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If you’re interested in starting a home-based business, now might be a perfect time. Since the pandemic, more people than ever before are setting up their businesses from home. Like starting any business, starting a business from home has its advantages, but there are many steps to take to position yourself for success. In this post, we'll walk you through some tips on what you need to launch a home business

One of the biggest benefits of working from home is that you have the freedom to design your workspace however you like. If you want colorful walls and loud music in your office, no one’s stopping you! So be yourself and customise your office environment to something you are most comfortable with. Some points to consider when setting up an office space are:

For some people, finding a place for their office is easy when they already have a spare room available in their house. However, some of us don’t have the luxury of space so be creative when you choose a location for your office setup. You can consider using your kitchen table as part of your office setup, or check unused corners of a room that could be converted for your workspace.

Really got no space in the house for an office setup? Consider trying a Cloffice! A Cloffice is basically a closet used as an office setup. Pictures of this cool idea had first been seen on Pinterest before it trended on Instagram with numerous #cloffice selfies. In short, setting up an office in your house is definitely possible even if you think there isn’t enough space, explore your options and make use of what you have! You can check out 

 If you want more cool ideas for home office setups.

Singapore has two government schemes implemented for home-based businesses operating from HDB flats:

HDB flats are the greatest places to set up home offices.

A one-time Home Office Permit is required.

The number of non-residents you can hire to work from your flat is capped at two.

You are required to register your business with 

Enables you to operate a small home business from your HDB flat.

Once you have organised your home office setup, you need to make sure that it’s equipped with everything you need for running your business.

Firstly, It’s important that you have a good internet connection. A major problem for many people working from home is their poor connection due to many household devices being connected to the same Wifi router at once. One tip to ensure strong wifi for work is to prioritise your internet traffic.

Use different frequency bands. Most routers use both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, and you can divide those bands into 2 different networks to join. Reserving the 5GHz band will result in a much better internet experience than when you share a band with your family or roommates. QOS, otherwise known as quality of service is how routers prioritise certain devices over others when it comes to Internet connectivity. 

 shows you how to prioritise your pc on your router in just a few steps.

 for more tips to boost your internet connection when working from home.

Secondly, consider what furniture and equipment you might need for your office workspace.

It is important that your home office is equipped with everything you need to carry out your work tasks. Include items that will increase productivity and offer a comfortable working atmosphere, such as a desk, a comfy chair, and some filing cabinets. It’s also important for you to have proper lighting and invest in a high-quality video camera so that you’re fully prepared for any online meetings or conferences.

To avoid having your company operations interrupted, be open with your family and/or roommates about your working hours and schedule. Create a routine and schedule the bulk of your work during the times when you are most productive. This minimises disruptions that could prevent you from finishing productive and creative work, by setting clear expectations with those who share space with you.

On your website, social media accounts, and in other interactions, let your clients and customers know what hours you are available. Tell them what to expect when you communicate with them after work hours. You might also think about setting up a time frame for your response such as within two business days.

If you take a look online at the top reasons that businesses fail, you’ll see reasons like “lack of funding, founder disagreements, no market need”. Here’s a hot take from yours truly - the top reason a business fails is that it never started.

Business plans are crucial and strategic. They give you clarity about what you need to do to succeed. Many out there will recommend you to do a SWOT analysis, a structured financial plan, and a long list of other tasks, as part of the business plan. But bearing in mind that the top reason a business fails is that it never started, it would be incredibly counter-productive if all your business plan did was build up inertia towards starting the actual business.

So here’s our suggestion! Have yourself 2 types of business plans.

The first is the one that helps you get started fast. It gives you clarity to take the first step. In this plan, answer the simplest questions. Who do I want to sell to, what would they pay for that I am able to sell, and where do they spend their time online so I can reach them? Answer these questions and get momentum on speaking with some of your potential customers as soon as possible. Prioritise getting in your first few sales to get practical knowledge of your market.

The second business plan is the more conventional one. This plan can help you to define longer-term objectives, and helps you discover weaknesses in your business idea. Let this plan be an evolving document that you build on the side using practical lessons you learn from serving real customers. Here are the steps to creating that business plan:

 - An introductory overview of your business.

- The vision, mission, core values, and scope of your business

 - What products and services you will offer and to whom they are catered for.

 - Find out your target audience and how you can build a competitive edge over others.

Conduct a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis looks at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What are the best things about your company? What are you not so good at? What market or industry shifts can you take advantage of and turn into opportunities? Are there external factors threatening your ability to succeed?

