When I started my homebusiness over a year 1/2 ago, I never dreamed there would be so many factors to consider. Raising a family and conducting business from your home can sometimes feel like you’re working two full time jobs. Sometimes I literally feel like a juggler in the circus. It’s especially challenging if you don’t master the art of scheduling. If you don’t equip yourself with a good planner and effective time management, the house goes to hell, your child or children feel neglected and your business feels more like a hobby than an actual business. Working from home might appear to be an idyllic alternative to working outside the home, but the reality can often be quite different especially if there is no organized schedule in place. The clashes between work and family become more immediate, and there are everyday interruptions which make it hard to maintain a polished and professional work environment. Let’s face it, Corporate America does not include family related responsibilites in the job requirements.
Here are some quick tips to help you better manage your Family Time and Work Time.
Create a Daily Schedule (laundry, time with family, meals, work) . Stick to your schedule as best as you can; Decide what time you’re going to devote to training, what time you’re going to devote to working your business, and what time you’re going to spend with family and friends.
Set Boundaries: Give yourself permission to work without the guilt; Family Time is Family Time, Work is Work but understand that part of running a home business is the flexibility and that flexibility can sometimes be called to order.
Delegate a separate space for work: Maintaining professionalism when you’re working at home is critical. You don’t want the kids answering your business calls but by the same token, maybe set up a small desk for the little ones so they can still be involved as long as they understand and respect your work rules. Create a pleasant cheerful workspace by decorating it just like you would do if you had an outside office.
Let personal phone calls and emails go unanswered while you work. Take time before or after work to answer these. Make sure family members have a way to get in touch with you in case of an emergency though. Be certain friends and neighbors know that while you are home, you really are working and you can’t just stop to chat whenever they wish.
Set a time each day when you shut down business completely ( I confess that this one is my greatest challenge). Whatever comes up after office hours, deal with tomorrow.
Plan ahead. This is especially important to help you deal with the unexpected interruptions that occur. If the telephone company is coming tomorrow, you may have to adjust your schedule accordingly and if a family member suddenly becomes ill, you might lose a day of work time. Being a step ahead of where you need to be will only help.
Watch your eating habits and get up and stretch once in awhile. Definetly take breaks here and there and don’t forget to eat. That will give you just enough of a rest to recharge and get back to work feeling refreshed.
Most importantly remember WHY you wanted to work from home in the first place. Write “your why” on paper and keep it in front of you each day as you move forward in your business. That will only reinforce your goals, dreams and aspirations for you and your family’s future. Heck, and don’t forget the wonderful commute to work is only just a few feet away and one that you can make in your bathrobe and slippers.
Even more importantly than your why, make time with your kids part of your everyday routine.Whether it’s having breakfast with the kids, reading a book, or an hour spent helping your child with their homework. Children appreciate a routine, and scheduling regular time with your kids will help you avoid getting too consumed with the demands of your home-based business. You know the cliché about tomorrow and how disappointing it can be for a child when tomorrow never comes. Scheduling daily time with the kids will help you remember that your kids are just as important as your homebased business activities.
So remember, starting a homebusiness can be very exciting however you must realize that there are many factors that come into play. Not only do you have to consider the daily demands of your business but also the everyday demands of your family as well. This delicate balancing act of family and work will take some getting used to for sure but your ultimate goal is to of course make time for your family while you concurrently run a successful business from your home.
Here’s to your success!
Jessica J. Bogosian
Showing posts with label work at home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work at home. Show all posts
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
How to Choose the Right Homebased Business for You
Ok Guys, before you begin the long and gruelling task of searching for a home business and work from home opportunity, grab a pen and paper and let's determine whether YOU are a good candidate for the job. Check "yes" for each question below that describes your personality and work style. Answering "no" to more than 3 of these questions suggests that a home business may not be the best decision.
