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| General Home-Based Business Information |
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Home-based businesses are a growing part of the business sector – around 67% of small businesses are home-based.
A home-based business is a business which is run either at or from a residential site or building which the owner of the business uses as their main residence. The business owner may have allocated a part of their house or garage to be used as an office, workshop or consulting room, or they might work with clients on site, but run their business from home.
Starting your own business is a challenging and exciting venture which requires a lot of thorough research and planning to ensure its success. Starting a home-based business can have a number of additional challenges. For instance research on the home-based business sector has regularly identified the key issues for home-based businesses as maintaining a suitable work/home life balance, time management, isolation, inability to network, professional image and community perceptions.
Fortunately there is a great deal of support available to home-based business operators. It may also be reassuring to know that if you are operating in Nillumbik you are one of 2,000 home-based businesses in the Shire.
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
What is a home-based business?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) defines a home-based business as one that employs less than 20 persons and identifies two situations where a business could be considered home-based: where the business is operated from the home of one of the owners even though very little work may be conducted at home e.g. trades people such as plumbers, carpenters, electricians, etc; and where one of more of the operators usually works more hours at home than away from home.
This definition is a little misleading regarding to the size of most home-based businesses in Victoria which are in fact micro-businesses (businesses that employ less than 5 persons), and usually employ no more than one or two other people.
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What kind of businesses are in the Network/
What kind of businesses are run by home-based businesses?
The types of businesses run from home are incredibly diverse. For the most part they are service businesses and have a high usage of electronic technology. The Nillumbik HomeBiz Network members include: artists, graphic designers, financial planners, website designers, computer services, feng shui consultants, natural therapists, gift hampers, winemakers, counsellors, business support services, bookkeepers, and others. |
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Where do I find the required information for setting up a home-based business?
Setting up a business from home is very similar to setting up any other kind of business and there is a lot of information available to assist you.
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Where can I get help for my businesss?
There are a number of good business consultants around. As with selecting any other professional, be clear on what you want to achieve and what you expect the consultant to provide you with, prepare yourself a brief or a series of questions you need to ask them, then shop around. |
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How do I learn about the Council requirements?
Council requirements regarding home-based businesses are included under Particular Provision 52.11 in your local council’s planning scheme. Use this link to go to Nillumbik Shire Council’s Planning Scheme |
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http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/planningschemes/nillumbik/home.html
Download the Nillumbik Home Based Business Regulations... PDF |
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