Enterprise Nation

Penny Power is the ultimate home-working entrepreneur. She founded Ecademy ten years ago whilst at home caring for her three young children and has never looked back! Ecademy was the UK’s first social business network and is now present in over 230 countries. In this feature, Penny offers advice on how to use social networking to start a business from home.

A world of opportunity

Having been immersed in the Small Business and Home Working world for over 11 years I’m very excited by the opportunities that come with this flexible way of working. It can, quite simply, change lives and enable families and individuals to become strong once more.

I am a family person, but I also have huge ambitions to create change to contribute and create a life for my children that they can enjoy, be educated well and have some rest time with their parents. My children are now 17, 15 and 11 and I’m thrilled to say that thanks to Social Networking and the people I’ve met and the technology I use, I have been able, with my husband Thomas, to be home most days for the school run and a cooked supper.

I believe the opportunity for the ‘worker’ to create a sustainable business from home has never been higher. The flexibility and creative thinking of people who work from home allows them to listen to what people need online and adapt to those needs. Just this week an Ecademy Member, Ces Loftus (Twitter Name @Ces_Creatively) has created a business out of designing Twitter backgrounds for people. For under £50.00 and in less than a day I received my new background for my Twitter profile. Until the day I saw her blogging about it on Ecademy I would never have thought I wanted it!

People still spend money, but you have to think about ‘what are they spending it on?’ and ‘How can I sell it through the trusted social business networks into my business ‘friends’.

Let’s dissect this a little. Ces has a network on Ecademy and on Twitter; she owns a Design Company and helps business people create a professional image. I saw a blog she wrote about Twitter background designs and asked her to do one for me. I then sent a link to my Twitter and Ecademy Network stating she had created a great design for me. That day I saw a vast number of comments on her Blog and people Tweeting about her. Massive visibility that created massive opportunity for her. At virtually zero cost and in a few written words online. 

The emergence of Business Social Networks allows business owners access to knowledge, advice, customers, suppliers, and marketing tools that enables any of us to punch above our weight. These new conditions create innovation and new ways of working. Having a client relationship no longer means focusing purely on what you can sell to them; good networking skills with a trusted network around you enables you to deliver a range of services and products to your client that previously you could not have sourced or trusted.

With time left over for family

Working from home was once seen as a small business minded, now it is seen as a brilliant way of keeping costs low and allowing the business owner to work within a global time span and stay connected at all times on the Internet. Using Global Business Social Networks keep us ‘plugged in’ when ever our life demands and allows it. Consider Ces and her family commitments, she can deliver this service 24/7 Globally, she has a global network and a highly tuned business model to serve it. Managing our family needs and our business needs is now achievable. Work can be done around our life rather than at fixed hours.

Make the most of it

It’s time to learn about how to use Social Media and Social Networks; there are conversations and opportunities all the time inside these communities, building a reputation that others respect and trust will provide advocates, sales leads and innovative ideas, unless you are part of this world you will never see them. The recession is a massive opportunity for home-workers and I hope you are taking advantage of these times.

• Penny Power is a published author and one of the UK's most successful female entrepreneurs.