In a recent post, Do You Listen to Music at Your Home Business,I mentioned the part music might play in your business…whether it’s one you operate solely on the Internet or whether you have a shop in your home that customers frequent. Sometimes you might play the music for your own enjoyment while you work. Or you might play music in your shop to add atmosphere and pleasant surroundings for your customers and yourself.

A reader called my attention to the fact that sometimes permission and payment is required when you play music where the public is involved. She said it may not be applicable to a home business (depending where in the world you lived), but when she owned a shop (not in her home) there was a license fee she had to pay to play music in public to cover royalties to the musician.

She also mentioned that if home business owners attended public events (fairs, craft shows, etc.) and played music, this fee likely could apply. The same could be true if they used music as part of a presentation.

This subject also has come up with regard to the trailers writers put together to promote their books. Many use background music and wondered how to go about getting permission…or whether there were any songs in the public domain.

Does anyone have experiences to share regarding the use of music with their business?

  As Jim and I browsed in a shop in Sedona, AZ, Native American flute music played in the background.  Actually, the music first caught our attention while still outside.  We heard it wafting through the air as we approached the shop, and the captivating music lured us inside.   This was our introduction to the Native American flute  music, and we were  enthralled. The result….we ended up buying a CD for ourselves and one to take home for our granddaughter. 

Music while you work or while your customers shop often creates a pleasing, uplifting atmosphere.  If you do sell music CDs, have them playing softly in the background.  Your customers may be tempted to purchase, as we were.

However, do you listen to music for relaxation, to help you concentrate, drown out distracting sounds, or simply because you enjoy it?

Yvonne Russell got me thinking on this topic…music while you work, when I read her post, Whistle While You Write…7 Songs Meme, at Grow Your Writing Business blog.  Although Yvonne didn’t tag anyone for the meme, she invited readers to share their thoughts on music while working.

I prefer quiet music, relaxing music, yet something with an upbeat tempo.  There are some nostalgic songs from my youth that appeal, like The Twelfth of Never, which I listened to at the dentist’s while getting my teeth cleaned the other day.  This resulted in a pleasant conversation about music with the dental hygenist (as much as I could talk while she worked).

Think about it…

*What do customers like to have in the background when they stop in your home shop?

*If you work mainly online, what do you like to listen to while you work?

*What do you like playing while you make products for sale?

*Or do you like complete quiet?

I won’t tag anyone either, for a meme, but would find it interesting if you’d like to share.

Many home business owners (and traditional businesses, as well)  start their venture without seeking advice or learning much about the various aspects to consider about a business.  Some businesses require more business accumen than others, yet some basic business knowledge is beneficial.

Nowadays, operating a business by utilizing the Internet often requires much less investment and stocking of products than businesses which operate out of a physical location (your home, in this case) or perform services requiring equipment (like carpenters, lawn maintenence, etc.)  

(See the posts about Mark and Dorothy’s  online businesses as examples of those requiring little overhead.)

Here are 7 items to consider and perhaps seek advice on:

*What types of taxes will you have to pay?  Will you need to file quarterly tax returns?  (This will vary depending the country where you live.)

*Will you need insurances…liability on your products and people coming to your home office?  Are there others?

*Will you need an occasional employee?  If so, how will you pay and what will you be required to file with the state and federal governments?

*Do local zoning ordinances affect you, especially if you have clients/customers coming to your home?

*What is your projected gross profit?  Then after expenses, what will your net profit be? Will it cover your overhead?

*Do you need a loan to get started for supplies, equipment, products?  If so, how much?  How will you pay this back if your profit isn’t what you expect some month(s)?

*What happens if you become ill and can’t work?  For six weeks, several years ago, I lay flat in bed in a body cast with a broken back.  Even when I was allowed up, I was in the cast for another six weeks.  My writing business slowed down.  Another home business was on hold during that time.

There are other considerations, but these should start you thinking about information and advice you may need before starting a home business.  Also, if you are operating a home business and haven’t considered some of these, you may need to.

