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Is
A Home Business For You? - Part One
by Connie Tucker, Star Design & Marketing
(892 wds.)
You hear so much about it—the home business! Sounds so exotic, so cool, so new millennium! You're unhappy at your current job, have a marketable skill, would love to be self-employed, and are considering taking the plunge into the unexplored (by you) territory of a home-based business.
Whoa! Better apply the brakes and proceed with caution. Running a home-based business might not be all you think it is. In fact, my friends Sherry and Mitch both told me that working at home turned out to be a much greater challenge than they ever thought it would be. Why?
Sherry told me, "I thought it would be a snap to take time off if I was my own boss. I found out the hard way that it takes much more prudent planning than just filling out your vacation request slip and turning it in to personnel!"
Mitch said, "One morning I woke up with a wicked stomach virus, but I had promised my client her project would be finished that day. What could I do but take some Pepto-Bismol and limp along all day? I was miserable."
All home-based businesses have one thing in common--you. You are the "end-all and be-all" of the business. If you're out sick, the business doesn't open. When you take a vacation, unless you plan carefully, the work piles up. You alone will do all the planning, the organization, the strategizing, the filing, and the record keeping.
Are you up to it? You say you wanted to be self-employed. A home-based business is self-employment, but it is so much more (or less, as the case may be!) I have been self-employed for years, both in-town and home-based. Although I prefer to be at home, I occasionally miss some of the aspects of in-town business.
My in-town business tended, for the most part, to have more regular hours. Sure, there were the occasional midnight-oil sessions and emergencies, but most days, I could close up by six. A home business is in your face 24/7/365, and unless you build in a rigid R&R policy and shut the office door before the six o'clock news comes on, you surely will spend more hours in the home office.
A home-based business can cause burnout more quickly than most jobs. And if you tend to be the workaholic type like me, you'll work more hours on average because the office is always there. My husband complains that all I need is one feeble excuse such as not liking the next show on TV, when upstairs and on-line I go! He's right, but I am trying to quit that, and grab a book instead. I know that if I start on work again after 8 p.m., I'll likely keep at it till midnight, and the next morning will not be a productive one.
On the other hand, Mitch loves having the office in his sights. "If I am grappling with a problem, when that solution comes, even in the middle of the night, I can dash to my desk and make good on it--on my own terms!"
If you are to be a successful home worker and you don't have any kids at home, you should be able to work for long periods of time alone. Now you might not think this is important, but believe me, this is one of the most common complaints among those who work at home. "I spend days and days staring at a computer that doesn't talk back," Sherry told me. "I had to set up a kind of lunch date with a friend who also works at home. We talk on the phone every day for fifteen minutes or so. It sure helps to have a sounding board and a good gripe session. My husband appreciates it, too. I don't pounce on him with my problems when he comes in the door every night."
Some home workers complain that they are not alone enough. If you have a family, you'll find they often compete for your time, even during the work day. Small children and a home-based business often don't mix, but I know many stay-at-home moms and dads who manage to pull it off. You need to set your own limits where family is concerned, perhaps swapping that after-school time for working after the little ones are in bed. If a child must stay home with the flu, hiring a babysitter to come in and care for him might make sense.
In Part Two of this article, I will talk about the issues of procrastination, motivation, record keeping, and organization in your home business.
(To Be Continued)
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This article is free to reprint as long as you:
• Print it in its entirety
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ctucker@stardesignonline.com
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HOW TO SET YOUR FREELANCE RATES - A GUIDE FOR FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTSThere are many factors which business owners must consider on a daily basis as it relates to the running of their business. Things such as how to find good help, where to acquire supplies and how much to pay one’s employees are all pertinent matters which must be addressed. There are a few ways to go about figuring out your rates when it comes to how much to charge the customers.
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