Working From Home -- Is It Worth It?

By Verona Raymond

Home-based businesses are cropping up everywhere you look. People have decided that being their own boss is the way to go. There are thousands of advertisements, junk mail, and email saying you should start your own home business today!

But should you really start your own home business? Should you be your own boss? What are the risks to operating your own home business? What are the rewards? How many people are successful at operating their own home business? How do I get started? Should I be answering all those ads that say I am missing the opportunity of a lifetime?

These are some of the questions you may be asking yourself every time you see an ad about starting a business from home. In this article, I will try to help you answer them

Let’s start with that first question, “Should I start my own home business?” The answer to that question is different for everyone. If you hate working nine to five and hate working to make other people rich, then owning your own business might be your answer.

If you have some business skill, it helps, however, you do not need to know more than the basics about running your own business. You have to keep several things in mind. Depending on the type of home business you will be operating, do you have the room for it at your house?

Do you have a separate space where you can do your work without the normal everyday distractions of being at home. The children, your spouse, the TV, the yard that needs mowing and other things are all distractions that can cut into your workday. Also, understand you will still have to work every day. That doesn’t change just because you now have a home business.

The bottom line is you need to plan before you make the move to owning your own home business. Make sure it is what you really want and that you are ready to do what it takes to be a success.

The second question is much like the first, “Do I really want to be my own boss?” If you are self-motivated, if you are the type of person who learns fast. if you are a confident type of person, then the answer is yes. If you lack those qualities, then your answer may be no.

Again, that question is something only you can decide and it also depends on the type of business you choose to run. If it is a service oriented business you might have an easier time than with a sales-based home business if you are not the outgoing confident type of person.

Self-motivation is the one quality you can’t do without if you plan to start your own business, whether it will be a home-based business or something else. You will be the one that has to get you out of bed every day and you will be the one that has to tell you to get to work.

What are the risks to operating your own home business? They are several. You should not start your own home business right AFTER quitting your day job. Until your home business starts making money, you are likely going to have to keep your current job while building your home business.

Again, though, the risks are greater for some people than for others. What are your finances? How much is your monthly overhead? Is your income already stretched to the limits? A single person has a head start. A spouse who is not already working also has an advantage over the main breadwinner in starting a home business.

If you are currently working part-time and it costs you almost as much to go to work as you are making, then you may as well take a shot at owning your own business. It isn’t likely to be worse than continuing to pursue a dead-end job.

What are the rewards? The rewards of owning your own home business are many. If you have a family, even though you still have to work, knowing you are home and close by is a comfort to them. Not having to commute back and forth to work is another plus. The gas and vehicle maintenance you save should be considered your first profits in your new home business.

The freedom of being your own boss is another reward. Knowing that it is you who will be making the decisions, who will be responsible for it’s success, and that it is you who decides everything is reward in itself. Too many times when working for others, we see a better way to do things, but no one listens and you don’t have the power to make it happen. In your own home business, you will be making those decisions.

The money is the other reward. Why I say, “other”, is that it isn’t as important as the others. Of course you want your business to be successful and it has to make money to be a success, however, if money is your only motivation, I would still say you have less chance of succeeding then many others who are not solely money-motivated.

Choose something you truly like or love to do for your home business. Do it because it is what you want to do. Don’t choose the type of home business with the amount of income it will generate as the only or most important factor to consider.

If you choose something you love to do, it will be easier to motivate yourself and you will obviously enjoy it so much more. When you combine that with the other rewards, such as being close to your family, then the money becomes secondary. At the very same time, you will also find that is the path to making more money. Because you chose something you like to do, you worked harder at it, and now you are making more money. That is how it works.

The last question is, “How many people succeed in their own home business?” My answer is, “Exactly the same number of people who chose to do something they enjoy.”

I hope this article has helped answer some questions you may have had about starting your own home business. I enjoy what I do and really hope that if nothing else, you remember to choose something you enjoy.

Verona Raymond

"Living Life with God’s Purpose in Mind"

Verona maintains Christian websites, and work at home websites filled with expert articles and tips for home business opportunities and more. She currently enjoys writing her own articles available for publication.
http://workathome.christianrhapsody.com
http://christianarticles.christianrhapsody.com
http://christianrhapsodyblog.blogspot.com

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Start A Home Based Business Online: The Beginning Stages

By Chris Monato

Thinking about starting a home based business online? There are many things to consider and think about when starting a home based business online. In this article we’ll take a look at some of those things and some steps you can take to make sure that your home based business gets of to a great start.

