Home Based Business Opportunities

I used to work for a big company in a big office. I started off in a cubicle and worked my way to a window office with a door. Back in the day that was a big deal. I awoke every morning and dressed in a business suit with pantyhose and pumps. Make up on, hair in place I was out the door and into the office. I really liked it; I didn’t know any different.

Today, I would definitely not like it. I really, really love my business. I love owning my own business and working from home. I have two young kids and I feel fortunate that I have found the perfect balance for me. I really enjoy working however; I would probably not enjoy it so much if I was working for someone else with someone else’s rules and timelines.

I was a stay at home mom for a couple of years before I decided I wanted to work again. I really took my time thinking about what I wanted to do. I finally decided what I wanted was the best of both worlds. I wanted to be able to make money and do something I enjoyed while also being able to volunteer in my kids classrooms and be a room mom. I wanted to be there for my kid’s music performances and not have to ask my boss for time off. Well I have it. I am able to take my kids to school, be involved in their school and also work and make money.

Now, don’t get me wrong, as every mom knows there is a lot juggling to be done. Often times, I am working after I have read that last story and put my kids to bed. However, that is a small price to pay for being able to pick my kids up after school, give them a snack and do homework with them. I find out a lot of information about my children this way. In return, they learn that Mom is around to help them, but that I also have to work. There is a balance that has been set. Like all things in balance I have no doubt that at some point we will have to readjust a little bit. However, for right now, I am enjoying our after school snacks and chats!!

Home Based Business Opportunities
Home-Based Business Notes
In the past, a home based business was viewed as a side business operated primarily as a hobby or as a source of secondary income. The data contained in htis study show that assertion to be inaccurate. The researcher's findings demonstrate how the home has become a hub of business activity, entrepreneurship, and business creation. Sole proprietorships, partnerships, and S corporations added $2.9 trillion to the economy in 1992, with home-based firms contributing $314 billion, or 11 percent. When regular C corporations are included, the home-based contribution to the U.S. economy is 5 percent of the estimated $6.4 trillion total contribution of all small employer firms with less than 500 employees. If anecdotal evidence is correct, the home-based business sector is growing in importance, driven by the revolution in information technology. It also offers opportunities for entrepreneurs and at-home professionals in every demographic and ethnice group. Running and owning a home-based firm offers new business owners a very inexpensive entry point into the world of business ownership. This report demonstrates that this activity is much more significant than previously thought. Clearly, the home became a hotbed of entrepreneurship during the 1990's, combing income, lifestyle choices, and significant profits and revenues. http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/aboutsb/hbres194.html

Owning Your Own Business
I love owning my own business. It can be challenging, stressful, exhilarating and just plain fun all at the same time. When I first started my business I knew that I had to be prepared to tackle every job in my business, from signing the paychecks to emptying the trash and everything in between. If you are good at your business people will remember you and your business name. Not only will they remember it but they will tell others. If you are bad at your business people will remember you, your business name and tell even more people about you and your company. With your business, your name and your reputation are your biggest and most prized asset. It is essential that you treat them both well. It is tremendously important to be committed to your business. You need to go into your business venture with a 100% full fledged commitment. People who begin new businesses with the thought in the back of their mind that they can always to go work for someone else should this venture fail WILL ALWAYS FAIL!! 100% commitment is what your business requires. The best of all is that this is really exciting stuff. You own your OWN business. It doesn’t get much better than that. At least that is until it really takes off and then you own your OWN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS!! You will be successful when you develop your attitude of success. This is it….You are in a great place right now. You own your own business, you are paying your own salary, keeping your own hours and you have 100% freedom of choice. You can accept or reject a business proposal. You can have a late or early lunch without asking anyone their permission. You can come and go whenever you please and you will never be fired. This is a fantastic place to be in and the best thing about it is that it is your place. You have the ultimate power over your business. Remember this feeling of self confidence and success and let it guide you on your journey. I have been working in the referral business for ten years now. As I stated before I love owning my own business. One of the greatest things about it is the diversity. Everyday is a different day with new people to speak with and new situations. I along with my business am still learning and growing as people’s needs change and grow. Oh and by the way……I still take out the trash.

