Natural conditions can affect so many home businesses…not just farmers and those working in the out-of-doors.  The supplies you use for craft and other businesses also may be in short supply because of adverse natural conditions.  If you have a business remotely connected with the weather, you can be affected when there are changes.

When you’re deciding what to develop as you firm up your desire to work from home, take into consideration whether you will be in any way affected by natural conditions…heat, cold, rain, snow, droughts, too much water.  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t venture into your desired home business.  Simply crank into the planning phase these conditions and what would happen, incomewise, if you should have natural adversity.  You don’t need to have disasters…simply changes due to nature.

For instance, in our region this winter, we’ve had a lack of snow for the ski areas to operate at maximum capacity.  Even the snowmaking equipment often hasn’t been able to do its job because of warm nights.

So…naturally the ski areas have suffered.  But there is a spin-off that affects other businesses.   Supposing you have a home business making ski hats and mittens on your knitting machine.  You supply shops in the area, as well as sell them from a room in your home.

With the lack of extremely cold weather (until recently) and lack of skiers and those involved in other winter activities, your business may drop off.  This is just one example of how the whims of nature can affect your business and why you should have a contingency plan, back-up income, or cash reserve.

Many home business owners us e-mail and print newsletters to share their news and work.  These newsletters vary in style and content, depending on the type of home business and what you want to share.

Generally you use e-mail newsletters if you desire to reach customers beyond the area where you live.  If you have an online shop, or traditional store that also offers Internet sales, you’ll favor an e-mail newsletter. 

 If you mainly sell to customers who frequent the shop in your home, you might print  monthly flyers with sales, new products, and interesting product information.

Various types of newsletters:

*Promoting sales and new products

*Keeping customers informed about what you’re doing in your life.  Some business owners, especially those associated with the crafts, include family tidbits as well.

*Schedule of your classes if you teach these.

*Instructions and product tips.

*Interesting information about your type of business or how to use your products.

*Photos of your work.

Newsletters will vary and take on a personality of their own, depending on the business owner.  They often become items your customers look forward to, even though the newsletters are promoting your business.

Developing a craft or hobby into a business, operated out of the home, or at craft shows and by mail order is the dream of many people.  The Werts’ wood quilt business now is in the second generation.  It evolved from Jewell Wert’s classes in folk art painting.  Reading their story, on their web site, may give you some pointers on developing your own business.

I’ve also written more about the wood quilts on my Quilting and Patchwork blog, since this in a variation of quilting.

In a previous post, I discussed the pros and cons of turning your hobby into a home business. Readers agreed this was ideal when you can do it, turning something you like to do into a business. One mentioned that it really didn’t matter how much you got paid…the money was just a bonus for something you like to do.

This is a great idea, that the money is just a bonus…as long as you aren’t depending on that hobby turned home business for a living. It’s wonderful if you can get paid for a hobby. However, when it means you’re doing it to earn an income to keep a roof over your head, food on the table, health insurance paid, etc., you do have to approach it in a business like manner, keeping in mind many of the factors I mentioned in Turning a Hobby into a Home Business.

That’s when doing what you like may lose some of its pure pleasure because you can’t do it at your leisure without concern for how much, or even if, you get paid. True, you will find your method of earning an income more enjoyable, if it’s something you like to do, such as a hobby or skill turned into a home business. Just practice some of the good business practices, too, so you can continue doing what you enjoy to earn your living.

Perhaps you thoroughly enjoy a particular hobby. You decide, “Why not make money doing what I love?”

I heard someone discussing the “dream job” and he described it as a hobby you turned into a money making venture.

This often is how many home businesses start….expanding upon a talent or hobby to earn a living. However, you should be aware that something you enjoy as a hobby you can do at your leisure, when you want and how you want, may lose some of its enjoyment when it bacomes your source of income. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t undertake such a venture. Just be aware there are downsides to most any business and just because it was your hobby won’t make this any different.

*In order to earn an income, you must work at this business whether you feel like it or not, whether there are family activities underway, whether you want a day off but the project isn’t completed. Whenever you’re not working, the income generally will cease, unless you develop your business to the point where you have others working for you. If you don’t complete projects or render services as agreed, they you can lose customers.

