Most of us have learned by doing in our home businesses. No matter how many months or years of research, planning, and reading we put into things before we hung up our shingle and opened our home-based business, chances are, we learned most of what we know about owning and operating a business or being an independent contractor by the actual day-to-day details of our work. But, have you ever stopped to ask yourself—if you could start all over again—what you wish you had known at the beginning?
If I had it to do all over again, most of the lessons I wish I knew at the beginning have to do with time management and contract agreements. While I have never done any work without a written contract or agreement, I have had trouble collecting and getting paid for all of the work I’ve done. I was pretty naïve in the beginning and just assumed that if I was doing business with what seemed like a legitimate business or company and that they signed a contract, they would follow-through and pay as promised. Not true, of course, and I’m sure I’m not the only small business owner who had to learn the realities of collecting owed revenue. BUT, my biggest adjustments were in how to organize my time, be efficient and stay motivated. Had I known in the beginning how long certain types of writing and projects would take, I could have saved myself a lot of extra work and being more efficient with my budgeting and contract agreements. But, of course, we live and learn!
How about you and your home business—what do you wish you had known at the beginning that you have since learned? Would it have saved you money, time, or peace of mind if you had hit the ground running with a little more knowledge under your belt?
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