Thursday, January 04, 2007

Homeworking trends 2007

Emma Jones over at Enterprise Nation has been peering into her always remarkably accurate crystal ball and come up with some predictions about which five key professional sectors are destined for unprecedented growth in 2007.

With more and more accountants, lawyers, graphic designers, website developers, marketing professionals and journalists considering leaving corporate employment to be their own boss at home, Emma predicts that more than 300 new professional service businesses will start from home each week in 2007; accounting for around 15% of the total number of new home business start-ups.

And with an astonishing 58% growth in the number of mobile hairdressers operating in 2006, Emma predicts that the number of home based, personal service companies, such as complementary therapists, party planners and wedding organisers will grow by 50% in 2007.

‘Food miles’ remain a hot topic in the news, with the average British Christmas dinner travelling 24,000 ‘food miles’ to get to the plate. Emma believes that the number of home businesses producing food or products from home will grow by 35% in 2007, as consumer demand for local and organic produce continues to outstrip supply.

More than 70,000 people in the UK are now making a living from eBay and thousands more are generating their income from trading online. Emma predicts that 2007 will be the Year that Second Life, the 3-D virtual world built and owned by its virtual residents makes it big in the UK and sites such as Lulu.com, the online publisher, and VCAM (viewer created ad message) will deliver a substantial income for entrepreneurial homeworkers.

Domestic energy is proving to be an interesting emerging market, showing strong signs of growth for 2007. When B&Q started selling domestic wind turbines in November, they became one of the retailers’ top selling products. Emma believes that as the debate about global warming continues, opportunities emerge to start businesses at home that tap into people’s growing awareness of the environment.

“Home working is gathering serious momentum in the UK and especially in the West Midlands region. With an estimated eight million people operating commercially from home offices in the UK the home has officially become the most popular location for business start-ups,” says Emma.

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