Starting a Home Business

Ok, so you have developed that perfect business plan and made many personal sacrifices to start your business right? The last thing you want to hear is "you are not allowed to start your business." Well for some entrepreneurs that is exactly what happens! Why would you not be able to start a home based business? Well, there can be a range of things preventing you from starting & running a full time business from your own home. You will usually not even be aware that you can't start your business until you actually go & apply for the business license.
 

Here is a short list of obstacles or problems you might face when applying for that home based business license:

This can be a hard slap in the face to an entrepreneur who has set his or her mind to starting a business. In this article, however, I would like to discuss a few potential ways you can still start your home-based business if you run into any of the above mentioned road blocks. Do not, however, consider this professional or legal/tax advice. You should consult a professional or learn your local laws before ever attempting one of these methods mentioned below.
 

Usually when you are filling out an application for a home business license that you will be asked the physical businesses address. Of course this will usually be the same as your home address. But some zoning laws, homeowner rules/covenants, apartment leases, etc. could prevent you from being able to legally start a business from home. Also, most business license applications will not let you use a P.O. box address for your businesses physical location. So what should you do? Give up? NO WAY! We are entrepreneurs & if we ever want to succeed we will have to say NO to giving up when things get hard!
 

Ok, so how can you start a business from home when you are not technically allowed to do so (because of ridiculous zoning laws, etc.)? Well one way you can get around this is by setting up the address of your business with a Mail Box Service provider such as UPS Store or Mail Boxes etc. Why would you want to do this? Because they provide you with a "real" physical street address instead of a Post Office Box. Remember, most home business license applications will not permit you to use a PO Box as the actual business location address.
 

By using a UPS Store or Mail Boxes etc. box, you will be given a physical street address that you could use on the application (such as 129 Business Road, Suite 203). This way, the address looks like a real business/office location (which will usually fit right in with zoning laws). This can be a neat trick to starting your business when you can't start one from your own house/condo/apartment. Also, it probably won't cost you any more that $10-30 a month for the Mail Box usage, and you can use this address for all of your business addresses (for things like business cards, statements, etc.). Best of all, you can still do most all your work from the comfort of your own home!
 

Another couple of ways you could get around this is you could also set up the business location at a relative's house that doesn't have such difficult regulations. You could also legally set up your business in a different state (or even a different country) but this can get complicated. Last but not least, you could say "the heck with it" and actually go out & rent an office or retail space to use for your business. Either way, don't give up on your dreams.
 

I hope this article has helped provide you with some insight on getting around silly (and yes I do mean SILLY) regulations that we entrepreneurs have to deal with sometimes. Don't forget to check our other "how to" articles on our website for more great tips!