Enterprise Nation

Ron Hodgson started his first home business in the early seventies. Since then he’s run a sports goods manufacturing and mail order business, a construction advisory service, an antiques business and a photography business. And he’s here to offer his advice to us inexperienced ones.

Ron through the ages

My first business was a mobile disco business involving my wife and myself. The reasons for starting up from home were low start up costs, flexible hours & low overheads. My top pieces of advice for anyone starting out would be:

1. If you have an idea or a dream for a home business, research the idea thoroughly, decide on your target market and most importantly check out your competition.
2. If you do not live alone, discuss the new venture fully with your partner, talk about their future involvement if they are to be involved in the business, discuss hours of work and leisure time, and finally decide whereabouts in the house you are going to work.
3. Decide how you are going to fund the business and prepare a business plan.

For your further information I have been involved in the following home businesses over
the past 35 years, some part time, some full time:

• Club catering
• Antiques
• Snooker table manufacturing and mail order
• A home cat kennels and breeding centre
• A temporary paint on tattoo business
• A construction advisory service (stems from my building background)
• A photographic business

All these businesses have involved my wife and we have enjoyed every minute of it.
 
Wow, Ron. You must truly be the most wise and experienced home business owner around. We doff our homeworking hats to you! – Emma Jones 

• Photo credit: Flickr user, frigante.