make sure that it is top of the line.  That may mean spending some money on it but that is okay.  Have a professional do your website so that you can attract the greatest number of customers.  Websites are necessary if you hope to reach a broad audience.  This is especially true in recessions.  People are searching for better deals online.  You want to make sure that they know that your home based business is out there. 

 

Use an e-mail marketer.  This is a great service that will allow you to get e-newsletters and other information out to potential customers.  You should also have an e-commerce tool on your site so that people can purchase items with ease.  Convenience will win your customers.