So You Want To Work From Home?

  Working from home is a very broad umbrella for a massive industry around the world. In 2004 the US Census reported 25 million businesses with no employees. That is, people like you and me working by, and for, ourselves, often from home. Surprisingly, this is greater than the 19 million firms with employees reported over the same time period.

What does working from home mean for you as an individual?

 People start their own business for so many different reasons.

These include:

• jobs for Mums at home after the children are born
• a desire to be your own boss
• a talent that can be marketed such as singing or design
• unemployment
• top-up income at the end of your working day.

The reasons for starting a business and working from home are probably as limitless as the types of businesses that exist.

So how do you decide what you want to do at home?

Carefully!

Your decision depends on:

• your circumstances
• your finances and resources,
• whether you want to earn short term cash to help you catch up with your debts
• or you want to fulfill a dream such as creating your own brand of children's clothing. What starts out as a small, one-person business could end up as a huge, publically listed company with your brand name on it.

What are the benefits of working from home?

 These are different for each of us, but common reasons include:

• creating passive or leveraged income
• making money while caring for your children at home
• freedom of time and finances
• escaping the corporate life
• less stress.

You will know why you are attracted to working from home, or starting your own home business. To be certain this is for you, especially if you are planning to build a business and create your own brand, it is very important to know your dream, set goals, and be sure that what you are planning is within your strengths and right for your personality.

If you are looking at your options, but still confused:

• Check out my my blog posts series Create YOUR Extraordinary Life starting with Create YOUR Life. In that section you will discover different ways to get to know yourself.
• Getting to know your personality can help you to discover what you are more attracted to.
• Learn more about your personality by taking one or more quizzes in What's my Type?.
• Download my FREE e.book by filling in the form on this page.
• Check out Steve Little to find out what your entrepreneurial strengths are.
• Look at the skills you already have.
• What are your hobbies?
• Have you had an experience that you feel strongly about, and want to get involved in i.e. a political or environmental issue, or family support group?
• Talk to a careers advisor or a friend who will be honest with you.
• Get a coach.
• Seek out a mentor.

How will you know when you have discovered what you are looking for?

You will:

• get excited
• energized
• start to make plans
• possibly get really scared about what you are going to take on!

I now use panic as a measure! The more I scare myself the more I know I am on the right direction.

Just the other day, I did an exercise with my coach and we looked at my life vision. I had said for years that I wanted to do a large project that was important to me, but I had never written a vision statement, or set down goals to achieve it. I realized that for the first time that I was starting to turn one large dream into reality, and it took my breath away.

It made me ask myself if I really wanted to do it. And the answer was a resounding “YES”.

Have a wonder-filled day.

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