Mention virtual business or portable careers in the military
community and typically you think of the military spouse,
veteran, or military retiree jump-starting their own business -
- keeping in touch with clients, colleagues or a combination of
both. How? Electronically of course.
The evolvement of home office technology presents a wealth of
opportunity for the military spouse to develop businesses that
can be operated from virtually anywhere. Examples of the types
of businesses that could fall under the virtual or portable
realm could include the following:
- Technical or business writing - Editor - Proofreader - Web
Developer - Secretarial Support - Travel Agent - Translator -
Interpreter - Graphic Illustrator - Freelance Writer -
Researcher - Technical Support Agent - Consultant
Deciding which business is right for you could seem a little
challenging at first, however, a wonderful exercise to help get
you started is called the self-awareness and skills evaluation.
In this exercise you’ll ask yourself a series of questions.
Note: it’s important to be honest with yourself.
1. Are you a self-starter? 2. Do you enjoy working independently
or as part of a team? 3. Are you trust-worthy and honest? 4. Are
you comfortable communicating by email and telephone? 5. Have
you always dreamed of starting your own business? 6. What are
you passionate about? 7. Do you enjoy serving others? 8. What
software proficiencies do you possess? 9. Can you set goals and
follow them through to completion? 10. Are you comfortable with
rejection?
If you answered, Yes to the majority of the questions chances
are you’ve got the skills, attitude, and motivation of a
business owner. Starting a business in general, regardless of
the type requires much planning, research, patience, and
preparation. Working for yourself means making decisions on
everything. An example:
- Equipment purchases hardware to run your virtual business
efficiently - Software purchases required to serve clients and
run your business efficiently - Business structure setup -
(sole-proprietor, corporation or LLC) - Hours of operation
establishing the hours which you’ll work - Loans preparing loan
packets (if you’ll require startup capital)
Do you plan to operate your virtual business from government
quarters? If so, you’ll need to contact your base housing office
for authorization to operate a business from government
quarters. Note: regulations on operating a business from
government quarters varies base to base, be sure to verify with
your local housing office first.
Working for yourself doesn’t mean you’re all alone, there are
organizations that can provide assistance and support in the
startup phases and during expansion: Small Business
Administrationwww.sba.gov
Service Corps of Retired Executiveswww.score.org
Small Business Development Centerwww.sba.gov/sbdc/
SBA Women’s Business Ownershipwww.sba.gov/womeninbusiness
We’ve covered the preliminaries of setting up your business now
let’s focus on the virtual aspect. Developing a presence on the
Internet will be a key factor in the launch of your virtual
business this can be done by conducting a domain name search and
purchase.
Maintaining your site by keeping the content up-to-date will be
just as important. An Internet presence allows clients and
prospective clients access to information about your virtual
business 24 hours a day.
Building sustainable relationships with your clients will be
critical to the longevity and success of your virtual business.
Regardless of where your military transfers take you, you’ll
always be connected to your clients and industry colleagues
through use of the Internet, email, instant messenger and
telephone (cell phone).
For VBO program participation and eligibility visit:
http://www.vsscyberoffice.com/vbo.
|
