PROPOSAL FOR SUBMISSION

Research Topic

Our research topic is about the SoHo. SoHo stands for Small office/Home office. The businessman or the workers would select a small place, space or environment at home or somewhere else to set up their office and operate their business. It is a modern concept and it has become a trend as well. Some would call them as virtual office as they can’t live without technologies and internet. SoHo normally only involves few people (1 to 10 workers) as workers, so it always been categorized as small business or micro-enterprise. “THE Small Office/Home Office (SoHo) segment is slowly but surely, becoming a growing trend in the market, especially among those looking for flexibility in their daily working schedules. SoHo is the way to go.” (Mahalingam E., 2010)

Reason for Doing This Topic

We choose to do this topic because we think that this topic is going to be interesting and we totally did not know what “SOHO” means when we first met this term. So, we would like to introduce this modern concept to everyone and provide an overall view of SoHo. This report is going to discover the reason why people would go for SoHo, the advantages and disadvantages of SoHo, strategies of SoHo and the challenges that they faced.

As Soho has become more and more popular and millions of businessmen are starting to apply this modern concept to earn money, we would like to know something about it and maybe one day we could set up our own SoHo as well.

Research Objectives

Objectives of our topic (SoHo):

• To identify the benefits / advantages / reason for
• To have a better understanding of the process and strategies of SoHo
• To discover the issues / problems / challenges that SoHo faces

Report Outline

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Definition

1.2 Home Business Ideas

1.3 SoHo and B2B

2.0 Business Process of SoHo

2.1 Qualities needed for a home business

2.2 Process of setting up a SoHo

3.0 Reasons, Pros and Cons of SoHo

3.1 Reasons

3.2 Advantages

3.3 Disadvantages

4.0 Small Business Marketing Strategies

5.0 Challenges of SoHo & Recommendations

6.0 Conclusion

7.0 References

8.0 Appendix

Literature Review / Background

The history of SoHo started around at the 19^th century. Before the 19th century, and prior to the industrial revolution, almost all of the offices were either or both small offices and home offices. The advent of the personal computer in the mid 1990s, along with breakthroughs in voice and data communication, created opportunities for businesses to decentralize and allowed for a return to the trend of the small office concept. (Beck M., 2007) Near the end of 20th century and the starting of 21st century, this "Small or Home Office” “SOHO” term was used to classify an important of the business niche, and companies were getting interested in targeting the small businesses such as the SoHo or the SME to market their product. Professionals, consultants, real estate agents and surveyors are examples that mostly operating in such home offices.

Requirements and challenges of preservation solutions are also an issue that would be faced by the private users and SOHOs. They differ significantly from those in professional settings caused by different environments, skills, and objectives. The available tools and services, developed for professional settings,have to be adopted to meet the requirements of the SOHO users.(Strodl, Motlik, Stadler, Rauber, 2008)

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are basic tools that would help the company greatly and able to change the behavior of their business and their strategies also. To a large extent this divide seems to take shape along the lines of the sector and of the private characteristics of the self-employed owners. This contradicts the traditional economic and organisational studies approach regarding ICT implementation in companies, where the focus is on technological and organisational explanations. (Pierson)

A common difficulty that always occurs is the accession and integration to the communication technology. As SoHo could hardly survive without the technology so the technology is an important aspect for the operation of SoHo. Countries are digitally divided on the access and availability of such technologies. Even in developed countries, minority groups are disadvantaged in terms of technology use because of limited ability to utilize the emerging technologies or access to such technologies. (Beekhuyzen, Hellens, Siedle) Without any doubt, technologies are adopted by SME and SoHo, regardless of the nation and culture.

“Even though technology is becoming more pervasive, there are still more people in the world without access to technology than with. Many people that do have access to technology find the experiences of their interactions difficult, cumbersome and unhappy due to the complexity of such technology. Conversely, even though certain cultures may be somewhat resistant to change, technology can be an overwhelming force under certain sociological and economic conditions.” (Mejias, Shepherd, Vogel & Lazaneo, 1997).

