Working from home seems an ideal business. No need to fight the traffic, no need to dress up, no need to smile when you don’t feel like it and mainly, not having to have a boss that can be a real pain. At first glance a paradise on earth. However, remember Eve and the apple, there’s always a fly in the ointment. You, and only you, have the power and ability to, while not making your home business a paradise on earth, at least making it something you can do, live with, enjoy, and grow.
Things do not happen successfully without planning, effort, and work. When you decide to start a work from home Internet business, even though it may seem that you will have less planning to do, this is not the case. First, you home business will require some personal and professional strategies to begin on a solid foundation. When you are thinking about starting a work from home Internet business you will need to address these basic considerations before you start.
Complete knowledge of the Internet. You probably already know a lot about the Internet, but you will need to develop further skills in the area that you are going to specialize in. This means if you are going to produce e-books you will want to learn how to use at least one desktop publishing program. Many people produce e-books using programs that are not mean to be used for that purpose. While this is cheaper, it does not produce the quality product that your clients will expect you to produce for them. You will also want to learn how to structure research so that you can find information faster and not from the one or two sources that you may now use.
Network. When you are starting your business you will want to network with people both on the Internet and in your community. Your Internet business will be dependent on the number of contacts you make and maintain. Your contacts will either turn in to clients or recommend you to other people. When starting a business networking does not have to be expensive. In many cases those mass emails to potential customers and clients are not effective when analyzed against the cost of producing them. Also, if you are placed in someone’s spam box when an adver-email is received, you will not have another opportunity to talk to that person. It is important that you make personal contacts and do not think that more is better when developing your contact list.
Careful research. When you begin your work at home Internet business you will begin working with people from all over the world. If you do not get paid for a job you will not have the option of taking them to small claims court or retrieving the work you have sent them. Be sure that when you start your business you do not commit to a large job for someone that you are not familiar with. If you lose a few dollars on a small project you can count it as a lesson learned, put that individual or company on your “bad” list and move on. However, if you invest several weeks in a project and do not get paid for the job, you have lost valuable time that could have been used making money and cultivating real relationships with clients who you will value.
Pre-Arrange Payment. This is very important. Before taking on a project be sure that you have a pre-arranged method for payment. Most work at home businesses are paid through PayPal. With a large project, it is a good idea to get half of the payment up front with the last half paid on completion of the job. If a client does not want to invest half up front there is a good chance that they are not going to pay at all. You need to find this out before you start a project, not after you finish it.
Plan your projects. It is very important that you plan your projects so that you can complete them when they are due. It takes time to develop a reputation for quality and reliability, but it only takes one missed deadline to ruin that reputation. When you first start your work at home Internet business plan your projects carefully and include unexpected delays so that you do not miss deadlines. You will find that developing a good reputation for quality work and timeliness will be of more value than any other commodity that you offer in your business.
What to Consider Before Becoming a Work from Home Mom
I am very blessed to be a work from home mother who runs an online business and takes care of a toddler. Achieving my work from home goal took several years of hard work and sacrifice. It was a great feeling to leave an office job behind, and have a chance to raise my son while working from home. Before you consider becoming a work from home mom too, I will warn you of some common stress causes and daily chore issues that WAHMs (work from home moms) are faced with.
As a business owner and a professional I have worked from home since 2004 and I have included motherly duties into my work routine for 15 months now. Here is my work from home advice for all mothers who are considering taking that same leap;
Have A Family Sit Down To Discuss Ground Rules
Mommy is now staying at home but Mommy has a job to do. What this means for your entire family is that Mommy needs to have a schedule to work, when she is uninterrupted and the family needs to understand that Mommy being at home is not for play time or for going to the mall every day. A family meeting should be setup to discuss boundaries with children, as well as your spouse.
For children boundaries should include not entering Mom’s workspace by yelling, screaming or making too much noise. Mommy could be on the phone with a client and having kids making noise in the background would be unprofessional. Also, discuss what interruptions are acceptable such as emergencies.
For spouses boundaries should include respect for work from home mom. What this means is comments such as “But you are home all day”, should not be allowed. Mom is home, but she is working and taking care of work loads. Just because mom is at home it does not mean she can stop working to run to the post office or to run to the store to buy ketchup.
Discuss and Plan Any Family Budget Changes
Family budget can change if mommy starts to work from home. This can be caused by a different job assignment or by starting a home business. In some instances, money can be reduced or mom can be bringing in no money in the beginning. Explain to your family what budget changes can bring, such as no going out to eat or no purchases of new video games.
Dedicate Work Space In Your Home
An important factor to consider before becoming a work from home mom is creating a space dedicated only to mom’s job duties. This can be a home office, preferably with a door that can be shut for privacy and the ability to have uninterrupted work hours. If you do not have a home office, setup a desk in a quiet area of your home. This area should be off limits to kids, and no items on mom’s desk should be touched. If you have an area for a home office but no privacy door, consider purchasing a baby gate. This tells everyone that the area is off limits and they should not be entering without mom’s approval.
Have The Ability To Zone Out Distractions
Multitasking is a must for a work from home mom. You must have the ability to exchange e-mails while avoiding kid toys being thrown at you from every direction. In a home there is always a lot of noise and action, especially with kids being home with you. Concentrate on your work assignments and never deal with two job projects at once. Handle each project one at a time, and do not get easily distracted by dogs barking or husbands complaining about dinner.
Set Times For Home Chores and Work Duties
What is your work from home schedule like? A work from home job should have set hours, such as five hours in the morning and three at night after kids are in bed. Always delegate work hours, that way your family will know when mommy is working and should leave you alone during those hours. Home chores can be done during hours when mommy is “off work”. Grocery shopping for example should not be done at 3PM if your work hours are 8AM-5PM. Organizing a work and home chore schedule helps you but it also helps your family know when mommy is getting work done.
When Overwhelmed Speak Up
Before your big work change starts, the family should consent and be ready to pitch in with help. This means that your spouse should be ready to handle and reign in the kids if you are tired. It also means that your kids should know when not to bother you. You, as a work from home mom, should be ready to speak up and say when something is getting the best of you. Stress can follow from office work to work from home jobs, so be ready to communicate and delegate more. Also take a break and do some shopping. My personal shopping addiction, TOMS Shoes! I am usually offering at least one TOMS coupon code now too!
A work from home opportunity can be a joy for both mothers and kids, but balancing home chores and work loads at the same time can be overwhelming. Staying at home means having to do home chores such as dishes and laundry, as well as running errands like grocery shopping. At the same time, work from home mothers have to pull double duty by completing work assignments, projects and bringing an income into the household.
In closing, I do feel truly blessed for the opportunity to work from home. With these suggestions and family guidelines, working from home should be easier for mom and the family.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Teri,
Feel free to go to http://www.canadianfreelancing.com. It is a great information resource that can lead you in the right direction with starting a career online, without having to put any money into doing it. It might state that it is a Canadian website, but it is all US/Canada based information. You can also contact the company for assistance!
Hope this helps you.
Hello,
I’m wanting to do work from home because I can’t get out and work, but so afraid because I’ve read about scams and how companies want you to pay so much money up front, or you buy the products then put the projects together then if their company approves of the product you put together then they will pay you and reimburse you for the materials. I just don’t feel good about the work. I can’t afford to pay a lot of money to get a bunch of material sent to be to tell me how to set up my own business. I don’t want to really set up my own business, I just want to do stuff to earn some $$ and get paid, NO SCAMS!! Can you steer me in the right direction?