Protect Your Home Based Business
A Home Business Article Contributed by Fiona Mclaren
How to Protect Your Home Based Business
As someone who is a home based business owner, you are no doubt aware how important it is for your customers to feel safe about doing business with you. It is very important that your customers have faith that you can deliver the product you say you can; otherwise they make take their business to another company.
To protect themselves from losing customers, many home based business owners offer a plethora of incentives, discounts and special offers. That's all very well and good, but what can you do to protect your business in other respects?
Work Like a Business, Not Like a Person
Make sure that you run your business as a business. In life, you may be willing to lend a friend something without any guarantee of getting it back, but those principals just don't apply in business. For instance, you can't give your products away BEFORE receiving payment for them. Even if the customer promises to have the payment with you the very next day. Don't fall into the trap of being too trusting - your business will suffer for it.
Protect your home based business by making sure that customers pay up their accounts, or their deposits, in full before you give them the merchandise.
Get Everything in Writing When Involved in Your Home Based Business Dealings
Written contracts are one of the best tools that you can use in order to protect your home based business. Not only does it set down what your business expects from it's suppliers or customers, but it also dictates what your suppliers and customers can expect of you.
You don't need to hire a lawyer in order write up your contracts (although this is always advised as a very good step for a home based business owner).
If you intend to write up your own agreement between your business and the supplier/customer, then make sure everything is understood from the get go. Once the contract is signed by both parties, it becomes a legal binding document.
If you are ever in doubt when dealing with people in regards to your home based business, then write it down and get it checked over by a professional.
Be Informed When Running Your Home Based Business
Get to know your rights when running your home based business. It is vital that you know what aspects of the law apply to you and your business.
Your home based business deserves to be protected just as much as your customers do. Don't forget that it is your responsibility to make sure that your business is taken care of.
By putting a few advance precautions in place, you can protect not only your customer's best interests, but your business's best interests as well.
Do as much homework as you can when it comes to knowing what rights you have as a home based business owner. You may need to rely on that information some time soon in the future.
