Starting
any kind of business is tough. It takes a lot of time, dedication and
resources to make it work. But starting one from home has its own special
rough spots.
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We interviewed a number of home-based entrepreneurs and here are some of
the things that they consider the most difficult part of working at home:
You work around
the clock, 7 days a week.
Ria Jimenez, who makes and sells various craft products from her home,
thought that a home business would simply follow her corporate work
schedule. As she finds out, "One thing I learned from having my own
home business is that you will ALWAYS put in far more hours at work than you
would working for someone else! When I started my home business, I thought
that I would enjoy lots of free time only to find out that working at home
can be more hectic than working at a 9-to-5 job. When I was employed, I was
out of my employer's door as soon as the clock strikes five and any thoughts
about work are obliterated from my mind. With my own business, I think of my
business nonstop, and just can't seem to stay away from my work area."
Not being taken
seriously. Other people,
even your own family sometimes, may not think of your business as work. They
may even think that your business is not a real job. As a result, family
members and friends think you have lots of free time!
Ria Jimenez, a home based mom from Arlington, Virginia complains that,
"Husband likes to see the sales ringing up but still thinks it ain't
work, especially if he comes home and the house isn't as clean as he'll like
it to be. It hurts most when friends giggle and say "Oh, you're so
funny!" when I tell them I'm working."
Free time is
hard to come by. Ria also
finds that finding time for other endeavors may not be as easy as she
imagined. As she explains, "The first impression of working from home
is the thought of all the free time you'll have...NOT. My days fly by. I get
up early and go to bed late, with very little time for myself in between. I
had more free time when I worked for someone else because I had scheduled
work hours and days off. If you take days off from your business, you lose
money. 'You're home so can you do this for me' situation is an answering
machine and screening calls."
Separating the
work at home, and the work for home.
I've heard many home-based entrepreneurs complain that it is hard to combine
work and children (particularly newborns!). Balancing family duties with
home business can be tough: either your business or your family suffers.
Some find that their children are probably getting less quality time from
them than when they worked outside the home. And they started their home
businesses primarily to stay at home with their kids! If you plan to work at
your business full-time, you need to get some help to take care of the
children.
Doing
everything! You are your
own worker. Until you start making a decent amount of money (if you ever do)
you are your only employee and all the tedious tasks are your
responsibility. Bookkeeping and taxes, which are enough to make anyone's
head spin, will be part of your regular tasks.
Tammy Harrison, a PowerHomeBiz Guide and a work-at-home mom juggling
several marketing and web businesses, finds that the hardest part of working
at home is doing everything! As she explains, "I work non-stop, from
the minute I get up until I fall into the bed at night. I have four children
to care for, a husband to attend to, a business to run, a house to run and
piles of laundry everyday! I would probably do this anyways, whether I
worked from home or not, but when you are at home all of the time, it's very
difficult for me to feel accomplished unless I've done ALL of my jobs
well."
Balancing
full-time work with part-time business.
Bill Montgomery, who runs MakingProfit.com says, "One of the toughest
parts is the fact that I don't work in only one location. No, I take it on
the road. I work a (computer) graveyard shift job that allows me some extra
Internet time. Although I do have time to work a little, I cannot very well
come marching into work with a laptop under my arm. So, I think the hardest
part for me is bouncing data and email back and forth from site to
site."
The business
can run you! It's easy to
let your business run you rather than you running your business. Even if you
promise yourself that you're not going to let the business run YOU, but
you'll always fall right back into the twelve to fourteen hour workdays
sooner or later!
Plus, the business can easily take over your house, particularly if your
have inventory. Charlotte Fowkes, owner of Baby-Cakes.com found in the early
days of her business that inventory has occupied a significant portion of
her house. When she finally decided to open a retail store, she moved all
her inventory to the store and was able to reclaim a room for her daughter.
Noise,
distractions and interruptions.
Bill Montgomery also considers the distraction of the family as one of the
most difficult aspects of working from home. He says, "We only moved
into our house a little over a year ago, and I have yet to build an office
for myself. I work out of my bedroom, but considering we live in a ranch,
the noise can be stifling sometimes."
To control interruptions, Carol Halsey reminds others that "I am
running a serious business, not just a hobby. It is so necessary to explain
clearly that phone and personal contact from family and friends is not
acceptable during working hours, (whatever that time is for you), and also
what constitutes an emergency, when an interruption is allowed."
Dressing up and
gaining weight! Working in
your pajamas is seen as a positive, but after a while you start to miss
having a reason to get dressed. Plus, the lack of exercise and sunlight can
affect your physical well being. Terry Baker of Minnesota complains that,
"When I worked outside my home I engaged in physical activity on a
daily basis. Since I've started doing this home business, I've put on
weight."
Isolation from
other human beings.
Working at home, especially if you are transitioning from a corporate
environment, can require a lot of adjustments on your part.
Sean Lundgren of Sneetch.com felt shut in after a while of working from
his basement. "I am a very people-oriented person; very gregarious. So
I like to be around and involved with people constantly. I needed daily
interaction with people, and it was murder for me to be at home every day
and just call people on the phone and schedule things and never meet with
anybody. I was dying. When we can have meetings or lunch meetings with
people, I was like, "Hooray, we could get out of our house!"
It is not easy
money! Like any kind of
business, working at home can be very tough. You will need to work long and
hard for every dollar you make. You don't always wake up to see a hundred
orders filling up your email box. It can take months, even years before you
show a profit from your sales, and you need a substantial amount of money to
invest in your business up front.
The challenges of working at home are aplenty. Nonetheless, even with all
its drawbacks, working on the business and career that you love is probably
the best thing that you'll ever do in your life.
About the Author:
Isabel
Isidro for Power HomeBiz Guides.
Read her blog at
PowerHomeBiz Small
and Home Business Blog
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