Although SoHo is not as complicated as those huge companies, to keep the data safe and sounds is not easy too. In the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) arena there is equal responsibility to effectively protect data from intrusion and misuse as there is in the large company. The difference lays in capability, knowledge and cost effective nature by which we make this a functional part of reality. Secure your SoHo by due diligence and due care become self aware of the importance of information security in your small office home office. (Gosselin, 2006)

List Of References:

Journal Articles

1. Strodl S.,Motlik F., Stadler. K., Rauber A., 2008, Personal & SOHO Archiving, viewed 10 October 2010, http://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/~strodl/paper/fp077-strodl.pdf

This journal articles talks about the importance of the digital preservation for private users and the SoHos.

2. Gosselin C., 2006, SOHO: Cost Effective Techniques for Protecting Your Data, viewed 12 October 2010, http://www.infosecwriters.com/text_resources/pdf/SOHO_CGosselin.pdf

This journal articles mentioned the seriousness of protecting the data and also provided some skills to save cost.

3. Beekhuyzen J., Hellens L. v., Siedle M., 2005, Cultural Barriers in the Adoption of Emerging Technologies, viewed 14 October 2010, http://www.ucd.smartinternet.com.au/Documents/Cultural_Barriers.pdf

This journal article talks about the different culture from different places that will obstruct them from using the technologies.

Other references

4. Niall Roche, Advantages and Disadvantages Working From A Home Office, viewed 24 September 2010, http://ezinearticles.com/?Advantages-and-Disadvantages-Working-From-A-Home-Office&id=849368

5. South West Ireland Weblog, Reasons and Advantages for Becoming an Entrepreneur, viewed 24^th September 2010, http://sohosoloireland.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/reasons-and-advantages-for-becoming-an-entrepreneur/

6. Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, 1996, Can Small Office, Home Office (SOHO) Entrepreneurs Compete with Big Corporations on the Web?, viewed 7 October 2010, http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/compete.htm

7. SiddSingh, Setting Up a Small Office Home Office, HubPages, viewed 8 October 2010, http://hubpages.com/hub/Setting-Up-a-Small-Office-Home-Office

8. Uttara Manohar, Home Business Ideas, viewed 10 October 2010,
   http://www.buzzle.com/articles/home-business-ideas.html

9. Michal Laleye, Qualities Needed To Operate A Home Business, Buzzle.com, viewed 10 October 2010,
   http://www.buzzle.com/articles/qualities-needed-to-operate-a-home-business.html

10. Manila Oak, Small Business Marketing Strategies, Buzzle.com, viewed 10 October 2010,
    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/small-business-marketing-strategies.html

Its holidays!!!
Enjoy your holidays guys!!! ^^

For Discussions: Qualities Needed To Operate A Home Business

Not everyone is cut out to own their own business and work from home. While many would like to think they have what it takes to stay at home and make money, the harsh reality is that many people just are not cut out to be a business owner. Before handing in your hard hat or clipboard and walking out the door, anyone considering opening their own business will need to do some deep personal introspection and decide if they can actually be successful working at home.

It is nothing to be ashamed of if you have determined you are not cut out for working independently at home. There are many people working for others who are not capable of being a manager or those that have no desire to get into management. That is OK because every business absolutely needs people to work the front lines and if you are happy with your position, it should be considered your own personal success to have a job that you enjoy doing and know you do it well.

On the other hand, if you are serious about starting your own business at home, you will have to decide if you have the self-discipline, the dedication and desire to work at home and can deal with all of the distractions associated with working out of the house. When you sit at home everyday, you are probably going to spend most of the time alone and if you are the type of person that needs others around you, spending all day, every day working by yourself, chances are you will start looking for ways to mingle with others, usually at the expense of focusing on your business.

