100 Home Biz Malaysia

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A GUIDE TO USING THE 100 HOME BASED BUSINESSES FORMALAYSIANS MANUAL

Introduction

First of all, let me congratulate you on acquiring the only manual of its kind in Malaysia. The home basedbusinesses sector has quietly boomed in Malaysia over these few years. The main reason beingadvances in technology which enables many people with regular employment to work in their homes andearn a lucrative income during their free time. Computer software, handphones, divert call facilities andthe internet have all contributed to this. Yet, many people still live in the misconception that one has tohave capital, skills, contacts and a special entrepreneurial quality to start a business. Well, this is not trueif you plan to start and run your business at home.This manual will try to give you 100 ideas on how to earn income at home. But we feel that you should begiven a basic guide on how to use this manual to benefit from it 100%.

Keeping Your Costs Low

Throughout this guide you will be informed of an estimation of what you will need to spend to start yourhome based business. Do not be alarmed if you see the figures running into thousands of ringgit!Actually, the figures refer to what it would cost if you were to embark on a full-time, non-homebased operation. For most home based businesses, the start-up cost is around RM200 -RM500.Of course you are wondering: how you are going to purchase all the equipment necessary to start yourbusiness - especially computers? The answer is in leasing and outsourcing.By leasing, you will be able to purchase a high performance PC for a downpayment of a few hundredRinggit and pay instalments of about RM200 monthly. It is important that I use a computer for an examplesince for most operations you would only need a computer to perform most tasks. Many companies offerthis option. You might also want to check out if some companies allow credit card purchases. Therepayment on the amount you have used is usually very affordable.If you do not want to commit yourself to any debt, then outsource your work to other part-time operators. Iforesee that most of your marketing communications will involve the printing of letterheads & envelopes,invoices, receipt, business cards and brochures. I started off my first home based business, a languageconsulting business, without a PC and I use a part-time Desktop Publishing operator to handle all mymarketing communications. Of course, the cost per task is more expensive than if you were to print yourmaterials on your own but at an expense budget of RM200 a month, I cannot be too choosy. Also, lookaround for a cheap photocopy shop for making multiple copies. If you agree to use their services on along-term basis, you will be given very good rates.

Looking Big

If you are running a business, you want to look as big as possible to instill confidence in your first-timecustomers. Once they like your work, they won't care less if you work part-time from home. So, pleaseuse letterheads, printed envelopes and business cards to convey this message.Also, you must take note of the following:1. Any phone number you give must must be a land line i.e. not exclusively a handphone number. Abusiness card with only a handphone number smacks of a fly-by-night operation. Although you worksomewhere else during the day, you can create this image by giving your home phone number asyour business number and diverting all calls from your house phone to your handphone. You caneven describe it as a '24 hour hotline'! Let's see your corporate competitors do this.2. Any good business should have a fax. It's best if you have a fax machine connected to your secondline. However, if you don't, give your business number as a phone / fax number. If somebody sends ina fax, answer the call quickly and say " I'm sorry our fax is not working today. Please fax yourdocument to our associate company". What you do next is to run to your office's fax to intercept yourfax!3. If you live in a house, it is okay to use it as your business address. This can pass off as an office in ashoplot. But if you live in an apartment or condo, it will be obvious that you work from home when

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they see the address. Consider using a rented mailing address for this purpose. Look upmanagement services companies in the Yellow Pages which provide this service but make sure it isclose to your office so that you collect your mail easily.

Possessing Relevant Skills

It's true that not everybody can start just any kind of business they choose, but don't get disheartenedwhen you see that 80% of the businesses featured in the manual require some form of specialized skill,qualifications or experience. However, if you feel that business is right for you, that's all you needbecause you can partner with someone who can do the job!Your partners will be those people who have the skills you need but don't have. The difference betweenyou and them is that you are an entrepreneur and they are not. Your function is to sell their services tothe market and make a profit out of it. They'll be only too glad to have you find a buyer for their servicesand make more money per day than they can a week. How you split the income is between you and yourpartner.But you should at least try to learn as much as possible about the service that you are selling so that yourselling job is easier. Most importantly you should learn the skills required so that you can perform theactually task yourself if required.

Synergizing Businesses

In marketing, there is a law which says that "selling to an existing customer is easier and cheaper thanselling to a new one". For this, you should expand any business you have started by creating another oneselling to same market. For example, if your chosen business is to provide Networking Services, yourcustomers will be other businesses. You should then find it easy to start a Corporate Training service orManagement Consulting service by selling to the same customers and their acquaintances. Only becareful about not losing focus.

