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. |
