Monday, October 29, 2007

Are You Prepared to Run a Home Business?

Today was not a day directly related to business. Ok, Mel and I both worked all day but he was working mainly on getting the siding up around the rabbits and the fireplace wood. I on the other hand spent most of the day taping and mudding drywall in the basement of Mel's house - the laundry room to be exact.

Thinking about it now neither jobs were for Nature Inspired Handcrafts but at the same time both were connected to business. Getting the wood out of the weather will make the rapidly approaching Michigan winter a bit better to bare as there is nothing like a nice fire to warm the old bones. The laundry room will not only be nicer to do laundry in but will also have a work table for 'crafts' when we don't feel like going out to the studio.

One of the great things about running a business from home is being able to multi-task such as today - both Mel and I's work for today will benifit both business and personal lives and at the same time our 2 grandchildren were here most of the day.

A draw-back to a home business is you don't get away from work as easily as the buzzer going off at 5. Often work goes late into the night and 7 days a week. It's important even in a home business to set aside time to relax, have fun, and not work 24/7 - burn out can happen if you don't.

Another draw-back is it's easy to put things off and you need to be very very dedicated to what you are doing. For a home business to be successful you have to be self-motivated, able to work alone, and be prepared to put in some extra time when needed.

Many home businesses fail the first year or even before they get started because people think that because they are 'the boss' they can do what they want when they want. This is far from the truth - you may be the boss but if you don't have a plan and stick to that plan your doors may be closing before you know it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

this has been a wonderful tour-thanks for sharing! beth www.iflorist.co.uk