Home Based Business Seminar Producer

Adult education is always in demand — seminars, workshops, classes and conferences. If you can spot the trends, you can offer these topics at seminars. Or, you can produce seminars for corporations. You can establish a profitable home based business producing seminars.

You can teach the seminars or produce them. The producer solicits clients and matches them to the seminar. You do all the marketing and you arrange for the facility.

You have to contract with teachers who are the experts in the subject. The teachers have to make the seminar enjoyable and interesting to the participants. If the participants are satisfied, they will generate referrals for your programs.

This home based business requires a lot of marketing and attention to detail. There are factors like the weather that may interfere with attendance. Your teachers have to be paid.

You can sell audio tapes and/or transcripts of the seminar as an add-on to your business.

The cost to start this business is low. To be profitable, you need to research your subject and your target market. You have to test your idea to make sure it will be profitable.

What does it take for this business?

For this home based business, you need

• managerial and marketing skills.
• excellent oral and written communciation skills.
• to be up-to-date on topics of interest to adults.
• need to have excellent organizational skills.

What do I need to operate this business?

You should set up a separate space for your home based business office. You will need a computer and software to keep your seminars and presenters organized.

Basic Equipment and Supplies:

• Computer
• Printer
• Fax
• Business phone line
• Tape Recorder
• Transcription equipment
• Contact Management or Database software

You can review resources for this home based business here.

What services do I provide?

• Choose a topic of interest
• Identify a target market
• Conduct market research
• Test the market
• Price the seminar
• Select the presenter
• Select the facility
• Promote the seminar
• Arrange for recording of seminar, if selling tapes
• Arrange for preparation of seminar materials
• Conduct follow-up evaluation of seminar

What are my potential earnings?

$30,000 to $60,000 annually

How much do I charge for my services?

Seminar fees range from $125 to $500. The producer receives 25% to 40% of the fee. Expenses come out of the producer's payment. The speaker receives the agreed upon amount.

How do I bill for my services?

You can accept checks and credit cards from individual participants. You can also accept cash for on-site registration. You should make it clear in your promotional pieces how payment should be made. If you accept registration at the seminar, make sure you indicate cash or credit card.

If an organization is sending a group to your seminar, you can allow payment by purchase order. You may still want to collect prior to the seminar so you should invoice the company and indicate your payment terms. Remember to put all this information in your promotion materials.

How do I market my business?

Offline

• Send direct mail pieces.
• Purchase ad space in local/community newspapers.
• Follow-up direct mail pieces with a post card.
• Advertise your home based business in consumer magazines and trade publications.
• Call prospective businesses whose employees may benefit from the seminar.
• Issue a press release.
• Write an article on the topic for the local/community newspapers.
• Network with professional and community organizations.
• Teach a course on one of your topics at the local community college and/or adult education center.

Online

• Create an information Web site listing your seminar topics and the presenters.
• Include the presenter's bio on your Web site.
• Include streaming audio and/or video files of your seminars on your Web site.
• Participate in discussion forums and newsgroups related to your seminar topics.
• Issue an online press release.
• List your home based business Web site in online directories.
• Link your Web site to related businesses.
• Link your Web site to local Web sites in your community.
• List your Web site in directories that relate to your topic.
• Publish participant testimonials on your Web site.
• Write articles for online e-zines.

If you keep up with the current trends and hot topics, this may be the home based business for you. You can review resources for this home based business here.