In my previous post, Promote Your Home Business Every Single Day, we mentioned a few strategies for doing something each day to market or promote your business, ways to get your name  (business and/or personal) out there where you’ll gain recognition or become a brand (that popular buzz word nowadays).

What are you doing?  What can you do?  Possibly you have a very limited budget. Also, time is at a premium for you.  So how do you find time to squeeze in promotion?

What about making out a check list for yourself?  Then do at least one item on it each day, preferably more.  Some of these take less than five minutes.

Here are 7 tips or items for starting your checklist:

*You’ve developed a blog.  Post something on your blog frequently.  It doesn’t have to be long or eloquent.  Actually short pieces are read more regularly nowadays.  People don’t have a lot of time for reading long, detailed posts and news articles unless they’re looking for specific information, knowledge, or instructions.

*Send out press releases to print and online media.  Keep these short, too.  When I was a newspaper reporter, we liked the short, to-the-point releases.  If we wanted more information, we could contact the person…as long as they included contact information.

*Make a call to one potential customer.  It may simply be a friendly, making a connection call until you’ve found how your business will benefit this person.

*Follow up with a customer.  See if they have any questions about an item they purchased or a service.

*If you have postal addresses for customers, write a quick post card.  I find many people like to receive a post card or note in the mail, even though there’s e-mail for contacting them.

*Check into opportunities for interviews, either in person or by e-mail.

*Develop a jar or container for drawings for prizes at your place of business.  Customers can drop in business card or simply fill out a slip of paper with name, address, phone and e-mai.l If online, you draw from customers who register at your site, leaving their e-mail.  These usually are potential customers or return customers.

What have you been using for promotion strategies in your business? 

Jennifer, at OffBeat Homes, visited a Home Biz Notes post and mentioned something I’ve been thinking about since.

“Once you’ve got your home nice and decorated, why would you ever want to leave?”

So why not start a home business?

Here’s why many people start home businesses:

*Convenience of staying at home

*Children or elderly family member to care for

*Working at something they enjoy

*Decreased expenses traveling to and from work

*Less stress in their lives

I have to agree, for the most part, with Sean regarding his post,  Wise Up! Skip College.  Buy a Franchise!  A college degree isn’t the end-all as far as earning an income or developing a career.  However, you might want to develop a home business other than a franchise. 

When I first heard the idea, several years ago, that college might not be the best choice for making a good income, I was appalled.  I’d been brought up on the idea that the desirable aim of every young person (and many older ones) was getting a college degree and the more degrees the better.  So I went to teacher’s college. 

There is nothing wrong with getting a college degree, but it doesn’t guarantee you a good job and high income.  Often you’ll find when you graduate there are no jobs readily available in your field.  Also, you’re saddled with college loans.  However, some graduates do find good jobs, yet discover, in the long run, the security isn’t there that they thought would be.

As Sean detailed, many of the wealthy owners of prominent businesses, particularly those involving the Internet, do not have college degrees.  Those with college degrees often end up working for business owners who may not have graduated from high school.

Home businesses and franchises don’t automatically guarantee you a high income either.  However, a home business usually can be started while you’re going to school or working for someone else.  To succeed, you need to have a good work ethic and the willingness to learn more about your chosen field.  Often what you do may be an outgrowth from what you studied in school/college, so your education isn’t lost.

I was brought up on the idea that college was desirable.  So I attended teachers’ college and received a degree to teach grades K-6.  Due to various circumstances, I never taught school full time after graduating from college.  However, I’ve been involved in home business and jobs related to my knowledge attained there.

My major was elementary education and my minor in English and writing.  I’ve developed a career and home business realted to writing.  I’ve tied this into my education major by writing for children and creating writing programs I teach in schools, adult education, and online.  I’ve also done substitute teaching for more than 30 years.  In addition, I’ve had home businesses in areas other than writing and publishing that had nothing to do with my college education.

