5 Small Businesses You Can Run From a Portable Cabin
Starting up a small business can be difficult and getting to grips with financing, suppliers and taxation obligations will take more energy than anticipated.
Finding the perfect premises is time consuming and can commit you to obligations you don’t feel ready for.
If the physical space required by your business is small then consider using a portable cabin at your home. Not only is the commute great but it keeps the costs down. By tapping into the wireless internet within the house and using cordless phones there are no infrastructure issues to worry about.
The following businesses have been successfully run from a portable cabin or sleepout.
- Music Lessons: a cabin is easily big enough for a piano or other musical instruments and one or two students. You don’t have to worry about your students having access to your house or by others using the house being disturbed by the sounds of a class in progress.
- Counselling: A cabin is a discrete location for your clients to visit. They don’t have to worry about bumping into others in the waiting room or being seen by people within your home. If you have children at home in the house with a caregiver you are on hand between customers but their noise won’t interfere with your business.
- Accountant: If you plan to service a few key clients and employ only 1 or 2 people then a cabin will give you the space you need without the overheads of a formal office. They can share the bathroom and kitchen within the house.
- Beauty Therapy: When you are starting out your diary can large gaps in it. By working from your own property you can use these gaps wisely by not being tied to either the business or to home. And if you get a last minute booking you can be back on site instantly. The cabin gives you a serene location away from the noises of home.
- Importer and Online Sales: In America that would be eBay and in New Zealand that would be TradeMe. If you have a product that you are sourcing and then selling online you don’t need a showroom, you just need somewhere to store the boxes and the courier bags and to have your desk. In fact, the more compact the better! The only consideration is how close your local drop point is but if you are doing sufficient volume then the couriers should come to you anyway. All you have to do is post the ads, watch for sales and ship the product.
Don’t forget that your portable cabin will be a tax deductible expense and the beauty of it is that if your circumstances change you don’t have to worry about long leases and ongoing commitments. One simple phone call and the cabin will be returned.
