Work from home job? Business? How do you decide?
by Stephanie Foster
It's a big decision to stay home with your family, rather than continue in
a traditional job outside the home. There are many choices you must
make if you decide to work from home, and many pitfalls to avoid.
The first things to look at are your skills and interests. Working
from home is in some ways more difficult than working outside the
home (but more fun, since you don't have to leave your children),
so do what you love if at all possible.
Next, decide if you are interested in a job or a business. You
will need to consider the hours you want to work as well. Many jobs
need you during traditional business hours; others allow you to
work your own. Likewise, many home businesses need regular hours,
others, such as party plans, require a great deal of evening and
weekend work.
Consider how much money you can invest. If you want a work at home
job, you should not have to pay to get the job itself, but some
do have other investments required. For example, in addition to
running my website, I do medical transcription. This required that
I get appropriate reference books, and I rent a Dictaphone from
my employer. Do not pay to get the job under any circumstance. Just
remember that you wouldn't pay for a traditional outside the home
job. Businesses, on the other hand, often require some sort of investment,
depending on the kind of business. Some may even have monthly costs,
such as for websites or supplies. Know what you can afford.
Think about how much interaction with other people you want. If
you're not interested in telling everyone you meet about what you
do, a business may not be for you, particularly if you have to sell
things in person.
Take a look around your home and figure out what you can use for
office space. You will need a place you can keep all your business
supplies and work in relative peace. Remember, if you take a job
taking calls, most employers require that you not have children
yelling in the background. Even if you can have your kids around,
you will get more done in a peaceful environment.
Become familiar with the various resources to determine if an opportunity
is legitimate. Some good ones are http://www.wahm.com,
http://www.homewiththekids.com,
http://www.ripoffreport.com,
http://www.bbb.org, and http://www.ftc.gov.
Find out if you need to take any special classes for your job.
Once again using medical transcription as an example, I had to study
for months in order to be qualified for this job. Good medical transcription
courses can run from several hundred to a few thousand dollars.
Talk to your family about your plans. Make sure you will have their
support. A lack of support is an easy way to fail.
If you choose a business, you will have to decide whether to strike
out on your own or join an existing one. There are many excellent
opportunities either way. You can join a party plan and have regular
time away from your family, which many work from home parents need
or sell products or services online.
Be aware of any legal issues facing your home job or business.
Some cities still do not allow home businesses, and you may have
to ask for a variance. Many will require some sort of license, depending
on the kind of business you are starting. Check with your local
city hall.
Whatever you decide to do in the end, whether work a home job or
a business, make sure to network with other work at home parents.
They will understand the issues you are dealing with even if what
they are doing is different.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home
with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying
home with your family than just business. From money saving tips
to parenting and marriage tips, to work at home jobs and businesses,
you can get information and support here. You can visit the site
at http://www.homewiththekids.com.
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