Opportunities
The trend
of seeking a safer and simpler life is creating new opportunities
for North Dakota. Trends in the 1990s suggest a growth in contingency
employment and a greater focus on home life. Home-based businesses,
particularly in rural or small town settings, are helping many people
achieve the balance between economic prosperity and personal well
being.
Concerns about
neighborhood safety, quality of schools, the environmental degradation
of one's community, the inefficiencies of municipal government, the
physical and psychological repercussions of stress in work and society
are all pushing individuals to flee urban areas in search of better
quality of life - not only for themselves, but for their families
and especially for their children. And many of these people are moving
to rural America.
The trends
which are driving the growth in home-based businesses - such as new
technology and the rise in entrepreneurism - are also making it possible
to place a large array of business opportunity in isolated, rural
areas. That, in turn, is making it possible for people to move to
the rural settings and to enjoy its better quality of life.
While farming
and ranching is still the career of choice for many North Dakotans,
the farmstead is becoming the headquarters for other businesses. Home-based
businesses in farms are often necessary to supplement the boom and
bust of farm economics.
Home-based
business has a natural role to play in the economic and business development
of the state.
Types of
Home-based Businesses
Home-based
businesses were once thought to be just temporary quarters for start-up
operations or off-again, on-again enterprises. Today, established
and successful home-based businesses range from handicrafts, advertising
agencies, lawn services, consulting practices, investment brokers,
architects, and "lone eagle" manufacturing operations.
Professional
and personal service businesses, such as consulting practices, accountants,
financial advisors, and public relations agencies, are excellent candidates
for a home-base. In a professional and personal service business,
there is little need for a warehouse or transport and delivery areas.
The information-hungry marketplace craves the packaging and selling
of specialized knowledge and skills (which, frankly, is the basis
for most service businesses). Little wonder these businesses are among
the most rapidly growing forms of entrepreneurial ventures.
Another industry
taking its position in the marketplace is specialized mail order businesses.
Mail order product lines - ranging from specialized car parts to ethnic
foods - appeal to customers looking for unique products which can
be ordered and delivered conveniently to "home-based" consumers. Although
the term "mail order" implies the use of the United States Postal
Service for ordering or delivering, "mail order" from home-based businesses
through telecommunications, express freight services and other techniques
is on the rise.
Successful
home-based businesses are not limited to the service or information
industries. Even a product which can be produced from a small manufacturing
setup or contracted for production from an existing manufacturing
operation can be marketed and managed from a home-based business.
An entrepreneur cited as an example of "the entrepreneur of the '90s"
by John Naisbitt in his recent book Global Paradox is David Reim of
Simstar Inc. With four computers installed in the bedroom of his home,
Reim is building a company that makes interactive multimedia software.
As Simstar's only employee, Reim subcontracts with independent partners
through a computer network.
The use of
subcontractors to assist in the design, production, marketing, sales,
and delivery of products and services allows for an endless list of
potential businesses that can be successfully based at home.
You may want
to look at Worksheet A when considering
a what type of business you may want to consider operating out of
your home you should.
Next
Chapter...
