Working at home sounds like just the answer, but there are questions that you should answer before you commit yourself to doing this. Those that succeed, love it! Think this through carefully and you could well end up with one of the people who enjoy the 'working at home' lifestyle.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kaye Dennan
Being a 'work at home mum' is a great lifestyle if you make it work. There are benefits all round as long as you realise what the difficulties are and can address them successfully.
How you overcome these difficulties will depend on your planning and the work hours you are intending to keep. When you have decided on your desired income level, you will need to analyse the amount of work you will need to do to achieve the results you want and then plan your week accordingly.
If you are going to work at a set hourly rate whilst working from home, doing something like medical invoicing, then you will easily be able to set up your hours of work. Then again, if you are going to build up a home based business you could find that you are going to have to put in many hours of work to get it up and running, never mind actually returning a profit.
Often one decides to work at home to get away from the 'rat race', and still want to earn the same income. This is possible but although you may get out of endless commuting by working at home, you should realise that you will still face other problems, and these need to be considered before you take yourself out of the workforce.
Managing work commitments at home and rear the children at the same time can take quite a lot of juggling of time and responsibilities. Then again, those who succeed at it, just love it!
17 Burning Questions For You To Answer:
Your own personal stamina. Your level of personal drive to overcome adversities. How much help you are going to get from your partner (if you have one). Your level of desired income. Will you mind working in your own company most of the time. How many hours work will be needed to achieve the desired result. Is there a market out there for the line of work that you are planning to do. Will you be able to do the required work without any extra help like babysitting, or indeed, if you need it, can you afford it. Have you researched to see if you can find suitable work in your area to suit your requirements. There will be many social calls and personal phone calls because you are home and how are you going to manage these. As much as you love this contact, it can cut into your day quite dramatically and add extra pressure. Do you need to purchase any equipment to work from home, and if so can you afford it. Are there extra skills that you need to learn to be able to run your business. If you do not have all the skills that are needed, and do not intend learning the particular skills yourself, have you got anyone in mind to do the work for you. Will it matter to you financially, if the first venture fails. Will it matter to you emotionally, if the first venture fails. If you spend time at home working when the family are there, will anyone resent the fact that they do not have your attention. Do you have the entrepreneurial skills to take the job into the future and not come to a stand still after the first month or two of excitement.
If you have considered the above situations and been happy with your answers, then you are fairly well on the right path to either work at home for someone else or, build up a small business from home.
The reality is that most problems can be overcome, but it is a matter of working through the problems as they arise. Face them head on as they appear and don't let them boil away underneath. There is nothing more destructive to a small business or project, than smouldering resentment or a massive argument, especially if you are at home on your own and have to deal with it.
Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.
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