 - The majority of marketing plans provide details on four major aspects. Your business and the audience for your plan will determine how much information you include on each.

Price (How much do your products cost, and why have you made that decision?)

Product. (What are you selling and how do you differentiate it in the market?)

Promotion. (How will you get your products in front of your ideal customer?)

Place. (Where will you sell your products?)

 - A structured financial plan should include the following:

A business account helps you to safeguard your funds for a start-up. A business account enables you to maintain your business assets and spending apart from your personal funds, even if you are a sole proprietor running your own business. Additionally, it helps in managing your company's cash inflows and outflows, which is useful during tax season. Here are some points to consider when opening choosing a bank to open your business account.

Most banks demand an initial deposit when you start a business account. This amount may range from S$500 and S$30,000. Choose an account that does not require a huge initial deposit if your business has a small starting capital

Look for business accounts that don't demand a minimum balance in your bank account, such as the 

. This will be beneficial since it frees you up from having to lock up your money in the bank to maintain the minimum balance required and avoid paying a fall-below fee. Instead, you can concentrate on running your business effectively.

It is also important for you to consider the type of services and tools that come with your business account. Business online and mobile banking, a business debit card, and e-alerts are typical features that you can expect. For business owners, these services make it easier to keep track of transactions and payments made.

Here are the main banks you can consider opening a business account with:

6. Partner with the right delivery service

Deliveries are at the heart of operating a business. If your business is one that targets a niche community that is distributed across the world, you will need a reliable international shipping partner.

Many such businesses have difficulty getting packages to their customers due to shipping delays and inconveniences so it’s important that you find a delivery partner that offers efficient delivery services at affordable prices.

Unsure of where to find an efficient and reliable delivery partner? 

 offers hassle-free international shipping within 2-5 working days worldwide! Not only that, we ensure that your items will be carefully handled with 

 so you can have peace of mind knowing that your packages are in safe hands! Create a shipment with us now, and we’ll pick up your items from your doorstep the next weekday for free!

, you can contact us on Whatsapp: 91187971 or Gmail: hello@justship.sg!

Interested in starting a home-based business in Singapore? Here are 6 tips to help you get started.

6 Tips to Start a Home-Based Business in Singapore

E-Commerce has been growing tremendously over the past few years, especially accelerated by the pandemic as everyone had to buy their goods and items online. As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats. If you are planning to start a business in this digital age, E-Commerce is definitely one good way to go. Here are some of the steps you need to take to start an E-Commerce business in Singapore.

Before starting any business, you need to know the nature of the industry you’ll be entering. This means you should first do your research on the E-Commerce space and learn about the trends and happenings within the industry to help you find your niche and decide what kind of business you want to start.

Consider which markets are already competitive and which markets have room for expansion before coming up with ideas for your product. Think about the markets where you already have a following or a passion, then move forward from there.

After you have conducted your research and got a better understanding of the E-Commerce space, it’s time to decide what products or services you are going to sell.

Questions you should consider when choosing a product to sell are:

1. Is the interest in the product growing, stable or declining?

2. If you are going to sell a product, why will they buy it from you?

It is challenging to come up with new product ideas in the crowded market for goods nowadays. If you don’t have much of an idea of what product you want to sell, you can consider:

Currently, the top trending product categories in Singapore are:

Consumer Electronics (Top brands: Apple, Sony, Samsung)

Fashion and Beauty (Top brands: Nike, Chanel, Uniqlo)

Toys, DIY, and hobbies (Top brands: Lego, Nerf, Hasbro)

Personal Care(Top brands: Innisfree, Cetaphil, L’Oreal)

But why only limit your business within Singapore? With the growth of E-Commerce, consumers are searching for products from other countries for a wider variety of product choice, cost, and quality. This means that your target audience doesn’t just have to be within your own country but could be anywhere around the globe. You can consider tapping your business into the USA's market where there are plenty of opportunities for business expansion.

The top trending product categories in the USA:

Similar to Singapore, the top trending product categories in the USA are consumer electronics, Fashion and Beauty, and Personal Care. However, 

internationally shipping products to the USA

 or any other country can be a hassle. With a trustworthy 

, it will help minimize inconvenience and costs when shipping your products overseas!

Choosing a niche product to sell would be beneficial for you as it can help reduce competition and create many opportunities for growth. Most importantly, choose a product that you are passionate about. You can more effectively communicate your product's value and mission to the market if you are emotionally invested in it.

Another factor you should consider when choosing a product to sell is simplicity. Research on whether it is easy to source or produce the product. Is the 

? If you are a new business, you might want to start off simple with smaller and lighter products so that you save time, money, and effort!

