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DeGrace says good multi-tasking skills are essential for home-business owners.<\/p>\nSustaining a business during the recession can be hard, but not everyone\u2019s feeling the effect, as the popularity of home-businesses grows in Ottawa.<\/p>\n
Entrepreneurial Moms International, a networking group that brings together working mothers, kicked off the new year with its Ottawa launch Jan. 20 at Lago Bar and Grill View. The event drew out more than 50 local women, who all currently run a home-business or plan to start one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile most people may get discouraged from starting a business when the economy is down, this mentally can actually help lessen the competition for the few who do take the chance,\u201d says Janet McCausland, co-director of EM Ottawa.<\/p>\n
The Internet and social networking have also transformed home-businesses by making it easy to keep in contact with customers, suppliers and competitors online, she says.<\/p>\n
Two main challenges of operating a home-business are time management and balancing work and familylife, but owners can get around that by setting boundaries and following them, says McCausland.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best time to market yourself. Never let a recession stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the best time to market yourself. Never let a recession stop you,\u201d says Janet McCausland, co-founder of Enterpreneurial Moms Ottawa.<\/p>\n
It appears many others share her theory, Statistics Canada\u2019s October 2009 Labour Force Survey\u00a0notes the number of self-employed workers increased 3.5 per cent to 2.7 million from August 2008 to August 2009.<\/p>\n
Necessity vs. opportunity<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething like a recession can spark a huge increase in necessity-based home-business because people are driven to create work if they\u2019re lost their job. Given benefits like flexible hours and low start-up costs, this can be an attractive solution,\u201d says Tyler Chamberlin, an associate professor at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, opportunity-based home-businesses, which capitalize on \u201cgreat new ideas,\u201d can be more limited in a low economy because consumers could be more cautious with disposable spending, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you play out the two different sides and see what dominates, you would actually notice that necessity-based entrepreneurship has a positive net impact on business creation,\u201d says Chamberlin.<\/p>\n
Statistics solely on home-businesses are unavailable, as many reports combine them with data for small and medium-sized businesses. Industry Canada defines small businesses as having fewer than 100 employees, while medium-sized businesses have 100 to 499 employees.<\/p>\n
Along with his full-time job at the university, Chamberlin has been running an information technology consulting service from his home for the past six years. He says that since his business operates on government requests, he has\u00a0seen no change in the number of contracts he receives.<\/p>\n
Relaxing during recession<\/p>\n
One entrepreneurial mother who attended the EM Ottawa launch is Amanda DeGrace, owner of DeGrace Energetics, a home-based lifestyle and wellness company.<\/p>\n
DeGrace says good multi-tasking skills are essential for home-business owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tend to come up with a lot of different business ideas so hopefully by joining this group, I\u2019ll be able to focus and hone in on what I want to do and be able to accomplish it,\u201d says DeGrace.<\/p>\n
DeGrace Energetics opened five years ago for health and fitness consultations and despite the economy, is currently expanding to include children\u2019s yoga lessons, and children\u2019s first-aid for parents and caregivers. While the business is directed from DeGrace\u2019s home, all training and workshops are conducted at community centres or individual sessions at the client\u2019s home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very lucky within my line of work. I haven\u2019t found any difficulty with the economy so far,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople are still looking for ways to improve their lifestyle, and especially in the recession, looking for ways to relax.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next step is to hire employees and contract out instructors, which will allow DeGrace Energetics to grow, she says.<\/p>\n
Taking care of business<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just mothers who are taking to home-businesses. In July 2008, the Ottawa Public Library extended its services to broaden its reach to the business community by hosting business start-up workshops and providing one-on-one business consultations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say there\u2019s a huge interest in home-businesses right now,\u201d says Jill Hawken, business outreach librarian at the Main library. \u201cThere\u2019s a high home-business community particularly in Barrhaven (a western suburb of Ottawa), probably due to the large number of new immigrants whose qualifications may not be recognized in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of Hawken\u2019s main projects is hosting the \u201cTaking Care of Business\u201d workshops, a two-part session that provides the rules, regulations and resources necessary when opening a new business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten terrific feedback at these workshops. At our \u2018how to start a business\u2019 program last July, we had 60 people come and the room\u2019s maximum capacity was 40. Most people who attend are very serious about setting something up,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be tough keeping a home-business running, but it depends on how well they are marketing and advertising themselves in that community.\u201d<\/p>\n