Working at home can be all the wonderful things that
those people daydream about. Setting my own hours,
working at my own pace (project deadlines permitting),
running to the market at 1 o’clock on a Wednesday
afternoon when there’s nobody there---these are
just a few of the plusses of working at home. For
parents (whether it is the mom or dad, or both working
at home), being able to adjust their working schedule to
school schedules, being able to take the kids to the
orthodontist or to soccer practice, working at home is a
definite plus. For people who don’t work at home and who
want to work at home, it is probably hard to think
of even one minus. But the fact of the matter is, the
minuses do exist---in abundance.
It is not my
purpose here to ruin all your hopes or plans to
establish yourself as a work-at-homer. In fact, I do
encourage you to follow that dream and be
your own boss. However, I want you to take just a
few minutes to take stock of your situation and once
and for all decide if working at home really is in
your best interest.
First, and
obviously, you have to have a job skill that is
amenable to the at-home environment. If you trim
poodles on the weekend and think you can turn it into
a full-time at-home business, then look around. Do you
live in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor
and just do your neighbor’s poodle once a month (but
you do it really well)? Or do you live a
four-bedroom ranch house with a three-car garage that
can be made over into “Donna’s Clip Joint” and happen
to live in an urban neighborhood where everyone has
pets? And even if you do, what about all the permits
that you will need? Will you be able to pursue this
type of work at home, and do so legally?
The most
applicable work-at-home job skills involve the use of
a computer, the Internet, phone, fax, and other small
business/office machines. You can hardly drive from
home to the grocery store without seeing those signs
nailed to telephone poles: “Got a Computer? Earn up to
$2000 at home!” Of course, you can, but can
you?
For the sake of
argument, let’s presume then that you have a computer
and an assortment of small business machines, and that
you do indeed have some skill that you believe can be
marketed. Let’s focus on you for a minute: Are
you self-disciplined? Are you organized? Do you have
the proper workspace where you can work undisturbed?
Are you able to face a workday where you have no
supervision or guidance? Can you work at home, day
after day, without having the people contact that you
would typically find “on the job”? When you have
overlapping projects, will you be able to cope with
the necessary prioritizing so that you get the
time-critical job done on time without jeopardizing
the next job in line?
The list of
questions goes on. And this doesn’t begin to address
the “what ifs” that go hand-in-hand with working at
home. What if you don’t have any work this week? What
if work doesn’t come in the week after that? What if
you get sick and can’t finish a project on time? What
if your client doesn’t pay you on time? What if your
client doesn’t pay you at all?
Financial gurus
recommend that we all should have three months’ wages
tucked away in a “bail out” savings account so that in
case of illness or work stoppage, we can “bail out”
our sinking checking accounts and pay the bills, pay
the rent, buy groceries. Let’s face it, how many of us
really have three months’ salary bankrolled? Most of
us are lucky if we have one months’ salary in a demand
savings account that’s hooked to our checking account
that gets dipped into on a more regular basis than
we’d like to admit. If that is the case, then are you
really in a position where you can handle the
uncertainties of establishing and maintaining a
work-at-home business?
This isn’t to say
that even if all these things are true, that you
shouldn’t make the move to be your own boss and
work at home. I’m a perfect example. I did have the
fortunate circumstance that I had a husband working
full-time and earning “decent” money (not a fortune,
not more than enough, but “enough”). He believed in me
and gave me great support while I established my
business. It took me more than five years to get to
the point where I can count on having work just about
every day (based on a five-day, 50-week “normal”
annual work schedule). During that time, I had periods
when I didn’t work for five weeks or more (and even
still, my primary client goes through a month-long
“dry spell” while their organization holds its annual
meetings). It took me over three years just to finally
break the “one client” barrier (I now have five
“regular” clients). The point here is that I did it; I
built my own at-home business, and I now think of
myself as “successful.” I don’t earn a fortune, but I
“make a living at it.”
I don’t think that
anyone could ever honestly tell you that there is one
no-fail method of how to become your own boss and
establish a “successful” at-home business. The
variables are endless and there is no way to provide
you with a formula for how you go about setting
yourself up as an entrepreneur. In the end, becoming
successful and realizing your dream of working at home
depends on you, and you alone. You must have a
marketable skill; you need adequate workspace and
supporting equipment; you must have the personal
demeanor that lends itself to this type of work
environment; and you must have confidence in yourself.
With these things,
you can be a success. You’ll be able to tell people,
“I work at home”…then stand back and watch them
daydream.
Jan K., The
Proofer is freelance proofreader and copyeditor. Visit
http://www.janktheproofer.com for more information
about Jan’s services;
http://work-at-home.janktheproofer.com for work at
home articles and free printables; and for work at
home moms, visit Jan’s sister site
http://work-at-home.momsbreak.com for articles,
free printables, and work at home T-shirts and other
fun products.
© Copyright 2004 All rights reserved.
If you are looking for more information about working
at home, I recommend you read “FAQ:
The Reality of Working at Home”
written by Kimberly Hargis
http://businessside.janktheproofer.com/Factworkingathome.htm.
She gives you the benefit of her many years of
searching for “honest” at-home work in a
question-and-answer format. |
Free for PowerPoint