It’s both tough and rewarding to start your own business. A home business will only be successful if you are prepared to invest plenty of time into it. At some point it will have a life of its own, but at the beginning it can feel like very little is working the way you want it to. In order to see results, you will have to put in the work.

Plan for periodic breaks when working from home, but don’t allow yourself to become too preoccupied with what’s going on in your household. Don’t make long phone calls or work on home improvement projects. Breaks will help you to refocus and improve your overall energy level.

Anytime you decide to recruit employees for your home-based entity, you must conduct due diligence regarding their backgrounds. Your employees should be dependable and they should know what they are talking about.

Finding the right product for your business can be difficult. Think about products that make your life easier as a start. To choose the best product to represent, you must first identify a need. It is likely that if people you know could use a product, than there are millions of others who would benefit from the product as well.

Select a name for the business that is special to you. Start by purchasing a domain name for your website. The cost of a domain is typically quite low, and you need to buy it before someone else snatches it up. While working on the full website, put up a one page micro-site that simply includes your business logo, name, and contact information.

Get in the habit of creating daily goals for your home based business. Some things may be harder to achieve than others, but a set of reasonable goals can be reached with effort and time. Set limits and boundaries when working from home in order to generate respect.

Track all of your expenses to save money. Expenses, such as Internet service, business mileage and office supplies, should all be kept track of. Many of these expenses are tax deductible, if you run a business. You will be surprised how quickly small items can add up and how much money you can save.

Don’t get discouraged if at first you’re working tirelessly. Getting rich overnight isn’t a reality, otherwise everyone would be. Hard, proper work will help you begin a strong home based business that will last for years to come.

There are tremendous opportunities for small businesses and social entrepreneurs to support their communities through community foundations, donor advised funds and other means of giving back. Find the neighborhoods in Franklin County where you can make the most impact on the health of the community.