Working from home

Life today is just so fast-paced.  For parents like myself, I’m sure any opportunity to have a job that you can work around your children is worth investigating.

When I started working from home in 2008, it was more a decision I made based on lack of options. I  had four children, was separated at the time and my children were going through a very difficult relocation to a new school, a new house, without the security of their father.  I was being called into the school more times than I would have liked, so having a regular job was near on impossible.

That’s when I got creative and decided to use my computer to generate an income.  I started out by doing whatever I could to help out my friends.  Type up a resume, design a DVD cover.  Whatever I could.  Out of that I grew a business providing business support services including webdesign, graphic arts, publishing, video promos and business mentoring and training.

I’m not suggesting that everyone could do what I have done as I do have advanced skills in a few areas.  However, if you can type, then you might find that you can provide a Virtual Assistant type of service working from home.  Working my own business now is the best decision I made because it affords me the flexibility to respond to my children’s needs.  In fact, it would be nigh on impossible for me to do a regular job, as with four children, I am called out to the school at least once a week for something and then there are the days when the children are sick too.

So if you are wanting to find a business that works for you, my suggestion would be to sit down and write a list of the skills that you have and look to see what kind of work from home business you can build.  Think about the kinds of things that you do naturally in your day.  Do you organise a household, do you make phone calls, do you manage a budget, do you type letters, do you research important information etc.  These are all skills that are valuable in a business and you may have more skills than you think.

I’m always happy to throw a few ideas around with you.  At the end of the day though, a work from home business is a lot of hard work and sometimes takes a long time to build up the business to a point where you are getting a decent return.  If you’re prepared for the long haul, it can be very satisfying.

There are always ways to make money, it’s usually just a matter for finding the way that works best for you.  Good luck!