It is widely recognized that the vast majority of home
businesses fail within the first year, for a number of
reasons, such as failure to complete adequate research into
the viability of the proposed business, little or no market
research, insufficient business skills and others.
In reality, a very common cause of failure is simply a lack
of self-discipline. Most business owners leave some form of
employment before embarking on their dream of
self-employment, and a possible motivation might well be to
escape from the perceived injustice of a former boss.
Having made the break, a very human reaction might then be
to relax from the pressure.
This reaction could easily be the cause of downfall! We
have discussed in an earlier series of articles the vital
importance of clarifying one's motivation for embarking on
a home business. Whether we like his methods or not, a
hard-driving boss can be a reasonably effective substitute
for motivation. If there is no driving-force or motivation,
the result could easily be failure.
Be clear in your own mind why you are going it alone, and
understand how important it is to you personally to
succeed. Thus when the temptation is to "take the day off"
be sure that this is for a good reason and make a personal
decision to make up the time lost.
Some ideas which may be helpful to you in establishing your
business on a sound footing as soon as possible:
- Try to make it a habit to work regular hours. Make a set
time every morning to read and respond to e-mails and other
correspondence. You should check again later in the day to
deal with anything urgent that needs your attention.
- Try also to respond promptly to queries.
- Don't even have your television turned on during your
"working hours." It's too easy to be distracted by a sports
programme or other interesting item.
- Remind family members and friends that although you're
working from home, you're still working! Long personal
telephone calls can break your concentration and waste your
time. Suggest tactfully that the best time to contact you
is between certain hours when you're not busy at your
computer.
- It is extremely difficult to handle the demands of small
children at home, whilst you are trying to run a business.
There is another article coming soon, aimed at helping the
"home-biz Mum" to find ways around this very real problem.
For now, try to find ways of containing the element of
distraction as far as possible. At least, tackle your most
difficult tasks during rest-time, or when children are
occupied under supervision.
In essence, it's vital to treat your business with
commitment and determination. Your personal circumstances
will have a significant influence on the success or
otherwise of your home business. Should you be able only to
devote limited time and effort to it, you must expect your
results to reflect this.
It is most unlikely that you will be able to enjoy a
full-time income from a part-time business, at least until
you have been able to develop your business to a stage
where many functions operate "on auto-pilot." Some highly
successful owners of top home businesses are eventually
able to make huge incomes while working part-time, but this
takes considerable time and skill to achieve.
In our next article in this series we look at how to set,
and manage some business targets.
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About the Author: Mike Muir owns
which he operates from his
home in Botswana (Africa.) His aim is to share his personal
experiences with others who wish to establish or grow their
own home businesses. You may wish to visit his Blog at:
http://www.mikeshomebiz.com/blog
to view other articles
which may be of assistance.
