I've been a 'work-at-home- mom even before I started a
home-based business. After my second baby was born I was at home pretty much
for the first year with a few temporary assignments here and there. Anyone who
has children and do not work outside the home, I consider to be a 'work-at-home
mom' even if you're not running a business. There is always a spill to wipe up,
a butt to clean, nose to wipe, constantly checking to make sure they are within
your eyesight, constantly checking when they get too quiet, keeping them
occupied, playing, reading, singing, fixing food and your break is when they
FINALLY take a nap unless you have those professional sleep fighters to can go
toe-to-toe with taking a nap. Your home is your business and you do everything
possible to make sure it runs smoothly.
I was programmed and conditioned to think that to be
successful I had to work full-time, get promoted and eventually make the
big-bucks. When I was ready to go to work I would scour the internet looking
and looking. I applied with staffing agencies, went in for interviews and the
whole 'nine.' I had landed a temporary assignment that I was initially told it
would be temp-to-perm. It was perfect, it was about 10 minutes for home and I
really liked the job and the people. Well, about two or three weeks I got that
famous call that the assignment ended through no fault of my own. I was very
disappointed, but anybody that knows me, knows that I keep it moving. So I
landed another assignment, which I had done a temp assignment at this company
before, so it was another perfect job, To make a long story short, I got hired
on permanently and then I was laid off AGAIN! I wasn't disappointed at all! I
knew there was something more for me. I enjoyed my coworkers and established
some great friendships but I knew that I had to do something else!
Well after deciding that I did not want to go back into a
traditional office setting again, I began to search work at home opportunities.
I came across a couple of 'services' but then I thought, I don't want another JOB where I still have to punch a clock and
have my schedule set for me by the company. Well, needless to say I did find
four great opportunities to run my OWN business and yes it is WORK!
I think the greatest misconceptions is 'oh it's easy you can
do what you want, went you want, work a couple of hours or none at all' Well
that is true, but in ANY business, if you want to be successful at it, you are
going to put in more than a couple of hours a day working on it. Whether you
are doing research on how to promote and network or promoting and networking.
Another misconception is 'it's a scam, I'm not going to pay for a job' Well
there are many scams out there, I remember being youngER and I came across this
so-called envelope stuffing work at home job. Pay 49.95 and make $5,000 a
month. Yeah, that didn't work out. Of course this was before the world-wide-web
where you could do extensive research, get reviews, etc. So, yes, you MUST do
your research! Second, if you are operating a home based business, it's a
BUSINESS, a FRANCHISE so to speak. So you are not paying for a JOB, you are
paying for a BUSINESS. If you wanted a McDonald's franchise, there would be
start-up costs, training, insurance, interviewing your staff, hiring,
budgeting, products to buy, advertising, promotions, network, marketing etc.
and you would more than like spend WAY MORE
than more home-based business start-up fees. I'm usually 'working' from
the time I get up into the 'wee' hours of the night. I'm responsible for
writing my own checks so I know that through faith, perseverance, and hard
work, my reward will bring a smile to my face.
It takes work! You
can't base your success off someone else's success, you must work had to
achieve your OWN success. Find what works for YOU! We are all scientists in a
lab. We mix differently components to come up with different formulas to see
which ones work and what doesn't. Even when we find what works, sometimes we
have to tweak those formulas down the road. I finally realized why my jobs didn't
last. God was pushing me into something greater and everything up until this
point was training ground. It was time to put my training into action. I had an
entrepreneurial spirit in me all along, I just had to take that leap of faith
and start doing. It's a process, I'm still learning and growing. Taking in as
much information as possible without my brain frying or my eyes crossing. But
the rewards are phenomenal! I don't have to wake up at 8:00 and say 'oh my
goodness I'm late for work!' I don't have to figure out what to wear, what to
do with my hair, transportation, buying lunch or taking lunch. I can take a
long break and nobody asks where I've been. I can be on my computer all day and
nobody asks what I am doing. I don't have to worry about schedule changes, pay
cuts, working to hopefully, maybe, possibly get a raise. I love the freedom I
have and will continue to have because I intend to keep working hard.
I don't knock anyone that loves their job. We need them. I'm
no better than a person who works outside the home. We need the doctors,
lawyers, teachers, nurses, surgeons, transportation workers, delivery truck
drivers, cashiers, cab drivers, computer techs, airline workers just to name a
few. Everybody plays a part in this world. We all have different talents,
callings and gifts and when we use them, everybody is helped in some kind of
way.
If you're thinking about a home-based business, do your
research and when you find something that you know is a good fit, be prepared
to WORK! You worker harder for yourself than you will for someone else, but YOU
will be the one enjoying the fruits of YOUR labor.
Until next time, Be Blessed, Be Inspired, Be Encouraged, Be
Positive, Be Grateful!