Besides, you need to realize up front that your income is not going to come in the form of a paycheck on a regular basis. Your livelihood is going to depend on how dedicated you are to the tasks that you assign yourself, based on the needs of your clients or customers. This truly puts you in the position of working more to earn more. If you choose to take too many days off, it will be reflected in your income as well as the number of past-due bills that arrive in your mailbox. If you are single and on your own, you are the only one affected by any decisions you make, however if you have a family they will benefit or suffer from your dedication to your business.

As a result, there will be no one looking over your shoulder and assigning any tasks for you to get done, nor will there be anyone handing you jobs that are needed. You will not only have to be dedicated to get any work completed on time, you will first have to hustle in the marketplace and find the work to do. This desire to have a lot of work and therefore a good income will have to be tempered by knowing your limitations. Taking more work than you can realistically get done on time can be just as bad as not finding any work.

Michal Laleye, Qualities Needed To Operate A Home Business, Buzzle.com, viewed 10 October 2010,
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/qualities-needed-to-operate-a-home-business.html

For Discussion: Home Business Ideas

Home business is the option for you if you are one of those people who would rather work from home and be their own boss. Venturing into the home business arena can be a truly rewarding and enriching experience if you are really passionate about your business.

Before Finalizing Your Home Business Idea

Working from home is an option for people who cannot work regular eight hour working shifts, cannot tolerate the lack of creative control over their own work, and find working from home a whole lost easier and convenient. Most of the times people who are very passionate about a particular thing or have a hobby that is close to their heart. Turning your hobby into your profession can be the simplest route to staring your very own home business. However you cannot just turn any hobby into a profession, you need to make sure how to turn that hobby into a viable business idea and tap a particular market segment with it.

Before finalizing your home business idea, make sure that you have studied and analyzed the idea carefully. It is advisable to carry out a SWOT analysis, which emphasizes on analyzing the home business idea under four categories namely, strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. It is better to evaluate your self, using this analysis technique so that you get a chance to optimally utilize your strength, overcome the weakness, utilize the opportunities and eliminate the threats for your home business idea.

Besides, make sure you have studied the market for your business and have a well-planned business strategy to make your home business idea successful. You also need to ensure that you have studied the economics of the business and have sufficient funds to get you started. Do not take hasty decisions and rush into any business without proper planning. It is also advised to start your business on a relatively smaller scale and keep on expanding as you succeed; this reduces the risks of sudden and huge loss in a home business which can occur if you make a hefty initial investment.

In case you decide to freelance your services, make sure you have a valid and credible person to whom you are providing your services. In case you are planning to start a home business that will require lot of space, make sure you have a spare room in your house which you can turn into your home office instead of turning your entire home into a messy workstation. Last but not the least, make sure that before starting a home business you have a complete idea of the financial, emotional as well as physical inputs that will be required out of you. Ask yourself whether you are really ready for it.

Here are some interesting home business idea:

Freelancing: Freelancing is working independently on contract basis be it any profession, writing, photography, designing, decorating or even event management. Freelancing gives you the satisfaction of working without bothering you with the time constraints so that you can work from home, on your own, at your own convenience and get paid for it as and when you accomplish assignments. There are a lot of freelancing opportunities available over the net as well. Freelancing has become a preferred mode of working due to the freedom it offers.

Cooking/Baking: People who love cooking can make a lot of profit by starting their very own catering business. Taking up contracts for cookies, appetizers, or whole meals, take-away is a wonderful idea to pursue the passion for cooking and also earn profits out of it. Catering for birthday parties, weddings and other special occasions can be a great idea. Also thinking on the lines of ‘dabbawallahs’ of India who provide nutritious meals to a majority of the working population, starting a regular food service for students / working people who cannot manage to cook everyday might be a great idea since you can offer healthy home cooked meals as an option to eating out everyday. This home based business can be a fulfilling experience if you are really passionate about the art of cooking and are ready to turn your home kitchen into your workstation!

