Chapter Six
Success Stories
When venturing into a new endeavor it is always wise to have some sort of bench mark to measure against in order to ensure a certain level of success. This can come in the form of learning from the successes of others.
In this chapter I want to share with you some businesses that got started in the home and have become very successful. This is to show you it can be done and is being done by people all over the world. You are no different and can make your business a success as well.
Some of the home businesses went on to become billion dollar companies, which of course are no longer run out of the home, but then some are making over $300,000 per year and still able to work from home.
Melody Spiers is one woman who has a successful business out of her home. She started in 2002 and now makes a six figure income every year while still taking care of her family and enjoying both worlds.
She lives in rural Tennessee and runs a virtual assistant business from her home office. With over 15 years of office experience she decided to use those skills to take over the day to day tasks that many business owners don't have time to do. To keep in the loop she still takes online courses and training to be sure her skills are in top shape.
Melody also outsources some of the skills to other women who work from home so that she can take in more business. According to Melody it is great to work a business she loves but still be at home with her family.
Jose Muniz
This story made me smile when I heard it because Jose Muniz took and made a business out of something that others would have thought crazy! The story goes that a friend of Jose bet him that he couldn't sell a butterfly, so Jose took that bet to heart. After all it was a $100 bet!
Today Jose Muniz owns Amazing Butterflies and is making a fortune. It is very popular today for butterflies to be released at wedding receptions and other functions, so Jose decided to get a piece of the butterfly pie. They sell for from between $50 TO $100 a dozen and according to their website they are farm raised.
He may own the farm or just buy them from a farm, but the main thing is that he took an idea and made a great business out of it.
Resume Writing is Big Business
With the economy we have today and the lack of jobs in most cities, a good resume and cover letter could be what makes you stand out from 200 other applicants. One person that knows this is Teena Rose. She first starting making money from home as a virtual assistant but found that many people were looking for resumes, and she liked doing them. It wasn't long before she specialized in writing great resumes to help people get the job they wanted.
Teena now has a business that keeps her busy and gives her the income she needs to work from home.
Skip and Karen McGrath
This couple took a home business and ran with it. They started selling antiques on eBay. Within two years they were making over $5,000 per month. In fact, Skip and Karen know many people who are making six figure incomes selling on eBay, and it's a business that doesn't take a lot of money get started. Skip suggests that people start with vintage items that can be bought for pennies at garage sales and flea markets.
The Facebook Start
As I said earlier many business were started at home and ended up being enormous businesses. Facebook was actually started in a Harvard dorm room by Mark Zuckerbery. He was fascinated with search engines, keeping in touch with friends, and many things associated with the computer. It wasn't long before Facebook was born.
At one time he actually turned down one billion dollars from Yahoo, who wanted to purchase Facebook. He did however take $240 million from Microsoft just to sell them a 1.6% stake in his business. This little business, started in a dorm room, is now worth over 15 billion dollars! The point here is to not let anyone tell you that your ideas aren't viable.
Google in A Garage?
Would you believe that Google was actually started in a garage? It was a search engine that in the beginning was called BackRub, but it wasn't long before the entrepreneurs involved decided to change the name. Today Google is the biggest search engine, and one that most people use. They have incorporated many programs such as Adwords and Adsense to make extra money as well. The rest, as we say, is history.
I hope these success stories have your mind whirling with ideas for your home business because it just goes to show you that almost any kind of idea can work if you do some proper planning.