Here are ten reasons why you shouldn’t start a home business.
For whatever reason, working at home is often glamorized. When you think of a mom who works at home, your jealousy starts to eat you alive. At least it did for me.
You probably envision that woman rolling out of bed at a decent hour (or any time that’s not 6 AM), leisurely making a (free) pot of coffee, forgoing both a shower, an itchy pencil skirt and an annoying commute, and of course, being able to do laundry, housework, play with the kids and answer to no one.
Alright, admittedly, it sounds fabulous. But here’s the real deal – it’s not completely true. Though there are prime advantages, working at home isn’t for everyone. There’s a lot of sacrifice that goes along with giving up the 9-5 office gig or going from stay at home mom to work at home mom and it isn’t easy to make the decision to address and accept these sacrifices.
So how do you make the decision less difficult? When contemplating the urge to be self-employed, it might be helpful to consider whether or not you agree with the following statements. If these thoughts have ever crossed your mind, you might not be ready for the life of a work-at-home mom.
1. I can’t stand isolation. Sorry to break it to you – but if you can’t cope without the degree of socialization that working in an office brings, you might need to stay where you’re at. Unless you can learn to adjust to your habitat of solitude, you won’t be happy working at home. There are ways to connect with other people if you work from home. However, you do have to make an intentional effort and usually it starts out through email or social media.
2. I prefer to work with a team. There are three different types of workers. Those that thrive off of autonomy, those that thrive off of teamwork, and those that prefer one or the other but can adjust behavior as needed. If you’re an autonomous worker, you should do great working at home. If you’re a team player, the office might better suit your personality. When you are on a team at work, you usually don’t choose the people you will work with and if you need something you can usually ask without having to build a relationship. The relationship builds over time. When you work from home, the opposite is true. You might not be put on a team and you might not have the ability to hire someone when you are first starting out. Therefore, you first have to develop relationships with others and then you can form a network of people that feel like a team.
3. I don’t like to be in charge. Does being in charge of your own finances, work load, clients and ultimately, your own destiny make you want to crawl in a hole? Are you the type of person who works better under management than in a leadership role? That’s okay if you are, but consider it a sign that you may not be successful working work at home.
4. I need a dependable income. Unless you’ve been juggling your side business while working full time, already secured some sort of funding or have a brawny savings, you probably won’t have a dependable income for months after leaving your gig or just starting out. If an unpredictable income will cause you significant financial burden or risk the wellbeing of your family, stay employed. Or, if you do have enough savings but the thought of financial instability still makes you go limp, working for yourself probably is not a good route to pursue.
5. I don’t have a plan. There are some entrepreneurs that work best without having a robust plan guiding them. Then there is the group of the entrepreneurial population that treats a business plan like a bible. If you’re anything like the majority of us and you don’t have some sort of plan in place, or more importantly, a desire to create one, self-employment isn’t for you.
6. I get distracted easily. Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s going to be distraction at home. It could be your kids arguing, it could be your piled-up laundry or it could be your dog barking at every bird that flies by. Whatever your situation, I can promise you there will be solid distractions. You either need to learn to cope with the circumstances or stay in the office.
7. I don’t want my utility bills to be higher than they are. It’s important to note that in addition to having an unpredictable income, you will most likely have higher utility bills working from home. This is okay for some people, because the higher utility bills are usually lower than the cost of commuting and eating out. But it’s something to consider when weighing self-employment.
8. I don’t want to work harder. Working at home isn’t easy. In fact, many people find that it’s much harder than being employed by someone. This is particularly true if you’re solely self-employed and are responsible for everything from new business to customer satisfaction. However, the need to work harder is often a trade-off for greater flexibility and personal fulfillment. Just know that you’re probably not going to have a 9-5 schedule, you’ll probably be working super early or super late, and it takes up a great deal of time to manage all of the aspects that keep a business running.
9. I need daily structure. As hard as we moms try to keep a structured schedule, being a work-at-home mom provides anything but structure. If you’re willing to adapt your working style and do your best to stick to a dedicated schedule, you might be okay working for yourself.
10. My spouse might not support my decision. If you’re questioning whether or not your spouse will be okay with you leaving a secure job for entrepreneurship, it’s important you have a serious conversation with him. If he’s not comfortable with the decision after you’ve discussed all of the details, you need to consider what is more important to you – being self-employed or having the support of your spouse. There’s no right or wrong answer, it’s a personal decision that only you can answer.
Now that you’re aware of the true reality of working at home, you can make a more informed decision if it’s the right step for you. If any of these thoughts worry you but you think you can adapt to the pitfalls, then give it a shot. It’s most important to be educated about what working at home entails, and then create a plan of action prior to handing in your resignation letter or going from stay at home mom to work at home mom.
