Be Prepared To Work!

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!