For some careers you do need specialized training which you can receive only at a 2- or 4-year college and beyond.  However, many students, of all ages, develop home business while attending college which they continue when they’re finished.  These businesses may be an outgrowth of what they’re studying or may be totally unrelated.  Then they have another option if they desire or can’t find a job in their field when they graduate.

These are some ideas to consider when you’re thinking about your future and options.

When you send e-mail, as a business owner, make sure your signature it tells something about yourself that is pertinent to your business.  (You can use another signature if you have a separate e-mail for personal use.  And that’s probably a good idea.)

Your signature is the information at the end of your message, after your name.  You can set it up so the signature and related information automatically comes up whenever you write an e-mail.  Also, the information in your signature is another way to promote yourself and what your business is about.

Tris Hussey of Pimp Your Work has some great advice in his post “Six ways to make a good e-mail signature.”

“The e-mail signature is something that can be helpful or royally annoying,” mentions Tris, as he gives you six helpful suggestions.

It was exciting to see Yvonne Russell’s article, The Web – Your Partner in Promotion, at Grow Your Writing Business and discover it included an interview of me, with mention of Home Biz Notes.  She also referred to my interview of Dorothy Thompson and her author blog tour business.

Although Yvonne writes for writers, many of the promotion ideas she discusses, while interviewing me and other writer/bloggers, are applicable to other businesses.

Yvonne comments: “Bloggers and online writers [also businesses]  need to become e-marketers and look for opportunities on the web.  Our potential clients are not around the corner anymore.  If you’re on the web, you have a global market.  You have an international client base.”

How have you found your business promotion changing because you have the whole world wide web to explore?

Graduation and New Beginnings!  That’s our theme for the Business Channel’s Theme Day with the round-up of posts hosted by Darlene McDainel, of Interview Chatter, hosted this month.  You’ll find a great deal of business information and insight from the Business Channel bloggers.

At Home Biz Notes, I discuss, Will Graduates Start Home Businesses? with suggestions if this is the direction they want to consider.

May and June signify graduation time in the United States, when students are leaving school…whether high school, technical school, or other places of higher learning.  Most are venturing into the “real world” of earning a living.  Or they may have received a degree they hope will take them into a higher earning level.  It’s a time for new beginnings in your life.

Some thought could be given to developing a home business, probably along with your job as an employee for someone else at this stage, unless you’ve already been establishing yourself in a work from home career.  However, in today’s Internet world, many graduates have been looking already into ways to earn income online, possibly to supplement while they were in school. 

*Continue developing your home business if you have started one.  Concentrate making it a full time income, if this is the direction you’d like to go.

*Check out the b5media’s Business Channel for great information about starting and operating a business.  With the diverse topics and bloggers, you’re sure to find information to give you ideas and help you get started, as well as continue your business.

Other resources and suggestions:

*Mark Allen had some good ideas for an online business utilizing the capabilities of Cafe Press, something he hopes to turn into a full time income in the future.  I wrote about him at Developing a Home Business Utilizing Cafe Press, Part 1 and Part 2.(Example from Mark’s Defy Gravity store.)

There are other types of “stores”, or places where you can develop sites for selling your items.  Many people utilize eBay for a store site, as well as auctions.

*If you’ve been involved in some type of art  or craft work, you may want to start promoting this online, as well as from your home, craft fairs and other events.  You’ll find info about establishing these businesses at Barbara Brabec’s site and newsletter.  Also, Alyson B. Stanfield, at Art Biz Blog, has great advice, too, for those in the art world.

*In the writing field, Yvonne Russell, of Grow Your Writing Business, offers continual suggestions about operating a home business, particularly one involving the Internet.

*Laurie Neumann at Christian Home Business Connection delves into many home business ideas.  She researches those that are viable businesses, not scams. 

This is a time for new beginnings in a graduate’s life.  Which path are you going to venture down?

(Incidentally, don’t disregard business ideas and suggestions simply because the person giving them is in another field than yours.  Some business principles are universal.  Or you can tweek the suggestions to fit your needs.)