Arts and Crafts: In case you love spending hours in arts and craft then turning your hobby into a full time home based business might not be a distant idea. Manufacturing customized arts and craft kits might be a great idea for a home-based business. Also think about manufacturing decorative craft accessories like origami kits, coloring books, might be a great idea.

Scrapbooking Business: Fast paced lifestyles often rob people of spending time to cherish and express gratitude for the wonderful memories in their lives. If you just love decorating and scrap booking, then taking assignments from people to create their very own memorabilia might be a truly rewarding home business idea. Using photographs, and other trinkets and snippets to create beautiful scrapbooks that you will enjoy creating and others will enjoy cherishing.

Event Planning: Being a party-planner, party decorator or a wedding planner can be a whole lot fun but also requires a lot of effort. If you have exceptional management and planning abilities with the right amount of creative outlook and the ability to understand a client’s needs, then this is the perfect home business idea for you. Planning birthday parties, weddings and other special events will require a lot of time, presence of mind, as well as the ability to handle the creative as well as financial aspects of the events assigned to you. Good communication skills are also a prerequisite for this home business idea, which you can pursue on contract basis.

As a conclusion, there are just some of the home business ideas that you can use. There are many more options that you can choose from staring from financial consultancy, real estate, beautician, tarot reading, cleaning agency, event planning, commercial artist, computer training, music or arts teacher, cartooning, cooking classes, cay care center, employment agency, marriage bureau, dating service, nutritional counseling and so on. The choices are abundant, all you need to do is to find the perfect idea that suits your inclination, gives you a sense of creative satisfaction, and earns you sufficient profits.

Uttara Manohar, Home Business Ideas, viewed 10 October 2010,
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/home-business-ideas.html

Outline

Brief Outline

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Definition

1.2 Home Business Ideas

2.0 Business Process of SoHo

2.1 Qualities needed for a home business

2.2 Process of setting up a SoHo

3.0 Reasons, Pros and Cons of SoHo

3.1 Reasons

3.2 Advantages

3.3 Disadvantages

4.0 Small Business Marketing Strategies

5.0 Challenges of SoHo & Recommendations

6.0 Conclusion

7.0 References

8.0 Appendix

For Discussion: Setting Up a Small Office Home Office (SoHo)

Setting Up a Small Office Home Office (SoHo)

As a trend, more and more people are starting a SoHo for their business. It may sounds easy but still it is a difficult one.

Let’s see what should we prepare to start a SoHo !

1. Create Space for Your Small Home Office

Allocate some separate space as your small office or home office, it would be the best way to get a separate room but some of them who are not able to get a room, might have to cull out some space from living room, bedroom, attic or even garage! It’s time to show your creativity on interior design. Haha… And don’t forget about those little but important using tools, such as filing cabinets, shelves, tray, containers and etc., an old adage to be kept in mind – a place for everything, and everything in its place.

2. Adopt a Professional Approach

A professional approach can helps to focus properly on the job at hand. Besides, creating an image of professionalism is more appropriate for the clients or customers to meet you if you are not doing an online business. Furthermore, family member should be supportive and be aware when you are working. This is a difficult issue especially if you have kids around that are uncontrollable.

3. Time Management

Time management is one of the most important issues in business, but it is more obvious for SoHo as you might have to manage the household chores also. There are two possibilities, either work as a workaholic or work inefficiently, the result of too much freedom.

4. Invest in Good Quality Home Office Furniture

Although this seems like not important at all but just think about it, how long are you going to work in there? The answer is a countless working hours. So it would be wise to make yourself work in comfort.

5. Invest in Suitable Small Office Home Computer Solutions

It is really impossible to work without computer. It should be a must to have a basic computer workstation as internet is a super powerful tool which helps a lot.

6. Invest in Essential Home Office Gadgets

Those essential gadgets would make your life easier. They help to enhance your efficiency and effectiveness which would save a lot of time for you.

