If you are really thinking seriously about starting a business at home you should consider a few things before you commit your time and money. While the skills and experience you have acquired during your working career can definitely help you when starting your own business, there are other functions that may be important to your success.
Discipline and structure are necessary to run a business. We may have taken these elements for granted our employer already had procedures. We just had to do them. We were also given a job description so that we knew what was expected. We were given a work schedule that outlined what time we had to be there, when to take breaks and when we could leave for the day. Additionally we likely had a supervisor or manager who would ensure that we met the expected criteria.
When we are starting out on our own we have to create all this structure to begin with. We should create a plan that includes goals, and we need to schedule our time so that we get everything done that we need to. We need to find a way to stay motivated to do the work that is necessary.
Very likely, our home business is not our only job, and adds additional duties and responsibilities to our life. This is one reason we need a plan. Since we don’t have anybody to hold us accountable, we need to have lots of discipline and to remain focused in doing what is necessary to run a profitable business. It is all too easy to procrastinate when you are your own boss.
When we have a job we know how much money we are going to earn and when we can expect our paycheck. This enables us to create a budget and a schedule for paying our bills, etc. This can definitely be a challenge when we have our own business because there are no guarantees or schedules. You never know exactly how much you will make or by when, particularly if we work in sales, as this depends on many factors; the primary one being how much time and effort you are willing and able to invest in to promote your business. If you have a business that depends on others to contribute then they are also a factor.
One obviously important factor is that we must survive while we are building our business, so this should be our first consideration. We must never speculate on our survival. Any logic at all will tell us that we must NEVER spend the rent, food or utilities money. Survival is not something we can gamble with as we can’t be sure we will have the money back by the time our bills are due.
Something that is also very important with regard to this is our mindset. Will we be able to remain discouraged when we don’t see results immediately? Do we really understand that nothing will happen instantly or without a good deal of effort over time?
We need to really ask ourselves if we will be able to stay focused and motivated without seeing anything tangible for a while. It requires faith, self-confidence and having the right information so that we will know what action we need to take to succeed.
