You sell products to customers you say? Ok, that can usually be fairly automated and hands-free – particularly if you sell via a website. But guess what? Your Website can go down, your ordering or fulfillment processes can have hiccups and 20 customers can all have support questions on same day. When one or more of these situations arise, do you think you'll ignore them for hours? Not if you're serious about generating income and building an established, reputable business.

"Freedom to set my own schedule" Is this true? Absolutely. You can put anything, or nothing, on your schedule. You can even choose to not keep a schedule if that's what you prefer. Unfortunately you'll find that not having a schedule can lead to laziness – but having a schedule can lead to stress and unreasonable expectations.

"Wha ... Huh??" It's true, and I'll explain.

Choosing not to have a schedule is most common preference for new home-based business owners. You'll quickly find however, that no schedule can lead to no discipline. Your morning coffee and paper may blend into an afternoon tryst of TV and Tea. You might decide that since you've got some free time – you don't have a schedule to keep, you can do this! – You'll clean kitchen cabinets. You've been trying to find time for that right? Or you'll do some laundry, call a few friends, curl up with a good book – whatever. The point is, not setting a schedule can put you in serious jeopardy of not getting any work done.

On flip side, to prevent laziness from creeping in you decide to schedule your day. So you really schedule your day. You decide that you want to work for 8 hours, and you cram as much as you can into those 8 hours. Then you get an unexpected call from a prospect that takes up 30 minutes – you hadn't planned for that. Or one of your kid's gets sick and you have to stop what you're doing, go to school and pick them up (or nuture them if they're at home). You hadn't planned for that either hmm? Before you know it, you've lost 2 or 3 hours that were scheduled for business – and you're scrambling to catch up. Too many days of this will burn you out, make you frustrated, and make you wonder why you chose to start a business in first place.

With all of that said, should you just not bother starting your own business? Of course not. Do what you really want to do. Just know realities involved and set appropriate expectations and plans.

"Our safety is not in blindness, but in facing our dangers." - Friedrich von Schiller

© 2002, Kathy Burns.

Any home business can be successful, you can sell almost anything from home these days, there are thousands of companies who you can sell goods for, they deal with all ordering, invoicing, shipping and send a commission cheque out at end of month. It’s called drop-shipping, if you have ever looked on Ebay you will see dozens of similar or even identical items being sold by different people, they are just resellers using a drop-ship company.

It’s possible with some internet home businesses to have in excess of 20 different companies, all with hundreds of products to sell for yourself and get paid just for referring customers through your own website. Using effective marketing techniques you simply direct people to “Gateway” websites with a unique affiliate number for companies you represent and they do rest for you.

Which sort of Work at Home Business is right for you?

Can you do your current job from home? If you can, you may need to invest in certain equipment to help you (if you don’t already have them) you will need a computer, fax, stationary or even stock. If you do not use internet to market your business yet, it is massive source of information and resources for promoting any business, in a few choice cases FOR FREE.

You may have a particular talent, such as an artist, writer, software engineer, draughtsman, accountant, hairdresser, masseur, telemarketer etc, so it doesn’t matter where you are, you can still work for people at home. Your overheads are less than big companies so you can provide a better, more personal service to your clients for less than they are used to paying. The best bit is that you can set your price for your time. Work at home for €25, €50 or even €100 per hour if that’s what your services are worth.

If you can’t do your existing job from home, you need to find something you can do. This is when most people start looking at direct mail and/or internet opportunities. But what sort of home business is right for you?

Look at an opportunity that interests you, let’s face it if it doesn’t interest you how are you going to sell it to someone else?

How much does it pay? You don’t want to have to sell container loads of a product to see any return on your investment.

How often does it pay? Do you get a one off commission, or do you get paid monthly when your customers pay a membership fee or upgrade etc.

Does it work? Is there enough proof that business you choose will actually make you any money?

What sort of training and support is available? You need to have help when you need it in any business.

Should You Have One?

I don’t want to sound like I am on a soapbox here, but not everyone is suited to having or running a home business. Like any business it has to be marketed, run properly and constantly tweaked to earn you an income.

If you’re sort of person to start something and not see it through or work at it, then a home business is not for you.

If you are sort of person who would rather let someone else do all work and just do what you are told, same applies.

If you are sort of person who likes to be control of their life, hard working, enjoys a challenge and is dedicated to achieve goals they set out for themselves, then a work at home business is something you should consider.

A work at home business can be very rewarding, you can be in control of your own life, build a lifetime residual income, work to your timescales, work with who you choose, for who you choose, how you choose. What will you choose?

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