The Pitfalls and Possibilities of Working from Home

By Cheryl Henderson -

I've been working from home for over six years so I think I have a bit of experience when it comes to this subject – the ups and downs of educating and working under one roof. But I recently read a Wee-book entitled "The Pitfalls and Possibilities of Being a Work-at-Home Mom" that has really helped me to refocus on my own purpose of working from home. And the author, Carol Topp, was able to do all of this in just seven pages – excellent for homeschoolers who have lots of young ones running around. J

The point that really jumped out at me was the need for a simple business plan. When I started working from home I didn't take the time to setup a business plan, and that really caused me to stumble/bumble along for a long while. Although I knew what I was good at what services I wanted to offer, I didn't sit down and crunch the numbers, and amount of energy that it would take to be profitable. I've finally gotten a handle on it, but reading the simple steps that it takes to setup a good working business plan really made me see how silly I was to just forge ahead blind.

Another point that Carol prompted me to rethink was about my time management. Lately I've been feeling out of control in that department, but her simple (and realistic) suggestions has me rewriting the schooling/work plan. I have been in danger of burning myself out by trying to do "everything", but now I realize that I need to set true "work hours", turn on that answering machine and do what is truly important for me and my family. Her tips for getting the family onboard with my new schedule are also a godsend. So, this week will be one of reorganization and more communication with "my team" so that we can get start hitting more of our goals and having more fun.

For those people who are contemplating joining the party, Carol's balanced and practical advice is a good place to start before you make a decision one way or the other. Her explanation on the difference between work-at-home jobs and home-based businesses is dead on. I speak to many people who are totally confused on that subject. The distinction is an important one and she handles it masterfully. She also gives great examples of advertisements that anyone searching for legitimate work-at-home or work-from-home jobs should memorize. A lot of direct sales and network marketing distributors are using places like HotJobs and Monster to advertise their business opportunity. Unfortunately, many distributors do not place their ads under the proper classifications and this can be very confusing for those not in the know.

So, if you're thinking of starting your own business or are looking for employers who want work-at-home employees, I highly recommend picking this Wee-book at The Old Schoolhouse. You won't be sorry.

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