Creating a work from home business may be one of the best decisions that we ever make. We are the boss. We decide when to start and when to quit our work day. We spend more time with our loved ones. We know the benefits of an internet home business outweigh the drawbacks. In most cases, these statements are true. Unfortunately, there are hazards along the road to creating a work at home enterprise. Awareness of these perils will help prepare us for their arrival.
Everyone’s motivation for becoming a successful home business entrepreneur is different. Some of us want to give our family a better life style. Others want to earn more money. Whatever our motivation might be, there are distinct advantages for having a business at home:
1) You are closer to your loved ones.
2) You are creating your own business.
3) You are producing an opportunity for personal growth.
4) You are in charge.
5) You are in a position to increase your income.
6) You are taking control of your future.
The advantages for having a business at home are vast. But there are significant drawbacks that can limit our potential for work from home success. Just as the benefits can motivate us to succeed, the drawbacks will become barriers to our achievements.
Major obstacles that we will encounter are:
1) Working at home.
2) Learning self-discipline.
1) Working at home
One of the benefits for developing an online home based business can become a hazard. Distractions will come and they will arrive everyday. Friends or family will have emergencies and we will have to stop what we are doing and address the situation. Our children have dental appointments or soccer practice and guess who has joined the family shuttle service. We are at home so that makes us available.
The same home that was our respite from the pressures of everyday life has now become our work environment. We don’t need to go down to the office because our residence has developed into our business. We will be tempted to commit an extra hour here or an additional day there. The required breaks and lunch that were part of our regular job can be ignored because we want to accelerate the success of our internet business.
The temptation for working longer hours is inevitable. We want our home business to succeed so we choose to burn the midnight oil during the week and through the weekend. We convince ourselves that the quantity of our personal time will equal the quality of our internet business achievements. Working from home has given us the opportunity to devote more of ourselves for creating meaningful accomplishments. Suddenly, there will be a tap on our office door and a small voice will ask if we are almost done.
Unfortunately, we encounter this hurdle because we did not recognize the first hazard on the road to creating our home business.
2) Learning self-discipline
We believe that our lives reflect self-discipline when we work for someone else. They tell us when to be at work. They tell us what to do. They tell us when to take our breaks. They tell us when to go home. When we get home, we try to fulfill our duties with an organized approach. Unfortunately, we are unaware that our meaning of self-discipline is going to change.
The decision to create a work at home enterprise is based upon our business achievements and personal accomplishments. We believe that we can apply these experiences to the success of our online venture. We are unprepared for the adjustments that we need to make from being employed to self-employed. As we begin developing our internet business, we ignore the hazard that leads to lost time because of our desire for success. Suddenly, we hear the knock at the door.
Creating a home based enterprise will lead to confusion and frustration. We will get overwhelmed and lost. This is a new experience and it will take time and effort for our online venture to become successful. Self-discipline is like a flashlight in the darkness. It helps us get from Point A to Point B.
Organization is essential for self-discipline. Developing a work from home business requires a plan. A plan requires goals. Goals require a strategy. Strategy requires time. Time requires a schedule. A schedule requires a commitment. Create a daily, weekly and monthly schedule. This is the foundation for developing self-discipline. We must have the commitment and motivation to follow our plan. Our self-discipline will be as effective as the effort we make to creating, applying and adhering to our purpose.
Our desire for developing a home business is motivated by the benefits. Success is dependent upon our ability to overcome the obstacles. These hazards will come as we are creating our work from home venture. Awareness of these challenges will prepare us for the adjustments we need to make to create our online success.
“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”