So you know, roughly, what you want your home business to be. Before you go any further and start investing, though, you need to try it out. Heres how.
Build a Prototype.
If you plan to sell physical things, or youre going to do something like starting a website or making software, then you should build a prototype to see how your idea will work out. A prototype is a version of your product that is built quickly by you alone, and serves to show that your idea is feasible in the real world. If it would be too expensive to build the whole thing, then just building the new part that differentiates you from your competitors is good enough.
Show your prototype to a few people, to see what they think. Are they excited? Would they use it?
Get a Few Customers.
If your product is relatively low-value, or youre providing a service, then it shouldnt be too much trouble to get a few customers and do a few dry runs. Do them a generous discount (you could even do it for free), to make sure that everything runs smoothly and the customers are satisfied at the end of it.
For example, lets say you plan to be a landscape gardener from home. You could...