HBBO provides help for home-based businesses

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Home-based businesses have had a place in American culture from the beginning. The farmer, the seamstress and the writer have traditionally worked at home, according to Cathy Evans, a member of Home Based Businesses of the Ozarks.|ret||ret||tab|

HBBO is an organization formed in 1994 to provide support, networking and educational programs for people working at home and those considering the move.|ret||ret||tab|

The directors of the 35-member organization, Ron Shawgo and his wife, Lin, have experience with both storefront and home-based operations in the 18 years they've been in the stained glass business.|ret||ret||tab|

The Shawgos had a shop in Branson, then moved the business to their home in Nixa, where they set up a studio shop. Although they outgrew the home studio and had to go back into a commercial building, the couple continues to support the organization and help others get started.|ret||ret||tab|

Today, many professional consultants, such as engineers and tax specialists, are basing their businesses at home. A number of home-based service businesses, such as lawn care and carpet cleaning, have been around for a long time.|ret||ret||tab|

The number and diversity of home-based businesses is growing, said Evans, who owns Big Nose Creations with her husband, John.|ret||ret||tab|

Evans has been writing and producing videos for more than 20 years. Part of that time she worked for McDonnell-Douglas, producing training manuals and videos. Now she produces training films, infomercials and point-of-sale videos for a variety of businesses and institutions on a free-lance basis.|ret||ret||tab|

"I'm like the ultimate temporary," she said. "The company gets the skilled service without adding me to the payroll."|ret||ret||tab|

In 1996, Cathy and John Evans began a second business, making jewelry. They started with beads and worked up to wire wrapped stones and metal fabrications in silver and gold.|ret||ret||tab|

Freedom of choice is an attractive aspect of home-based business for more and more people, Cathy Evans said. Without anyone to set the boundaries, the sky is the limit, she added.|ret||ret||tab|

Evans said she believes part of the reason for the growth of home-based businesses is people who have completed their primary careers and are working on second, post-retirement careers, often spin-offs of their former professions.|ret||ret||tab|

Bruce Helm started his home-based graphic design business 12 1/2 years ago when he moved back to Springfield after five years with a New York firm. He began to work as a free-lancer while looking for a job, and the free-lance business grew into a full-time, home-based occupation.|ret||ret||tab|

Helm stays busy with his established client base, and he often gets new clients through referrals. He said he enjoys the freedom to pick and choose who he works with.|ret||ret||tab|

Shawgo said most people who venture out on their own find their niche. He sees an ebb and flow of people on the home-based scene. In the best case scenario, people who start at home outgrow the confines of their homes and have to find a commercial location. |ret||ret||tab|

However, a number of service occupations are specifically suited to working at home in the one-person office or shop, and if the beginner can get through the start-up phase, he usually has it made, he added.|ret||ret||tab|

HBBO has all types of businesses in its membership, Shawgo said. Probably the largest segment is people who do accounting and tax preparation, but diverse occupations are represented. |ret||ret||tab|

One HBBO member makes doll furniture, one is a potter, one repairs wicker furniture and another remanufactures mailing machines for local offices.|ret||ret||tab|

Probably the most unusual specialist in the group is Teresa Gallup, who buys and refashions Japanese kimonos. Gallup travels to Japan to buy the kimonos, then converts them into her own creations. She sells the finished products at craft shows and by invitation at trunk shows held at local businesses.|ret||ret||tab|

Shawgo said the biggest challenge facing the home-based business is marketing. Without the storefront image to attract customers, the person is on his own to create a market. Usually operating on a shoestring, this can be an obstacle unless the entrepreneur has planned for marketing from the beginning.|ret||ret||tab|

The second biggest challenge is to find financing. The Small Business Development Center at Southwest Missouri State University has been helpful on both of these issues, Shawgo said.|ret||ret||tab|

HBBO and its members address these two areas of concern for newcomers, and meetings provide an opportunity to network with others who have made transitions from the corporate scene to the home, he added.|ret||ret||tab|

The next meeting of Home Based Businesses of the Ozarks is at 7 p.m. Jan. 11 at the Library Center, 4653 S. Campbell. The speaker will be Ellen Rohr, owner of Maxrohr, on "How to Triple Your Prices and Keep Your Customers." |ret||ret||tab|

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