The first thing to consider is the kind of business you will be starting. There are many opportunities available in terms of a business from home. How do you choose the one that’s best for you? I suggest making a list of things that you’re good at. What talents do you have or skills that seem to come naturally. Make a list of those things.

Another way to find out what type of business to start is to figure out what people want. Try to think about some things that you can do to help fulfill someone’s wants and needs. Make a list of those things. After you’ve come up with a bunch of ideas try to figure out a way to incorporate them into a business that you can do online.

The next thing you want to do is conduct an assessment of what things you will need to get your business off to a good start. What kind of skills or knowledge will you need to acquire and what types of tasks will you need to source out?

Finally think about how much money your business will need to get started. Will you need to get a loan or do you have enough savings in your bank account to fund your venture?

These are just some quick things to consider when beginning to plan your home based business online. Careful planning is critical at this stage and you want to make sure you cover all your bases. Do as much research and then plan accordingly. Starting a home based business online is not an easy undertaking. With through research and careful planning you will be able to give your home based business the greatest opportunity to get off to a great start.

Copyright Chris Monato. Chris Monato is an internet marketer and online entrepreneur. http://www.income22.com

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Unusual Home Businesses

By Randy Wilson

All unusual home businesses have one great thing in common in that they’re, well, unusual. This often means both that tons of other people haven’t gotten in on them yet and that you can find them in all sorts of unexpected places. This can have you on the road to having your own successful at home business a lot quicker and without a lot of competition.

One of the more unusual money making ideas that’s a great deal of fun is mystery shopping. While you may have seen a lot of ads on the Internet about this unusual business opportunity, it’s a safe bet that there aren’t a lot of people performing this service in your area—which means you don’t have a lot of competition to deal with.

For a nominal fee, you can sign up with an online service that supplies you with contact information for companies that are looking for people to become mystery shoppers. You not only make money at this, you get great deals on eating out, movie tickets, and of course, shopping. Might be something to check out if this interests you.

Maybe shopping isn’t your thing. Have you considered selling books? Many of today’s book publishers have decided to boycott the huge bookstores by hiring people to market and sell their books directly to buyers. This is especially true of publishers who predominately publish Christian and children’s books.

By doing this, they generate more sales without what amounts to having to pay the major bookstores to carry their books (although many of these publishers will also have their books on the shelves of your nearest Borders which makes them all the more credible).

This is one of the truly great unusual business opportunities if you love books, and it can net you a hefty profit. This is becoming a hot trend for people searching for money making opportunities online, so the time to get in on it is now.

Another one of the unusual money making opportunities that you’ve probably heard about is pet sitting. For this to be an unusual money making opportunity to you, you have to think outside the box. For instance, when people hear about pet sitting, they automatically think of dogs and cats. But there is big money to be made in this area if you work for farmers or breeders. Think about it.

What does a farmer, or a horse, dog, or cat breeder do if they want to take a vacation or have to have surgery? Call you! Seriously, if you have experience with farm animal care or are willing to take on a large number of animals to care for, you can make a tremendous amount of money at this. You can also hire people to help you and make more money by just taking a small percentage of their regular charge.

These are just a few of the many unusual money making ideas out there today. You can literally find thousands more when you look at money making opportunities online. You’ll find information on how you can have your own successful glass replacement business, carpet cleaning business, lawn care business, typing or proofreading business, credit counseling business, even your own rent-a-clown business. These are unusual businesses because people don’t realize they can be run from your home, with minimal to no start-up costs.

You can also look at franchises for unusual business ideas. New ones are popping up every day, especially in the fitness area. The costs to having your own franchise range from nominal to huge. It all depends on how much you’re willing to or have the funds to invest, but it’s likely you can find a franchise that fits your budget.

And franchises are a particularly good idea if you live in a bedroom community or small town—or there’s one close to you. You can make huge profits there with one of the hot deli or sub franchises.

People don’t always want to drive to the largest city near your location to grab a sub and a cup of coffee, so that makes these great unusual business opportunities for your area. And once you have them set up, you can usually manage them from your home!

Before you sign up for or invest in anything, whether it’s one of the unusual business opportunities or a franchise get the facts. If you decide you want to be a rent-a-clown, make sure there’s a market for that in your area.

If you’re signing up with a mystery shopping service online, make sure it’s the real deal. And have a plan on how you’re going to turn your unusual money making opportunity into a successful business. Planning makes all the difference when it comes to starting, owning, and running any business. So do your homework. You won’t regret it!

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has dozens of home based business articles such as Best Home Based Internet Business, Ebay Money Making Tips and Medical Billing Service.

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