 |
|
ab |
|
|
|
|
Is A Home
Business For You? | |
 |
|
If you are single, can you
survive the loneliness of working at home? If
you have a family, can you manage
the home chores, the kids and the business as well? Many moms and dads have
proven that it can be done.
But do you have what it takes
to thrive in a home-based business?
by
Lyve Alexis Pleshette
PowerHomebiz.com Staff Writer
| |
 |
|
|
Do you have what it takes to work on a business from your home? The truth
is, not everyone is cut out to work from home. It is not as easy as a walk
in the park, as some perceive it to be or some people may tell you about.
(article continued below ...)
Working from home may succeed for many people, but many others find it a
hair-pulling experience. They are stumped with the very idea that they will
work alone in their basement facing their computer or
working tables for most part of the day. Yes, there s no boss to tell them what
to do and how to do a task. but for those who are used to being told what to
do, this situation will take them nowhere. Worse, there s no one else to talk to,
other than
the family members and maybe, the cat or the dog.
To make the process of starting and nurturing a business from your home a
success, you must have the right inner workings for it. Even with a
fool-proof business plan, you need to have the proper mental attitude to be
able to work successfully from home. Otherwise, you may be better off
allocating capital to rent a proper office downtown, or go back to your
previous job as a salaried employee.
How do you maintain your sanity while working from home? Below are five
traits you need to survive a home-based business:
You must be able to focus on your objectives.
As a start-up entrepreneur, it is so easy to be pulled in to many
directions. However, you need to have the ability to focus your efforts on
clearly defined objectives and stay on
course despite constant distractions.
Having a clear focus allows you to schedule each day with activities
designed to achieve your goals. Whether the task at hand is to secure a
meeting with a potential investor or request for reciprocal links for your
web site, you wake up each morning driven to reach your business objectives.
Focusing on your objectives also entails identifying and exploiting
significant opportunities, the pursuit of which is the very heart of
entrepreneurship. Successful entrepreneurs have the uncanny knack to see
things in the marketplace that others don't and build viable businesses
around that recognition.
You must be capable of remaining optimistic at all times.
Entrepreneurs
who succeed are those who worked to build their businesses despite a
plethora of obstacles. Why do they do it? Because they're driven! Driven by
passion, opportunity and optimism.
You need to believe that the glass is always half full, even when it s
pretty much empty. You must be convinced that the future will be better than
the past and will improve upon the present. This optimism, this belief in
the possible, is a remarkably potent resource for overcoming obstacles.
I came across an interesting study that looks at the nature of
competition between optimistic entrepreneurs and their realistic
counterparts. Michael Manove in his empirical study Entrepreneurs, Optimism
and the Competitive Edge; (Boston
University and CEMFI, Spain: November 2000) found that optimistic
entrepreneurs (whom he calls unrealistic optimists ) may actually earn more
than their realistic counterparts. While unrealistic optimism in business
can lead to a misallocation of resources and a reduction in welfare, the
study finds that it can also stimulate savings and investments and provide
added incentives for hard work.
You must learn how to balance family, work and personal needs.
Let me
tell you a little secret: this is the hardest part of working from home. If
you are one of those who decided to work from home to be with your family,
you will sometimes find that it is nearly impossible to do work while
juggling with your family and personal life.
Writing out the words balance work with family is easy, but the reality
of it is not. I have a 19-month old toddler, and my work patterns
drastically changed on his arrival. I found that it is literally impossible
to make babies understand that they need to let their mommies or daddies
work. When I used to stay glued to my computer working the whole day, now I
have two cute tiny hands tugging and pulling me away from work and the computer. I can only
work when he sleeps or whenever he allows it. He is now the boss.
If you are faced with a situation similar to mine, you need to be
prepared to sacrifice your own sleep in order to get work done. Or make
arrangements for someone to take care of your children, whether a babysitter
or daycare. Real life is not a switch that you can turn on and off for the
convenience of your business, and you must make a lot of effort to be able
to work on your business while meeting the demands of your family.
You need to be proactive in managing time.
Discipline is an important
ingredient if you want to make it big as a home-based entrepreneur, and part
of discipline is effectively managing your time. In spite of interruptions
in your home (children, laundry, cooking, etc.), you must find time to work
productively. It is important that you are able to stick to your guns and
stay on track, despite temptations to take a longer nap, go to the mall, or
watch TV. Disruptions are inevitable in a home-based environment, but how
you control those events will spell the success of your business.
Get into the habit of writing your to-do list using a system that works
for you.
A daily planner where I jot my To-Do list is an essential tool for
me. Knowing what I need to accomplish for the day helps me make the most of
my work hours.
You can put a white board in your work area where you list down the
things that needs to be done for the day. A big calendar with enough space
might also do the trick. PDAs, high-tech cell-phones, or computer programs
are also neat tools that can help you organize and prioritize your day.
Once you have your list, prioritize your activities for the day according
to their importance. You can do this the night before or in early morning,
whichever works for you. Then tackle your to-do list from the most important
to the least important. Even if you are unable to complete everything in
your to-do list, you are able to get the most important tasks out of the
way. That is the key is to working smarter, if not necessarily harder.
Flexibility, however, is also important. There will be days when your
child s babysitter may not be able to come, or your son s baseball game got
extended. During those days when your time for work is cut, be sure to do
the most important tasks first.
You need to have a strong appetite for learning.
To succeed as a home
business entrepreneur, you must adopt a sponge-like attitude to learning.
Your enthusiasm and openness to learn new things, try out new ideas, and
finding better ways to do things are critical to the continued positive
development of
your business.
If you are starting a business from home, it is definite that you do
not have a management team to craft and hone your strategies. You will have
to rely on yourself to develop approaches that will work for your business,
carefully identify and reach your audiences or prospects, and manage the daily
responsibilities of running a business. Some of the tasks and challenges you
will face may be beyond what you know; some will even be over your head.
Even if you have no idea what to do, the phrase, "I can do it" must be part of your vocabulary.
To gain ideas and knowledge, you will need to research better, seek
mentors and ask the right people. Read more about your industry. Borrow
books on how successful entrepreneurs did it, and adopt the winning
strategies that are applicable to your business. Get inspired to do better
by networking with like-minded individuals.
About the Author:
Lyve Alexis Pleshette is a staff writer for PowerHomebiz.com.
March 30, 2004
|
| ab |
|
|
