Being a Home-Based Business Owner ... What''s Not to Love?

By: Laurie Hayes

Being an entrepreneur and working from home has to be one of the
most rewarding opportunities available to us.

What other business or organization would allow you to work in
your slippers with curlers in your hair (or whiskers on your
face!) while speaking with clients, negotiating contracts, or
managing transactions?

How many jobs will afford you the opportunity to take a
15-minute break to get dinner on the stove or plant a flower
garden?

None that I''m aware of.

Today was a workday for me. It was designated as record keeping,
strategic planning, creative thinking, get-everything-in-order
day.

Today I …

-wrote several business articles -cleaned up my e-mail inbox
-paid bills -updated my business expense spreadsheet -analyzed
my monthly income statement -reviewed last month''s activities
and revisited strategies and goals for the month ahead -reviewed
my client files to determine whether or not check-in e-mails
were in order

I accomplished everything I set out to and more.

While working on the above tasks, I took several 15- minute
breaks. During these breaks I …

-did two loads of laundry -cleaned a bathroom -weeded one flower
bed -raked a few dead leaves off the lawn -got supper started

When I need to get away from my desk for a while, I take little
"breaks" that allow me to work on a small task around the house.

Sometimes, I just sit on my back deck with a glass of grape
juice or water in my hand, and enjoy the warm sun as I watch the
chipmunks; squirrels and foxes run around the yard.

It''s a little piece of heaven.

I remember the days when I crawled out of bed in the morning,
scraped an inch of ice off my windshield, and headed to work.

Parking is very expensive in our downtown core, so I would park
in a lot a few blocks from my workplace to get a reduced rate. I
would wear multiple layers of clothing, big mitts and a warm hat
and scarf so I wouldn''t freeze while walking (make that
running!) to my office building.

It would be dark when I went to work and it would be dark when I
left for home at the end of the day. I seldom saw the sun during
the winter months.

By Friday evenings I would be dog-tired and not interested in
any social interaction. I just wanted to sleep.

I spent my weekends doing laundry, cleaning house, and taking
care of family commitments. Every Sunday evening I would feel
sadness and anguish, knowing I was about to repeat the cycle
again.

As I sat on my deck for a short while today enjoying the warm
spring sun, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my business and
I acknowledged myself for the long evening and weekend hours I
dedicated myself to in order to build my business.

I worked hard. As a matter of fact, I still work hard, but it''s
different when it''s something you love. Sometimes I put in
really long days, and sometimes I slow the pace a little to
maintain balance.

There were times when I didn''t know if I could go on without
burning out, but thankfully, I had a great peer group of coaches
who were always there to back me up and cheer me on.

To me, the reward of having my own home-based business is the
freedom to choose how I manage my time.

I have the freedom to be creative.

I have the freedom to plan my tasks as I see fit, and the only
person I answer to when there is a setback, is myself.

I am the captain of my ship and although I run a tight one (I''m
harder on myself than any boss ever was), I still consider it a
never-ending victory cruise.

Building and growing a successful home-based business requires
intense desire, steadfast dedication, a solid plan, sacrifice,
quality products and services, specific skills, ongoing support,
risk taking, and an unwavering belief in yourself and your dream.

Would I do it all over again given the choice? You bet!

As a matter of fact, if I had a magic wand I would roll the
clock back 20 years and start much earlier.

Being a home-based business owner is a rewarding dream and is
worth every minute of effort needed to make it real.

Laurie Hayes:
Laurie Hayes is a Life Strategy/Small Business Coach and founder
of Where the Heart Is Life Coaching.

Laurie specializes in assisting home-based business owners who
face the challenges that come with working from home. She is the
author of numerous articles and a bi-weekly newsletter, "The
Heart of Living."

To subscribe to her free newsletter and learn more about
coaching, visit www.wheretheheartis-lifecoaching.com