Working with your Family in your Business: 5 Tips on How to Make it a Successful Combination
Working with your Family in your Business: 5 Tips on How to Make it a Successful Combination by Cheri Alguire We all have families, but not all of us work with them. If your small business includes a family member or two, you already know what the good and the bad of it is. Learning how to increase the positives will help in creating not only a stronger platform for your business, but also in stronger ties with your family. This particular balance can be a tough one to manage; however, it is very possible. As a small business mom, no one has to tell you how difficult it is to combine your career with your family life. When part of that family life is also an integral key to the success of your business, complications can arise. Issues such as fair compensation, flex-time, favoritism, and familial boundaries can each lend a hand in specific problems you likely won’t face with non-family employees. The goal is to achieve a harmonious working relationship without jeopardizing those all important family ties. To do this, you need to plan ahead and take into consideration any and all possible issues. Making it Work Whether you’re worried about being taken advantage of or taking advantage of, some simple tips will have you headed down a much smoother path to the work environment you’re seeking. These 5 tips should get you started: • Form Definite Boundaries. While this rule sounds simple, it can be difficult to achieve. The best way to handle it is open communication from the very beginning. Explain clearly that while on the job, it is best to keep family chit-chat to an absolute minimum, if at all. Let them know this goes both ways – that you won’t be calling them at home on the weekend to discuss work. Keep the two entities as divided as possible! • Keep the Clients Separate. Sticky situations can sometimes arise when a family member is a social friend of a client. Business is business, and any possible work issues need to be kept confidential and not turned into fodder for gossip. • No Hard Feelings. The business world is a competitive environment. Realize that the monthly sales figures could cause negative emotions in whoever is on the lower end. Be supportive to each other to get through these moments of crises – and be prepared to deal with them when they occur. • All Employees are Treated Equal. From day one. If your normal course of action is to put a job offer in writing, including compensation and benefits, don’t deviate from this with family. While the process may seem more casual, it isn’t. You need to be as effective and vigilant with family employees as you are with non-related ones. • Communication is Vital. You already know this, but don’t forget it’s just as important when dealing with your family in your workplace as it is in other areas of your business. They deserve the respect of one-on-one business meetings to voice their concerns and to discuss their job, and your business, in general. Miscommunication is the biggest cause, by far, of poor job relations. Keep this in mind, and you’ll go a long way in keeping everyone happy. Including yourself! All in all, the way you treat an employee should be consistent. Whether a part of your family or not, creating the correct boundaries from the beginning is imperative. However, that being said, a non-related employee probably hasn’t seen you in your PJ’s, or at family gatherings, or visited you when you had your first baby. Therefore, normal innate boundaries aren’t going to be in place with family unless you strive to put them there. Once you do, however, you will begin to see the positives when working with a family member far more often than you will see the negatives. It is possible to combine family and career – as long as you know what you want, how you want it, and take the proper steps to communicate those wants effectively. Real Estate and Small Business Coach Cheri Alguire has partnered with hundreds of Small Business Professionals to help them become more successful in business and in life. Coach Cheri offers Group Coaching for Moms, Working Mothers and Pregnant Women in Real Estate, on how to balance careers with family responsibility. Learn more at http://www.realestatemoms.com, and visit Coach Cheri's Real Estate Moms blog at http://www.realestatemoms.com/blog.

Working From Home With Kids
When I had my babies I knew I wanted to be home with them. I had wanted to be a mom for so long that I did not want to miss a minute of my kid’s lives. Eventually this euphoria wore off and I knew that I needed to start exercising my brain or my head would quite literally fall off. To be totally honest I was bored out of my mind. I found myself cutting my own food up into little tiny pieces and humming the Itsy Bitsy Spider to myself as my kids were napping. I finally sat down and out loud said to myself that I was bored. Then I yelled it to myself and I felt a lot better. So therein lied the problem, I did not want to go back to work in an office because I really did like being at home with my kids. However, I knew I needed something else to do or my family would really start to suffer. Let’s face it, as my husband states often, “If Mommy is not happy, nobody is happy”! That my friend is the truth. So I started doing research on what I could do from home that would exercise my brain, make an income for our family and allow me the flexibility to be with my kids and husband and also fulfill my desire to work. Thank goodness I found it. I am now the proud owner of a successful small business, mother of two young kids and a wife of a great husband. Owning my own business has been exciting and fun. There have been ups and downs and definite learning curves but I wouldn’t change the flexibility it has allowed me or the income it has generated for our family. When my children were smaller I would often times work while they napped in the afternoon or when they were asleep in the evening. As they grew older I would pop in and out of my office while they were engaged throughout the day. As they got old enough to understand that mommy was working things got a little more hectic. I would be on a business call and my son would come busting in the office shrieking about the injustice of being two years younger than my daughter. I patiently sat and explained to both of my kids numerous times that it was important to be respectful and disciplined when mommy was working. Eventually my patience wore out and I realized we needed to come up with a new plan. Patience, deep breaths and talking to them were not working; I was trying hard not to scream with frustration especially when my kids would come in; in full on fight mode. Eventually, we had a family pow wow and sat down together to discuss how best to handle the situation. To my surprise my eight year old daughter came up with a perfect solution. She suggested making signs to tape on the door saying “Mommy’s Working”. So, together the three of us made various signs with cute pictures to hang on the door. The signs let the kids know that I was either working or they couldn’t come in, or that I was available. I silently thought to myself “It can’t be that easy”. However, to date this solution has worked for us. The kids have been really respectful of my working time and space. I really think part of the reason this has worked for us is because (a) it was their idea and (b) they helped to make the signs. So, in the end a relatively simple solution worked well for us. My kids recognize that mommy has to work but is able to work from home and be engaged in their time too. For now, it is a win win situation for us all. To learn more about starting your own contractor referral service contact us on our contact page at http://www.5starhelps.com/pages/home-based-business-opportunities.htm