7. Suitable Lighting

Suitable lighting for various purposes to protect your eyes and it would affect your feeling for the environment too.

8. Get Essential Office Supplies

Having a good relationship with these various knick knacks such as administrative supplies, computer peripherals, desk materials, filing options, business cards and other paper supplies might help to save some cost though.

9. Small Home Office Software

This sounds important? Yes, it is important indeed. Time, money and labor could be saved. Grow and promote your business better. What a big advantages for business.

10. Get a Small Business Website

Last but not least, it brings your business to the world. Without doubt, it widens the market of your business, more audience and potential clients and customers. Enable you to connect and communicate with your community directly and instantly.

Now, how to make your SoHo productive?

1. Have a Separate, Well Defined Workspace
2. Establish Set Hours of Work
3. Make Yourself Comfortable
4. Filter Out the Distractions
5. Keep all Your Work in the Office Space
6. Sufficient Storage
7. Get Adequate Equipment
8. Adequate Office Lighting
9. Don’t Forget The Social Aspect

Anymore suggestions for setting up a SOHO??

Reference:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Setting-Up-a-Small-Office-Home-Office

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Set-Up-a-Productive-Small-Office-at-Home

For Discussion: The challenges of Soho

For Discussion: The challenges of Soho

The Challenges of staying connected

Most of the time, people might think that we are working when we are in the office of the company’s building and we are free when we are out of the building. In fact, many types of occupations are not easy as that as they have more work load that are complicated, such as the professional services and etc. Take an example of Accountant, about half of all CPAs work in a home office or work full-time in a small office. According to a CPAs surveyed by the ALCPA’s CPA Insider™ E-newslatter staff on the growing SOHO trend, about 34% of CPAs reported toiling at least 20 hour per week in a home office or small office with 27% working exclusively in a SOHO office. The reasons for this are because it is convenience, time flexible, cost control and fewer interruptions.

However, about half (51%) of the CPAs identified “isolation from peers” would be the most challenging issue in working SOHO as they felt that it is more difficult when it comes to communication, building alliances, trust and camaraderie. Due to their profession, it is a personal responsibility and essential for them to stay connected and keeping current with all their responsibilities. They have to be connected with employers or employees, practitioners and clients, and also maintain their professional contacts by attending the professional meeting / conferences.

Compete with the Big Corporations on the web

Normally, when we search for something in the internet, those links which appear on the above are the sponsored link, which mean that it is an advertising that paid by the companies. Most of those links are belong to the big or huge companies and corporations as they are the one who can afford to advertise at the popular search engines, such as google, yahoo and etc, and also other high traffic sites. Besides, they also can afford to get those experts to help them design their websites and refresh their content frequently so that they could attract many more new people and maintain and keep them coming back.

Attracting customers to your web site

As a Soho, apparently, they did not have a physical shop or outlet, so they only way to connect and communicate with their customers is to go online. A website is essential. After the website has been set up but they found out that not many people are visiting their website. Less people discover their website will lead to cause of low sales and less profit.

Costs of running your business

The reason for most of them who choose to run a Soho is because of the cost saving. They do not need a large amount of money to set up their business. It also indicate a weakness in that reason, which is they did not have enough or extra money to run their business. Although Soho saved a lot of cost but it still has some hidden cost. For example, a software system that they needed for the online business is costly and the technology needs to be keeping current.

Time management

Time management is always an issue. It is more obvious in Soho as they would mix their private time and business time together easily. For example, a mother who wants to do business at home while taking care of her children, she might be too busy doing her business and pay less attention on her children or in the other way round. It might be to much freedom until they forget the time and somehow it may also affect their health if they are spend too much time in their office.

Reference

http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/330790/going_soho_the_challenges_of_staying_connected/index.html

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-article-a-80399-m-5-sc-49-small_business_owners_share_their_biggest_challenges-i

http://www.wilsonweb.com/articles/compete.htm