1. Are you a self starter or do you need to be disciplined and told what to do?
2. Can you make decisions on your own or do you always need the assistance of others?
3. Can you resist the temptation to play when you should be working?
4. Do you mind spending time alone?
5. Can you discipline yourself to perform unpleasant tasks that may be important to your business?
6. Is your family supportive of your decision to stay home?
7. Do you constantly need feedback from others to feel secure with your abilities?
These are some of the main questions to ask before attempting to search for the right work from home opportunity. Keep in mind that if you are coachable and trainable, you can learn the skills needed to be successful with a home business. However you must be willing to grow, change and develop yourself daily, monthly and yearly and learn the art of setting realistic goals. With that said, let's move on..
Everyone knows there are so many work from home opportunities and home based businesses out there today. There are so many factors to consider before you decide which one is the best fit for you. First of all, you need to think about what you actually want to do. What do you like?
What are your interests? Make a list of the things that you are knowledgeable about, things that you would like to learn more about and explore. Do you like meeting people face to face? Do you mind talking to people you don't know? Are you a phone person? Do you want to use the power of the Internet to work your business or would you rather work your business locally? Are you interested in a product based business or would you be more comfortable in a service based industry? I have always enjoyed helping people and making a difference in others lives which is why I chose a service based industry as opposed to a product based industry. If it is products that you're interested in, ask yourself who wants to market a product that can be found in the mall or a local store? You need to find a product that is of value to the consumer not something that can be conveniently bought at Walmart or Target. Ultimately, the product must be in demand and be able to stand on it's own but keep in mind that many of these companies want you to purchase a certain amount of products each month in order to keep moving your business forward. For me personally I did not want that burden upon me so I opted out of selling products.
Now there are alot of companies out there that will say all you have to do is sign up with them and people will magically come to your website and you'll wake up in the morning with hundreds of sales without doing anything. WRONG! There is no such thing and if anyone is pitching that line to you, it's by far a lie. There is no such thing as a get rich quick and if you still believe somewhere that you will find that then you need to stop reading this now.
Another factor to consider when choosing the right home business is Time. How much time do you have to work on your business each day/week? Are you going to start out supplementing your income or do you need to replace a job? Are you working the business with a spouse or friend? You need to give yourself ample time to learn the business and learn the skills needed to operate the business effectively. Don't expect to learn it overnight and don't compare yourself to others in your business who may be moving faster or slower. Each person is coming from a different background, education and skills so comparing yourself to others will do nothing but inhibit you from success.
My last and major point to consider when choosing the right home business is the investment. Ask yourself how much are you willing to invest? Remember that if you were to start a business from scratch you would need the tools to create and setup your business. There is no way around it. Whether you are creating baskets to sell or building custom bookcases, you need tools. Many businesses come with everything already in place such as the websites for online or offline marketing, back offices to maintain reports and accounting and training/support and conference calls.
Do your research guys! Most well established companies have conference calls that you can listen in on, daily pay and they have websites that you can read and online training/support as well as a main corporate office with a contact number. Also pay attention to the testimonials. Be sure that there are testimonies on both the service/product and the opportunity. You will find good and bad (if you don't, there is a problem) about every company. Even huge fortune five hundred companies like Walmart and Microsoft receive complaints and unhappy customers. There is no way we can make everyone happy. It's just not realistic. I try to stay away from some of the google reports such as ripoffreport and bbb.com only because you often times get people who have had a bad experience with an industry or they were not a good match for a particular company and they start talking bad and spreading rumors that are just not true. Throughout my experience in the home business industry, you do find many people with the "microwave" mentality who are looking to get rich fast and unfortunately when the reality sets in that you really have to work and put effort in, they feel disgruntled and disappointed so ultimately those websites in my opinion are not a good source for considering the right company for you.
Searching for a home business is an exhaustive task because there are so many things to consider but once you find a good match, do your research and dig as deep as you can. All of the time and effort that you put into the decision process will definitely pay off in the end so good luck with your Home business search and I hope you found these tips useful.
Best Wishes!
