| What It Means to Be Your Own Boss |
Telecommuting has become very popular with business owners who appreciate the need for less physical space and with workers who like making their own schedules and overseeing their own performances. Take heed, though, before you take the plunge into self-supervision.
Being your own boss has advantages, but there are drawbacks as well. I am both a working parent and a stay-at-home mom, depending on whom you ask. I wear many hats during the business day, all of them distinct and often involving people outside my professional circle.
I am a full-time writer?that's my job?but after 3 p.m. when my children come home from school I am also a chauffeur, adviser, mediator, tutor and the family's chief cook and bottle washer.
In between the aforementioned duties I continue to plug away at my computer, alternating written sentences with spoken words of praise or admonition, whatever the circumstances warrant.
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| Like Any Job, It Has Its Ups and Downs |
Like any job situation, whether it's running a business or telecommuting, working at home has its own unique ups and downs.
My friends who spend nine hours a day in a laboratory or office building rave about how lucky I am to be able to stay at home. Overall, I have to agree with them?conducting a telephone interview in my pajamas with actor Robert Davi was pretty cool.
These days, with so many people choosing to remain at home while their children are small, a plethora of home-based businesses have come into being.
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| At Least 29 Businesses Can Be Run From Home |
The Stay-At-Home Mom's Guide to Making Money from Home, written by home-based business guru Liz Folger, outlines 29 different businesses that can be run from the comfort of your own home. They range from those that require specialized education, such as law and architecture, to more accessible businesses like catering, word processing, and desktop publishing.
All developed out of the business owner's existing skills and interests. Folger features a crafts maker, quilter, childcare provider, tailor, herb gardener and pet sitter, among others. All these mothers identified their specific talents and used them as the foundations for successful businesses.
What matters most in building a home-based business is choosing something you love to do and that you do well. Because you are responsible for its success or failure and the consequences thereof, you must be willing to put your heart and soul (and at least a little money) into it or it won't survive.
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| Single-Mindedness and Dedication Are Essential |
The longer I work at home, closed up in my office cocoon, the more I realize that certain personality characteristics are essential if one is going to be successful.
Being one's own boss in any endeavor requires commitment, dedication and self-discipline. You have to be tough and not let yourself get away with anything. You have to know what has to be done and do it?no matter how loudly the television, refrigerator or other domestic appliances call to you. When it comes to your business you have to be single-minded. It's that simple. Also, you have to know when to say 'no' to the neighbors, teachers and relatives who think you are available just because you are in your house.
Exceptions to this rule are activities that fit into your overall plan. For example, one of the joys of having my own business is being able to participate in field trips with my daughter's class. I arrange my schedule so that I'm free during the requisite school hours and then spend a block of time working in the evening. Because my office is at home, it's easy to put in two or three hours while the kids are reading or doing homework, watching television or in bed.
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| Draw Up a List of Pros and Cons |
If you are contemplating beginning a home-based business, Folger suggests drawing up a list of pros and cons. If you're the boss you can give yourself a day off, but you're responsible for the business even if it means working on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday because something needs to get done. That's a commitment you must be willing to make.
Also, are you willing to give up paid vacations? Can your family budget accommodate payments that may be few and far between while your business gets rolling? You won't have to deal with difficult co-workers or supervisors, but you will have to deal with feelings of loneliness and isolation when you work on your own. Are you ready for that?
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| You, Too, Will Need a Business Plan |
When you've decided that starting a home-based business is the right career move for you, start working on a business plan. There is a lot more to making a business successful than choosing what you're going to do, telling your friends and family about it, and then waiting for the clients to knock on your door.
Get as much information as you can about your chosen business. Do market research. Find your niche. Consider the financial ramifications of your decision. Do you need capital to get started? What are your overhead and fixed expenses? What kind of equipment do you need?
By answering questions like these you are forced to examine your business idea and determine if you can implement it successfully. The library is full of books on how to write business plans, and checking one out should be your first order of business. The second should be to find a mentor, someone in the same field who can give you advice and support.
But the real key is: You have to be tough and not let yourself get away with anything.
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