Recently, someone told me that she could never start her own home business because she just didn’t subscribe to the right “lifestyle.” For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what she meant–I know several different people who work from their home businesses at least part of the time, and we are all leading very different lives. It got me to wondering if there are “lifestyles” that are more conducive to the home business than others?
I have known home business owners with and without kids, at all different stages in their “careers”, and those who had all sorts of other things going on and those who didn’t. In my opinion, it is more about the personal desire and the willingness to learn and nurture the skills sets and focus needed than it is anything else. Whether a person lives in an apartment or on a ranch, has a family to care for or is looking to retire–there are so many different types of home business “lifestyles” out there!
Now, once I started my home business and dug in to make it work, I must admit that I made some changes to my household and lifestyle–I had to be willing to dedicate a small portion of my house to work and I had to learn how to be a little more flexible about my work time–I couldn’t expect to work the 9-5-hour day and I didn’t want to. I also had to get my family used to the reality that I was really “working” when I said I was and that I needed to carve out time and space to do that from home–even if they didn’t always like it. While that took a little time and patience, it was possible and I shaped my lifestyle and home business to fit each other.
My point is that I do not think a person should be turned off or assume that only certain types of people with certain kinds of lives can start and operate home businesses–it takes all kinds!
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