Home-based businesses offer flexibility and opportunity for entrepreneurs 

By Victoria Mejicanos 
AFRO Staff Writer 
vmejicanos@afro.com 

A majority of today’s small businesses are no longer just operating from storefronts, but in people’s homes. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, about 50 percent of small businesses are run from home. Small businesses also make up 99 percent of businesses in the United States, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. 

For entrepreneurs like Ana Williams, owner of Exquisite Escapes, a travel agency, and Jeaniece Keen, the baker behind Niecey Cakes and Treats, building a business from home provides financial flexibility and creative freedom. However, it also requires discipline and the ability to navigate challenges that traditional businesses may not face. 

Both women told the AFRO that their businesses came out of passions and skills they already had. 

“Whenever I would travel with family and friends, I was always the one doing all the planning,” said Williams. This inspired her to pursue becoming a travel agent after retirement, which eventually led to her starting her own agency in 2025 after months of training and research the year prior. 

Keen grew up baking with her family, and eventually did it for friends and coworkers, who suggested she sell her desserts. What began as a passion has turned into a supplemental income. 

“It just became a thing that I did, and people wanted to pay me for doing cakes, so that’s how I started,” said Keen.

Keen shared that her long-term plan is for this business to be her main source of income, but the economy is what makes staying a home-based business more appealing. 

“I am trying to transition into a full-time situation, but the economy right now kind of hard to transition to just home income,” said Keen. “My long-term plan is to just have this as my one income.” 

Both Keen and Williams discussed the different systems and regulations that made it possible for them to turn a passion into a business. 

Williams works through a host agency, which provides her with logistical support that may have been difficult to navigate independently, especially as a newcomer to the hospitality industry. Williams says that the host agency not only handles the payments and marketing, but it also offers consistent training and resources.

For Keen, operating an at-home bakery is possible through Maryland’s cottage food laws, which allow certain food-based businesses to run out of residential kitchens with proper certifications.

“I have my business certification, and I have food service certification as well, so I don’t find any hindrance about it, and I like that Maryland lets you do it, because a lot of states there’s more regulations and more things that you have to put money towards,” said Keen. 

Although there is flexibility, an at-home business can quickly become challenging without clear boundaries, according to Williams. 

“Sometimes the difficulty is that you work too much because you’re right there, so you may spend hours in front of your computer,” said Williams. “Sometimes I find I’ll look up and it’ll be 10 o’clock at night and I’m still sitting there.” 

Keen echoed similar sentiments, saying space and time are two of her biggest limitations, especially when preparing for larger orders or local pop-up events. She also noted that while repeat customers help sustain her business, reaching new clients can sometimes be a challenge. 

“I have a lot of repeat customers,” said Keen. “Once they have my products, they usually always come back. So it’s just reaching out to the new people. That’s where the limitations come in for me.” 

Both of the women said that word of mouth is still the best way to gain and retain customers. Keen added that social media and in-person events also play a role in expanding her reach.

Overall, both women agreed that running a business from home requires the same level of commitment as a more traditional business and that discipline and confidence are needed. 

“You have to be disciplined,” said Williams. “A home-based business is like a regular business; you have to have the same commitment.” 

Keen echoed similar sentiments. 

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Keen said. “If you know your work is great and you can vouch for your work, sell that to people.”

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