Pioneer Businesses

Some of the businesses featured here are so new to Malaysians that you might think that there is nomarket for them. Which reminds me of the story of two shoe salesmen who visited a place and found outthat nobody there wears any shoes. The first one says, " Nobody here will want to buy shoes" and writesoff the place. The second one says, "Wow, everybody here needs shoes!". Are you the first or the secondsalesman?

Useful Resources

Along the way, you will be stumped as where to find services which support your business. Well, we existto help you. You are already entitled to one hour of free telephone consulting so why don't you put it togood use by finding out from us? We haven't survived this long by relying on expensive and difficultsuppliers / vendors!

Finally……

We wish you all the best in your chosen business. When you make it big, we will be proud in knowing thatwe were the ones who inspired you to achieve great things…..

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Abstracting Service

Start-up cost:

RM2,500- RM8,000

Potential earnings:

RM20,000- RM40,000 per year

Typical fees:

At least RM 5- RM15 per article (full abstract with index)

Advertising:

Solicit database publishers, corporations, respond to newspaper ads for abstract work

Qualifications:

Knowledge in the areas you are abstracting, ability to research a wide range of topics,ability to organize and consolidate data, good writing and communication skills, knowledge of databaseservices and CD-ROM publishers

Equipment needed:

Computer and modem, fax, printer, software, office furniture, business cards,letterhead, reference books, dictionaries

Staff required:

No

Handicapped opportunity:

Yes

Hidden costs:

Keep an eye on on-line time if using these services

Lowdown:

Abstracters read articles from various publications, summarize them, and store the data on a computer.Some abstracters also index the articles by key words or terms that help the computer locate themquickly. Often abstracters specialize in areas such as engineering, science, and other technical fields;some work in medical and legal fields. A keen interest in reading is very important to your success, as isthe ability to retain what you read. Good writing skills and knowledge of the topics you are abstracting isessential, especially for condensing the material. This business could also fit well with an existing editorialservices or technical writing business. If you don’t have actual paid experience as an abstracter, you canselect articles of interest to certain potential clients, make up a portfolio of samples, and pitch yourservices to them. You might also talk with database publishers to discuss how you might help them, andvice versa.

Start-Up:

In addition to basic computer equipment and a word-processing package, you don’t need much beyondoffice furniture and reference books. Your business can be launched for as little as RM2,500. ChargeRM5-RM15 per article.

Bottom-Line Advice:

Many larger corporations, in particular, rely on abstracting services to keep them updated aboutcompetitors and innovations in products and services relating to their businesses. This work allowsconsiderable flexibility in your schedule and requires only a modest investment. Abstracting demandsgreat concentration and careful organization, but also exposes you to a wealth of knowledge andcontacts. You also will have the satisfaction of knowing that your work provides a valuable service to yourclients.

Advertising Agency

Start-up cost:

RM7,000-RM16,000

Potential earnings:

RM35,000-RM75,000

Typical fees:

RM75-RM150 per hour, a monthly retainer, or a per-job basis

Advertising:

Networking, trade publications, teaching at a community college or adult school

Qualifications:

Knowledge of design, layout, and typography; writing skills; experience

Equipment needed:

Computer with modem and high-resolution printer, presentations, desktoppublishing, and photo software, scanner, CD-ROM, fax, copy machine, business card,

Staff required:

No

Handicapped opportunity:

Yes

Hidden costs:

Organizational dues and schmoozing may get costly

Lowdown:

You’re probably not going to be doing ads for Cellcom, but if you are motivated and highly skilled you canbuild up a home-based ad agency serving clients in a specialized area. To get a foothold, you’ll need tohave experience from a larger agency, or a source of clients who know you and respect your interest inwhat they do. Activities such as collecting or participating in a special sport could be your lead-in to asmall but profitable market. Or you could specialize in one type of store, one product, or a type of service.You will get to know your client organizations well, and you will draw on all of your creativity, both verbaland graphic. New ways of getting a commercial message out to the public are revolutionizing theadvertising field, so creativity extends into the nature of the business itself as well. Very few businessescan succeed without advertising in one way or another, so your creativity and awareness of market needshas many possible customers. You’ll need to educate your clients about the value of advertising—even

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