Work from Home

Nearly 10 percent of today’s workforce works from home, and this percentage is increasing on a daily basis. While many of these people work from home running their own businesses, there are also several who work from home for an actual employer. Approximately two million American businesses support some kind of telecommuting program for their employees.

Telecommuters continually report that their lives are happier and less stressful due to the increased satisfaction with their job, more freedom, and increased time with their families. Also, who wouldn’t enjoy saving all that money on gas that would otherwise be spent working outside of the home?

Based on a survey by the Information Technology Association of America, 36% of respondents would choose telecommuting over a pay raise. Would you?

Not only do the employees themselves benefit from telecommuting, but so do their employers and the environment as well. Employers benefit from reduced real estate costs, increased productivity, morale, and employer turnover costs, just to name a few. The environment benefits from reduced fossil fuel consumption and traffic congestion, resulting in significantly cleaner air and safer neighborhoods. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if even just an additional 10 percent of the nation’s workforce would telecommute even for just one day of the week, it could save Americans from driving up to 24.4 million miles; help them breathe cleaner air with 13,000 tons less of air pollution; and save them considerable cash by conserving more than 1.2 million gallons of fuel each week.

What About Working for Yourself?

Even better news – a sacrifice in the amount of money you make at your current job does not have to be made when you find the right work at home job opportunity. Legitimate work from home businesses are sprouting up by the day, everywhere you look. More and more, people are searching online and finding a plethora of available work from home business opportunities. Thanks to these abundant opportunities, people no longer have to choose between their families and money, or professional fulfillment. Because, frankly, they can have it all with the right kind of work from home job opportunity.

Can You Do It?

Before you embark on this amazing prospect, ask yourself the golden question. Are you an ideal candidate for working from home? Do you have the drive and the self-discipline it takes to work from home under no or minimal supervision? Are you a self-starter who can perform independently? Do you manage your time well, and are you organized? Be sure to do a thorough self-evaluation to determine if working from home is a right choice for you.

Success is Right Within Your Reach

In order to make your work from home business a rewarding and successful one, there are many guidelines that you should adhere to.

The first is marketing research. A ton of work from home businesses fail due to the fact that there is not an adequate market for the product or services that the businesses are trying to sell. Performing a comprehensive analysis of the work from home business is therefore an absolute must.

As earlier stated, independence and self-reliance is crucial. In order to work for yourself, you can most definitely not be the passive type. You have to be self-disciplined and have a “go get ‘em” type of attitude. Most home-based businesses start out as a one-man or woman operation. Because of this, you are most often expected to do everything at the onset of your business – writing your business plan, marketing, selling, accounting, and much more. As your business succeeds and more revenue is streaming in, then would be a more opportune time to hire an employee or employees.

Managing your time well is another important facet to the successful work at home business type. Remember, working from home puts you in a situation where you are easily prone to distraction. Sometimes the kids may be calling, the dog may be barking, the house phone may be ringing – whatever your distractions, find the methods that best work for you to optimize your time working from home.

And this next thing cannot be said more than enough – promote, promote, promote! Your business will only ever be as good as the size of the market that you are able to reach. Be aggressive, and get the word out about your product or service. Promoting your business is truly an essential investment for ALL businesses, no matter what the size or type.

And lastly, get help when you need it. Read business, publications, attend networking events, and/or join your local Chamber of Commerce.

If you are ready and willing to start your own work from home business, contact me. I will provide you with additional information about what you need to get started with your own work from home business.