This article discusses the history of Home Based Businesses. It turns out that women played an instrumental part in starting home based business, since they wanted to stay at home and still support the family!
The concept of home based business, as opposed to the previous terminology of “cottage industry”, first appeared in 1978. The phrase was coined by Marion Behr, the originator of a study to find out what businesses women throughout America were carrying on in their homes.
The preview edition of Enterprising Women wrote about the search to gather information pertaining to home workers throughout the nation. Numerous magazines and organizations helped to disseminate information regarding the study. Ultimately 40,000 letters were received, many indicating the problems the respondents experienced while carrying on businesses from their homes. The problems were analyzed and confronted in two ways.
In 1980 the National Alliance of Homebased Businesswomen was founded to combat the isolation expressed by the respondents as well as to fight the laws which made conducting their businesses difficult.
Then Women Working Home: The Homebased Guide and Directory by Marion Behr and Wendy Lazar was published. It contained the stories of many women who ran home-based businesses throughout the country in many diverse fields, as well as information on business formation, conduct and compliance with the law. It sold 50,000 copies.
During this time many national magazines wrote about these issues. At the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986, one of the major resolutions was a recommendation favoring lifting restrictions on home-based business.
Numerous businesses, initially started as home based business, and have expanded to become significantly larger operations. Here are some examples of such businesses and people as:
- Apple Computer, started by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak from Steve’s garage
- Hewlett-Packard, whose original location is now a museum, the HP Garage
- James Avery Craftsman, Christian themed jewelry maker
- Genuine Scooters, Chicago motor scooter manufacturer
- Amigo Mobility International Inc, Michigan based mobility scooter manufacturer, founded by Allan R. Thieme
- Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, founded by Tony Chachere
- Rembrandt Group, South African tobacco conglomerate founded by Anton Rupert
- Koorong, Australian Christian bookstore chain
- Joel L. Malter, coin and antiquities dealer
- Robert A. Kleist and Gordon Barrus, inventors of the Line matrix printer
- Borland Software, California software company founded by Philippe Kahn
- John P. Moon, engineer working with magnetic materials iiNet, Australian internet service provider
- J. C. Bamford, UK digging equipment manufacturer started from a rented garage
- Amazon.com, internet retailer founded by Jeff Bezos
- Pyxism Travel Website founded by Lloyd Wilson, CEO and Dwayne Golden, President.
Please contact us to help set up your Home based Business!