Why Work From Home

The Family Decides

The main reasons for people choosing to start their own business working from home are; to be available to the children returning from school, to spend more time with your family, necessity due to unemployment or to find a better existence and exit the rat race. It is likely that you will choose the last option if you are financially sound.  I chose to work from home for the first three reasons and I am typical of the millions of mothers who opt to work from home to get both corners of the pie. It is not a piece of cake working from home and having to find how to make money as an affiliate; it takes commitment and dedication.

 

The  most important consideration in starting up your business is integrating your family into your plans.  You are doing this for the family, so Involving them will provide you with the strongest support network; encourage them to be pro-active and resourceful and let them know what this means to you.  Being honest about your reasons for wanting to work from home is important; children do understand the cause and effect concept if it is explained concisely and in a language they can understand.  They will feel that their opinions hold value and this will make them feel ‘grown up’ and worthwhile.

In order to set up and more, importantly, maintain your home-based business, it is essential that you set some firm ground rules.  Children respond well to boundaries and when defined, your children will assert themselves but will refrain from overstepping the mark.   Setting rules and maintaining their confidence is a delicate balancing act, but one that you will already have experience of, as a parent.  These rules should include:
 
Most importantly, refer to the business as the family business.  By referring to the business as ‘yours’ it isolates the children and prevents their integration into the big picture.
Agree on the objectives of your business, discuss what its success or failure will mean for the entire family and make children aware of the serious financial implications of failure.  Children are able to understand far more than adults give them credit for, and discussing why this should be prevented, in the correct context, will actually provide security for them.  Always let them know that ultimately, you are doing this for them.
 
Make a game of listing the benefits and pitfalls of a home-based business.  Children feel so important when they know that they have contributed to an adult concept.    Ask them to contribute their ideas on how you can make the business successful.
 
Try to establish which part of the day is most important for you to make those important phone calls, quiet time to write articles and brain draining researching your markets.  Explain that this requirement will not be set in stone and that sometimes there may be reasons why this will change, but tell them you will let them know if you need them to be quiet.  Use the 1,2,3 rule
‘No go zones’ – agree to setting zones and prepare a ‘zone plan’ so that there is no confusion over where the children can play, where they are able to make the most noise, where they can leave their tossed toys etc.
 
Explain the importance of having a schedule and why you must stick to it.  Putting a planner on the door of your ‘room come office’ will let the children know what you are doing and when.  Explain that you can set aside the very important time for them when you are not working.  Children thrive on routines.  It is important to let your children know that they can tell you when they are feeling neglected, that this may sometimes happen without malice, and that you will make time to listen to them. 
 
It is extremely important to let them know that you will always listen to them and they should voice any concerns because a problem shared is a problem halved.  In the event of an emergency the rules will be less enforceable, but discuss what an emergency might entail, and let them know you can always be interrupted.
 
Finding the right balance is not easy, but you must be consistent, stick to schedules and routines and most importantly, stick to the hours of work you have agreed.  Do not cut into work time randomly, as this will fudge the boundaries.  Make sure you keep to your invested time, your hours, and do not be tempted to work overtime because you can.  This will mean you reneging on your promise to set aside important time for the family.
 
Your family needs to integrate with your working day, so make them aware that you need to deal with business issues whilst at work, and will not appreciate interruptions regarding what type of steak you prefer for dinner, or whether you will be going to Jane’s picnic next weekend. 
Be patient if your children are finding it difficult to meet your expectations, particularly if they are younger.  If you are being interrupted by younger children, consider re-scheduling your day so that you work when your partner is available, or invest in childcare for one day a week or a couple of hours a day.  Only do this when your business is on its way and you are able to fund this time via the business, you don’t want to pay childcare costs from your family expenditure. It is so easy to become undisciplined, if you do, remember, you expect your children to follow your example.

Work is work, family is everything, so do everything you can to succeed, but always ensure that your family are included in your efforts, providing them with a run-down about your day will keep them interested and motivated about your success.
 
Your family is important, but so are you.  Without you there is no business, so take care of yourself and ask for support when necessary.  This will make your family feel valued and worthwhile.

Why Work From Home?

Before deciding to work from home, you must consider the pros and cons. The benefits of setting up a business from home are straightforward and the advantages seem endless.  If you want to know how to make money as an affiliate then read on; you can work from home and make money on the internet

• Travel costs will be reduced; commuting by train or driving to work is expensive as fuel and transport costs increase due to the financial crisis. Travel to and from work takes much time; more time to spend with the family
• Childcare costs for those that have childrfen will be negated; childcare is extremely expensive; some people find they are left with very little income after meeting these costs
• Save on daily living expenses; we are sometimes not aware of just how much our income is eaten into due to buying lunch each day;  we are sometimes unable to resist the temptations to have the odd cup of coffee or snack from the vending machine
• Clothing allowance is reduced as you don't have to be suited and booted for the office
• The family benefits from having you around at home more. Your partner will feel supported and research shows that home-based employment often helps the family to be a cohesive unit
• Doing 'your bit' to save the planet with reduced travel and less carbon emission effects on your body; health benefits.
• Tax incentives as a self-employed worker mean you won't be paying the same levels of tax 
• You will not have the constant pressure to perform at 110%, thus stress levels are reduced
• Flexible hours of work,  ability to work overtime to meet deadlines at your leisure
• Take holidays when you want, not having to fit in with the company's resources. Periods of sickness self-managed, no feeling guilty if sick from work.
• Management skills improved, learn to manage time, workloads and juggle family life and no requirement to be 'seen' in the office
• No competing against colleagues, no one to beat but yourself

These are all great reasons to start your own home-business, but what about the disadvantages? 

• Increased costs in household expenditure with systems running at home ie, utility bills
• Constant interruptions from the family
• Need to be disciplined not to become a slouch or start work later 
• Childcare might become an issue as you won't have these services on hand
• The tax system no longer benefits from you paying tax at high level. therefore a reduction for the Treasury 
• A need to take control of your time management and become time-disciplined, meeting targets and deadlines, this provides stress whilst learning to juggle work at home
• No support structure to ensure you are capturing everything; therefore increased responsibility 
• No more paid holiday or sickness, responsible for your payroll
• Responsible for the costs associated with setting up at home, maintenance of these systems and no resources to on such as computers, fax, printers, phone networks
• Danger of working day and night because you can.
• As decision-maker, not having colleagues to bounce ideas off. Having to succeed, this is personal and all at stake.

There are so many reasons why you should choose to work from home, and it is a good idea to involve the family when making this decision, especially if you have a large family.  Make sure that you take the family into consideration and ask the family to support your decision.

 You have thought of everything and now you can go ahead and start your business with the support of your family; I wish you good luck!