Being a Home-Based Business Owner - Whats Not to Love?
Being an entrepreneur and working from home has to be one of the most rewarding opportunities available to us.
What other business or organization would allow you to work in your slippers with curlers in your hair (or whiskers on your face!) while speaking with clients, negotiating contracts, or managing transactions?
How many jobs will afford you the opportunity to take a 15-minute break to get dinner on the stove or plant a flower garden?
None that I'm aware of.
Today was a workday for me. It was designated as record keeping, strategic planning, creative thinking, get-everything-in-order day.
Today I ...
- wrote several business articles - cleaned up my e-mail inbox - paid bills - updated my business expense spreadsheet - analyzed my monthly income statement - reviewed last month's activities and revisited strategies and goals for the month ahead - reviewed my client files to determine whether or not check-in e-mails were in order
I accomplished everything I set out to and more.
While working on the above tasks, I took several 15- minute breaks. During these breaks I ...
- did two loads of laundry - cleaned a bathroom - weeded one flower bed - raked a few dead leaves off the lawn - got supper started
When I need to get away from my desk for a while, I take little "breaks" that allow me to work on a small task around the house.
Sometimes, I just sit on my back deck with a glass of grape juice or water in my hand, and enjoy the warm sun as I watch the chipmunks; squirrels and foxes run around the yard.
It's a little piece of heaven.
I remember the days when I crawled out of bed in the morning, scraped an inch of ice off my windshield, and headed to work.
Parking is very expensive in our downtown core, so I would park in a lot a few blocks from my workplace to get a reduced rate. I would wear multiple layers of clothing, big mitts and a warm hat and scarf so I wouldn't freeze while walking (make that running!) to my office building.
It would be dark when I went to work and it would be dark when I left for home at the end of the day. I seldom saw the sun during the winter months.
By Friday evenings I would be dog-tired and not interested in any social interaction. I just wanted to sleep.
I spent my weekends doing laundry, cleaning house, and taking care of family commitments. Every Sunday evening I would feel sadness and anguish, knowing I was about to repeat the cycle again.
As I sat on my deck for a short while today enjoying the warm spring sun, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my business and I acknowledged myself for the long evening and weekend hours I dedicated myself to in order to build my business.
I worked hard. As a matter of fact, I still work hard, but it's different when it's something you love. Sometimes I put in really long days, and sometimes I slow the pace a little to maintain balance.
There were times when I didn't know if I could go on without burning out, but thankfully, I had a great peer group of coaches who were always there to back me up and cheer me on.
To me, the reward of having my own home-based business is the freedom to choose how I manage my time.
I have the freedom to be creative.
I have the freedom to plan my tasks as I see fit, and the only person I answer to when there is a setback, is myself.
I am the captain of my ship and although I run a tight one (I'm harder on myself than any boss ever was), I still consider it a never-ending victory cruise.
Building and growing a successful home-based business requires intense desire, steadfast dedication, a solid plan, sacrifice, quality products and services, specific skills, ongoing support, risk taking, and an unwavering belief in yourself and your dream.
Would I do it all over again given the choice? You bet!
As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand I would roll the clock back 20 years and start much earlier.
Being a home-based business owner is a rewarding dream and is worth every minute of effort needed to make it real.
Laurie Hayes is a Life Strategy/Small Business Coach and founder of Where the Heart Is Life Coaching.
Laurie specializes in assisting home-based business owners who face the challenges that come with working from home. She is the author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The Heart of Living."
To subscribe to her free newsletter and learn more about coaching, visit http://www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com
DAM Articles:
Starting Your Home Based Business On A Shoestring Budget
Whether seeking a supplemental income or a full-time income, many folks have undertaken the task to discover a viable home based business solution to meet their personal needs.For most folks who contemplate a home business, a low-cost or no-cost solution is not only nice, but also very necessary.
You Can Make Money With A Home Based Business
Would you like to make money by starting your own home-based business? People choose to work from home for several reasons including the desire to stay home with their children, the need for extra income, or simply being dissatisfied with their current job. A home-based business will provide you with an exciting way to make money and be your own boss. Numerous opportunities are available to internet marketers.
SEO Marketing and Optimisation Support a Must Have For Any Online Business
Its difficult to imagine life before search engine optimisation and management services were available. Online businesses found themselves struggling with marketing techniques that fell short of the standard required to gain the attention of that all important client.
Benefits Of A Home Based Business
Due to advancing technology, it is now easy to work outwith the office. For many looking at starting up their own business, working from home is a great option. It keeps your overhead costs down and means you are around for family. If this is you, then this article will explain the benefits of working from home rather than out of an office.
Manual Submission To Directories: One Of The Most Tedious Part Of Managing An Online Business
(but also one of the most crucial part)It is time consuming, and..
Helpful Hints For Starting A Home Based Business
If you?re planning on starting a home based business, this is the article for you! Try these techniques that have helped countless others on their paths to entrepreneurial freedom and reap the rewards of being your own boss!
Resources For Staying Current of IT Advancements For Online Business Owners
The internet and associated technology changes at a relatively fast pace. For anyone working in fields that make extensive use of IT technology, it is crucial to always stay one step ahead of the game.
Beat Google's Dampening Link Filter with SEO Articles
Most Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts agree
that links back to your site have a great impact on
your ranking in the major search engines. Think of it
like an election; your site is a candidate and every
link to your site is a vote.
The Essential 2007 Code Optimization Tutorial for SEO
Do you want to get the traffic you deserve flooding into your website? Code optimization is an essential component of the search engine optimization process and if you aren?t technically minded then it can be difficult to get your head round. This guide is meant for beginners and more advanced webmasters alike. A shallow knowledge of HTML coding is useful however it is not necessary. Optimizing your code can be done by simply opening your html document in a text editor and changing different parts as shown below. Follow these steps carefully and your code will become 100% search engine optimized are ready for promotion and link-building campaigns. The steps below assume you have chosen the keywords which you want to optimize the page code...
Online Business Brain Dump - Sell Content
Okay, I know this may sound crazy. Isn't the point of owning a business to make money? Of course it is!
New Hope for Domain Parking
Domain parking has had a bit of a bad reputation, and rightfully so. Most parked domains are setup with a domain registrar and they are the ones who end up making most of the income from clicks on your parked pages, that is, if your parked page gets any clicks at all. In truth, the domain registrars are likely only interested in making money from your domain name registration.
Online Business Podcasting Expo Jan 19-21, 2007 Offers Seminars For Overcoming Challenges for ADHD Entrepreneurs, Quickbook Training, Outlook Tips, Po
The Business Podcasting Expo is an Online Audio/Visual Business Conference with seminars including ADHD Challenges for Entrepreneurs, Quickbook Training, Outlook Tips, and Installing WordPress. The BizPodExpo also offers introductory classes on Podcasting, and how to increase your search engine ranking using this audio/video social media. There will be thousands of dollars worth of giveaways and prizes, and a Data DVD of all recorded seminars is included with full Admission. The event is sponsored by Co-Op World and PodcastDirectories4Sale.com
Seo: Radically Remade
I heard a radio advertisement the other day for a website that featured unique hand crafted items that interested me. I wanted for the website address, but when the website address took ten minutes and several backslashes, dashes and dots I gave up and figured why bother.
8 Steps Before Starting Your Home Based Business
So you?re thinking about starting a home based business. Before you start your home based business here are 8 steps to help you start successfully. Following these steps will put you ahead of your competition from the start.
Maximum Website Promotion through PPC Bid Management
Tools for Internet Marketing have been rising to popularity these days because of cost-effectiveness and the possibility of measuring increase in profits and sales.