*You are selling your product or service to others. You must meet their demands and deadlines. Often you have customers/clients who aren’t as enjoyable to deal with as others.

*You must involve yourself in promotion, billing, collecting payment…the business side of a business which you usually don’t consider in a hobby. Sometimes you will get dissatisfied customers, even though you did your best. Some may even refuse to pay the agreed upon amount. Or no matter how well you do your job, they aren’t satisfied.

*Your hobby may lose some of its enjoyment as you meet deadlines or customers expectations. I once had to take a large quilt apart and put in another type of batting. The one I purchased on sale proved to be unsatisfactory. This took a great deal of time, but I couldn’t charge my customer for it. I was fortunate she was pleased I would make her quilt over and didn’t want her money refunded.

The upside is that in spite of the problems you may encounter with a hobby turned home business, you’re still involved in something you enjoy.

The 7th Carnival of Entrepreneurs has gone “live” and a Home Biz Notes blog post was featured.  This one concerned my 2007 goal of learning more about the Internet and the technical computer world.

In order to keep pace with what’s going on in today’s Internet world, writers, bloggers, and people in general will feel a need to learn more about this aspect of our society…actually world society.

Ben Yoskovitz, the host of the Carnivals, invites you to participate.  You can check this out at Ben’s StartUpSpark.com blog and carnival page.

How do you keep track of what you need to do each day, week, month in your home business and your life?  Yes, you have goals and a master plan.  However, what do you do to focus yourself for the day or week to accomplish what you need to and reach your goals?

*Some use a business planner that has been designed for this. 

*Develop your own notebook that works for you.

*Use a white board on the wall with your list on it.

*Use a reminder program on your computer

I’ve tried various plans and found a simple notebook with a list for the week works best for me.  To this I add and cross out.  I use a symbol for tasks underway but not completed.  Each Sunday I review what I’ve accomplished for the week and what I need to carry over to the next week.  I section the page into tasks for business and family life.

I keep this list on the left hand page and make daily notes on the right hand page about people I’ve met with, projects hints, and other information.

This system has evolved over the course of years.  I find too consuming to make a different list each night.  Instead I review my weekly list and note changes.

What have you found that works best for you?

 I’d enjoy having you share your system with us.

Mark at Digital Money World featured Home Biz Notes on My Weekly Personal Favorites .  The post he selected to highlight concerned the b5 Business Channel bloggers’ 2007 goals round-up.

You’ll find information regularly about the world of online currency and digital money at Mark’s blog to help you stay updated about this topic.

Affordable health insurance becomes a huge concern for home based businesses or the self-employed business person. Generally you must come up with your own health care insurance, unless you or your spouse has it at another place of employment.

When you leave your employment to concentrate full time on your home business, you most likely will have to start paying your own health insurance. How much of a burden this becomes depends on various situations. (This information concerns health insurance in the United States.)

*You usually can continue to be carried at rates paid by your former employer for a specified number of months. However, you generally must pay 100% of this.

*Rates and insurance coverage will vary with each state.

*Your age can affect the amount you must pay.

*You may find the premiums very high which necessitates you to opt for a high deductible.

I’ll discuss more health insurance details in another post.

I would appreciate readers from other countries commenting on health insurance for home business owners in countries other than the United States.

Free lance writers, who work from a home office, even though they may go into the field for their research, interviews, and promotion, often don’t consider themselves business owners or that the income they receive is taxable…unless they receive a 1099 Misc Income form.  Even then I’ve heard some mention that they didn’t realize they had to include writing income in their taxes.

In the United States, gross income you make over a specified amount is taxable and you usually need to include a Schedule C form with your tax filing.  Most newspapers, magazines, and U.S. online publications send a writers a Misc 1099 form.  The businesses also must file this form with the government.

(These general guidelines usually apply to all home businesses.)

Karen S. Woods has written an e-book for writers, “It’s Taxing: 2006 Income Taxes for U.S. Authors.”

Does anyone have tax books they find helpful for home businesses in the U.S. and other countries? ( Because I live in the U.S., I only know about taxes here.)