3. Naming your business and choosing a logo.

After you have decided on the nature of your business, think of a name for it. The name of your business is important as it is an intangible asset that will add value to its brand. It will also be your main verbal marketing tool! You also want to ensure that you choose an effective brand name. You will know it’s effective when the brand name is distinct, memorable, and purposeful.

There are many types of naming methods for a business such as:

-        Explanatory (explaining a product or service)

When creating your brand logo, ensure that it:

Can be differentiated from your competition

When starting your E-Commerce business in Singapore, you will have to firstly register your business name with ACRA. You can check out 

Once you have registered your business, you then need to:

5. Choose platforms to sell your products

These brands listed are the main E-Commerce platforms that you can sell your products on. The advantages of running your business on existing E-Commerce platforms are that it saves cost, effort, and it helps give you a bigger outreach of customers. Furthermore, being part of an established online marketplace provides a level of trust between you and the buyer. A survey showed that businesses who sell their products on a marketplace make 38% more return on investment than those who just use their own website.

However, it can be highly competitive since there are dozens of other businesses present on these online platforms, so be unique and different from other businesses if you want to compete with them.

Another useful tip would be to use multiple platforms to sell your products. Selling via different marketplaces will help you reach more potential customers and gain more sales and revenue. Not only that, it will increase the credibility of your brand since it gives people the impression that your brand is popular and in demand!

If you want to create your own E-Commerce shop, you can consider the following:

Creating your own website comes with benefits such as having total control of your online shop with the freedom to personalize it however you want. However, the downside is you might not have many website visitors if your brand awareness is low. So be sure to have a strong marketing plan if you want to solely utilize your own E-Commerce website!

To market to your target customers and start bringing customers into your store, you'll need to develop a strategy. Using an omnichannel strategy and marketing through a number of offline and online sales channels is the greatest way to promote your business. The main marketing methods you should consider for your E-Commerce business are:

You can connect with and interact with potential customers on social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and even some of the more recent ones like TikTok. Through this, you can engage your audience with a solid social media strategy and the ability to provide interesting content.

The Google Ads program enables you to develop online advertisements to target audiences who are interested in the goods and services you provide. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, in which you are charged each time a visitor clicks on your ad, is the basis of the Google Ads platform.

In short, you pick specific keywords and place bids on them based on how much you're ready to pay for each click. Select keywords, which are certain words or phrases that appear frequently in searches for your product or service.

Your advertising will show up on search engine results pages when a person conducts an organic search using your keywords. This significantly raises your chances of drawing in new customers depending on the keywords and search terms people use to conduct a Google search.

Google advertising has a massive reach as Google's search engine handles approximately 2 trillion searches per year. That’s 5.6 billion searches per day! Hence, google advertising will help you gain a strong presence online and allow potential customers to find your products and services through a quick search on google.

Other marketing methods you can consider are:

It’s important to note that different products/services may have different target markets and require a unique marketing strategy to reach the right audience at the right place and at the right time. Hence, it’s crucial to identify your target market and choose your marketing channels based on your target audience’s behavior and how they operate across your digital touchpoints.

. A buyer persona helps you depict your ideal customers and tells you where your customers hang out online, so you know which channel reaches them better. It helps to ensure all the marketing efforts are tailored to the targeted buyer’s needs. When creating a buyer persona, make sure to know the following:

Wondering how to start an E-Commerce business? Here's a guide with all the steps you need to get started!

How to Start an E-Commerce Business in Singapore

Electrical machinery is one of the leading categories for exports in Singapore. In the year 2020, the product category ‘electrical machinery, equipment generated 132.2 billion USD which is 35% of Singapore’s total exports (worldstopexports.com, 2021).

 is a difficult and expensive process. If you 

with sea freight, it will take months before it arrives at its destination. Apart from the long shipping duration, the high cost of shipping electrical machinery to another country is also an obstacle that you will face when 

. The average weight of just one portable generator can easily go up to 113kg to 136kg which will already cost a lot to ship overseas. If you are an exporter that regularly ships electrical machinery internationally, the cost of shipping many machines will be too much.


For electrical machinery exporters who are planning on 

 or worldwide, do consider working with JustShip as we offer cheap and 

! Get your electrical machinery to its destination within just 4 days. We also offer professional packing services for items that need to be packed as well.

Electrical machinery shipping overseas is a difficult and expensive process. Here's why!

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Shipping Electrical Machinery Overseas

Related posts

6 Tips to Start a Home-Based Business in Singapore

How to Start an E-Commerce Business in Singapore