Establishing your home based business can seem a daunting task. But it is such an important part business ownership that you may need to source outside help when preparing your business plan.

There is an abundance of resources available to help you, and a great many experts who can work with you to create a plan for a fee, but before you hand over cash to a business coach, accountant, lawyer etc, you should first consider paying a visit to your local Small Business Association (SBA).

SBA's are wonderful. They have a number of free services on offer and can give you advice and guidance. Many have courses you can take (for a fee) to get you started. Here in Australia we also have government funding that provides people access to business mentoring and small business management qualifications.

SBA's are independent of the federal government but usually linked to state government. They are dedicated to the development of small business sectors which is typically a portfolio of the state government.

Their work involves championing for small business, developing programs to meet the needs of small business owners and strengthening relationships between public and private sectors. In essence they help start, build and grow businesses.

Small businesses are critical to any countries economic strength and typically make up the bulk of "actually" businesses in operation. There are much fewer larger and corporate businesses in existence.

The SBA have specialists who are well trained in writing up and creating home business models. Successfully written home business models can mean the difference in making or breaking your business.

You can expect help in the following areas:

Planning: SBA provide assistance in creating your business plan which is a document that describes your business, its aims, strategies, target market and financial forecasts. It's the blueprint to your business's future.

Marketing: researching your market and creating a plan.

Insurance: Sourcing insurance options, arranging insurance and completing a risk assessment.

Intellectual Property (IP): This includes advice on patents, trademarks, registered designs, copyright and deciding on strategies to protect your IP.

Premises and site: Advice on locating your business at home (yes you do actually need to know what the laws are in your local area), leasing or buying a commercial property.

Taxation: Tax and your business structure, registering for tax, obligations, record keeping, deductions and concessions.
Many SBA's also have networking opportunities and hold workshops, presentations, seminars etc so you can get to know other business owners who are in the same position as you. This will help you to share knowledge and build connections.