The Internet has enabled many who aspire to stay at home
with their children to successfully add to the family bank
account without leaving the house. While the perks of this
idea are obvious, there are some pitfalls to be aware of
before you just dive in. Home businesses are not for
everyone though that being said, they can be wonderful if
you understand what it takes to be successful and are
willing to follow those steps.
Before you get started, make sure you're headed up the
right path. In other words, make sure you're working with
the right company. You're going to spend a lot of time and
effort in this endeavor so you'll want to have the deck
stacked in your favor as much as possible. In a nutshell,
you'll want to work with an established company that has a
proven system to success and a product or products you can
feel good about. Absolutely don't move ahead with your plan
until you've found a company that meets all these criteria.
When you have, follow these seven steps to make your home
business a success from the start:
1. Let your people know your plans. Though it's not
essential that everyone in your household be on the same
page with your new endeavor, it certainly helps if they
are. The best way for this to happen is to first share the
idea with your spouse or significant other if there's one
in the picture. Next, get your children clued in. Allow
them all to see your excitement and sense of expectancy. A
little shared enthusiasm goes a long way.
2. Dream, Dream, Dream. If you haven't done so before,
focus on some dreams for yourself that can be crystallized
into life goals with actual projected dates of
accomplishment. Do this exercise first by yourself and then
later brainstorm as a couple, if applicable, in order to
mesh your future plans. You'll want to be clear on what is
motivating you or in other words, what is your BIG WHY
behind this idea?
Create a dream board for yourself. It's easy - just gather
some photos and cut pictures out of magazines that
represent your newly created goals. Then paste them all on
a poster board and there you have it. Hang your dream
board where you can look at it several times a day and make
sure you do. You'll want to have a clear visual of what
success looks like to you. Don't skip this simple, yet
essential step to success.
Next, have your children make their own dream boards and
explain them to you. Share your board with them as well.
This way the dream board can become a great tool to refer
to when your children are inclined to interrupt your work.
Use the board to remind them why you're working. That
planned trip to Disneyworld can be a powerful motivator.
3. Carve out an office space with a door. If you don't
have the luxury of having an entire room to call your own
for this purpose, don't despair. You can be very successful
without one. If worse comes to worse, put a desk and a file
drawer in your bedroom and work there. It's impossible to
project a professional image on the telephone while your
dog is barking in the background.
4. Set definite work times and honor them. This will not
only enable you to know when you'll be able to go to work
but also allow your children to know when you'll be done.
It might be tempting to work "overtime" but just don't do
it. That way your family will see you honoring your time
commitments to them as well as to the business. Make this a
habit from the start so you won't have to try and mend
broken promises later.
5 Work different time zones. If one of your challenges is
having to work your business around your family
obligations, focus your advertising efforts in different
time zones. That way, you can do business before or after
your local time activities. For example, if you live in the
Central Time Zone, cultivate business in the Pacific Time
Zone so you can phone people there after your children are
in bed.
6. Put your children on the payroll. Create a winning
system by encouraging your children to help you. Teenagers
might be motivated to handle the internet portion of your
business. Older siblings could be enticed to manage the
younger ones and/or help run the household. If you have
traditionally done all the cooking, cleaning and laundry,
now is a great time to start sharing that work load.
Perfect housekeepers need to consider loosening their
standards in order to accommodate the ability of their new
helpers. You probably already know what motivates your
children, so start there for payment options. You don't
necessarily need cash up front. Pay them instead with
earned privileges or set up a point system that culminates
in attending a special activity or event when so many
points are earned. The main thing is to make it fun and
special. Most of all, let your children know how much you
appreciate their help. This goes for spouses, too.
7. Celebrate your success. Be sure to make a big deal out
of the arrival of those first checks. You don't have to
blow it all in celebration (unless you want to) but do
something out of the ordinary so the whole family can share
the excitement of your accomplishment. This really helps
reinforce just why you're doing what you're doing.
In closing, know that by implementing these seven steps,
you'll have avoided several hazards along the road to your
success. By including your loved ones in every step of your
home business, from the "what if" idea planning phase to
the celebration of that first check, you can very
successfully raise your income as you raise your family.
----------------------------------------------------
Business Coach Annie Thomson shares her expertise as she
teaches people to successfully run a home business while
raising their kids. YES, it can be done keeping both your
sanity and your sense of humor intact.
http://www.CoachYouToYourPrime.com
No comments:
Post a Comment