Jessica
1. Are you a self starter or do you need to be disciplined and told what to do?
2. Can you make decisions on your own or do you always need the assistance of others?
3. Can you resist the temptation to play when you should be working?
4. Do you mind spending time alone?
5. Can you discipline yourself to perform unpleasant tasks that may be important to your business?
6. Is your family supportive of your decision to stay home?
7. Do you constantly need feedback from others to feel secure with your abilities?
These are some of the main questions to ask before attempting to search for the right work from home opportunity. Keep in mind that if you are coachable and trainable, you can learn the skills needed to be successful with a home business. However you must be willing to grow, change and develop yourself daily, monthly and yearly and learn the art of setting realistic goals. With that said, let's move on..
Everyone knows there are so many work from home opportunities and home based businesses out there today. There are so many factors to consider before you decide which one is the best fit for you. First of all, you need to think about what you actually want to do. What do you like?
What are your interests? Make a list of the things that you are knowledgeable about, things that you would like to learn more about and explore. Do you like meeting people face to face? Do you mind talking to people you don't know? Are you a phone person? Do you want to use the power of the Internet to work your business or would you rather work your business locally? Are you interested in a product based business or would you be more comfortable in a service based industry? I have always enjoyed helping people and making a difference in others lives which is why I chose a service based industry as opposed to a product based industry. If it is products that you're interested in, ask yourself who wants to market a product that can be found in the mall or a local store? You need to find a product that is of value to the consumer not something that can be conveniently bought at Walmart or Target. Ultimately, the product must be in demand and be able to stand on it's own but keep in mind that many of these companies want you to purchase a certain amount of products each month in order to keep moving your business forward. For me personally I did not want that burden upon me so I opted out of selling products.
Now there are alot of companies out there that will say all you have to do is sign up with them and people will magically come to your website and you'll wake up in the morning with hundreds of sales without doing anything. WRONG! There is no such thing and if anyone is pitching that line to you, it's by far a lie. There is no such thing as a get rich quick and if you still believe somewhere that you will find that then you need to stop reading this now.
Another factor to consider when choosing the right home business is Time. How much time do you have to work on your business each day/week? Are you going to start out supplementing your income or do you need to replace a job? Are you working the business with a spouse or friend? You need to give yourself ample time to learn the business and learn the skills needed to operate the business effectively. Don't expect to learn it overnight and don't compare yourself to others in your business who may be moving faster or slower. Each person is coming from a different background, education and skills so comparing yourself to others will do nothing but inhibit you from success.
My last and major point to consider when choosing the right home business is the investment. Ask yourself how much are you willing to invest? Remember that if you were to start a business from scratch you would need the tools to create and setup your business. There is no way around it. Whether you are creating baskets to sell or building custom bookcases, you need tools. Many businesses come with everything already in place such as the websites for online or offline marketing, back offices to maintain reports and accounting and training/support and conference calls.
Do your research guys! Most well established companies have conference calls that you can listen in on, daily pay and they have websites that you can read and online training/support as well as a main corporate office with a contact number. Also pay attention to the testimonials. Be sure that there are testimonies on both the service/product and the opportunity. You will find good and bad (if you don't, there is a problem) about every company. Even huge fortune five hundred companies like Walmart and Microsoft receive complaints and unhappy customers. There is no way we can make everyone happy. It's just not realistic. I try to stay away from some of the google reports such as ripoffreport and bbb.com only because you often times get people who have had a bad experience with an industry or they were not a good match for a particular company and they start talking bad and spreading rumors that are just not true. Throughout my experience in the home business industry, you do find many people with the "microwave" mentality who are looking to get rich fast and unfortunately when the reality sets in that you really have to work and put effort in, they feel disgruntled and disappointed so ultimately those websites in my opinion are not a good source for considering the right company for you.
Searching for a home business is an exhaustive task because there are so many things to consider but once you find a good match, do your research and dig as deep as you can. All of the time and effort that you put into the decision process will definitely pay off in the end so good luck with your Home business search and I hope you found these tips useful.
Best Wishes!
Jessica
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