Bi-Coastal Business Is it possible to be in two places at once? Maybe, if you're planning your own business.
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Q: I'd like to start ahomebased business that I can run from Tampa, Florida, and Astoria,Oregon, as I live in each city for six months each year. I havesecretarial, bookkeeping and resume experience. Should I stick withone of the above or try all three? And are these types ofbusinesses doable in both locations?
Name withheld
A: Secretarial, bookkeepingand resume-writing services are among the dozens of businesses thatcan be run long-distance. The Net makes it easy to communicate withclients. Even within the same city, people find doing business viathe Net is preferable to driving in traffic to meet or to deliverwork.
You can draw clients for any of these services through the Web,but it's easier and more natural to attract clients within thecommunities where you live and work. By establishing trustrelationships with clients during the six months you're livingin one city, you should have little difficulty demonstrating tothem that you can serve them during the rest of the year from yourother location.
Usually, marketing two or three different businesses dilutesyour effectiveness in the other ones, but in your case, why notmarket your three areas of interest together under one umbrella byusing the term "office support services"? This term maynot be as familiar as secretarial or bookkeeping, but it does havea professional association-the Association of Business SupportServices International Inc. (www.abssi.org).
Paul and Sarah Edwards' most recent book is TheEntrepreneurial Parent. Send them your start-up questions atwww.workingfromhome.com or e-mail entmag@entrepreneur.com.
