Ask most people why they want to start a home business, or these days a home based internet business, and they will "round up the usual suspects" as Claude Raines said in Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. They will talk about making money, firing the boss, spending more time with the kids, improved quality of life; the chance to travel...the list goes on. If you look carefully at the list, however, one common theme underlies all the specific items on the list. When people start a home business or home based internet business, they are really looking for one thing...FREEDOM! That's what it comes down to, right? No more boss telling YOU what to do. No alarm clock waking YOU up so you can get to the dead-end job that doesn't pay enough to let YOU do what YOU want to do. No more telling the kids that they can't go to Disneyland because there's not enough money, or not being able to go to Johnny's ballgame, or the piano recital, or the class play because you've got to be at work. Many people think it's about the money, but if you got honest answers from people, you would find that many would be willing to make the same as what their job pays right now if they could just ditch the boss, the alarm clock, the coat and tie, the shoes that pinch, the griping customers, and the fear of being...ahem...downsized. That is great! I do this, and I can confirm that having FREEDOM is fantastic. As I was sitting down at home to write this when I "got to work" at 10 AM on a Monday morning (in lay-around-the-house clothes), the phone rang. It was my daughter. She had a dead battery and a new (preemie) baby on the north side of Dallas and was one step shy of hysterical. Before she was finished telling her mom the whole problem, I was throwing the jumper cables and my tool bag in the Prius and getting ready to head out. No boss to ask, you see. No real potential loss of income because I can always do this tomorrow. I was already thinking about a restaurant where I wanted to eat lunch near where she was at. Now, in a strange way, that's freedom. Do what I want (or need) to do on my schedule without having to ask permission or worry about what will happen to the paycheck if I leave work early today...and maybe take tomorrow off completely. Unfortunately, many people who sign up for an internet business or home business only see that part of it. Sadly, many of the people who sign them up just talk about that side of it, and all the money they can make. Yes, the freedom IS nice. It is real. I revel in it, but let me lay a couple of facts on you as well. If you start a home based business, whether it is a home based internet business or a conventional one, or a hybrid the chances of success or failure are the same as with any store that opened its doors downtown today. The causes of success or failure will be the same as those of the barber shop, computer repair shop, hardware store, or grocery that opened today. The Small Business Administration outlines many of those causes on their web site at http://sba.gov/ and it behooves the beginning entrepreneur to take a look. In fact, they presently have a page that tells it like it is for anyone beginning a new business venture whether it is a brick and mortar storefront business, a traditional home based business, or a home based internet business. Currently, this page is located at http://sba.gov/starting_business/startup/areyouready.html but this article may be reprinted many times over the coming years, so if you cannot find the article through this link, just look around the Small Business Administration site. I guarantee you will find a wealth of information, including the causes of small business failure and tools for small business success. An overview of all this information is that success is dependent on preparation, and a sustained effort on the part of the entrepreneur. Yes, I had the freedom to leap out the door to help my daughter without asking permission, but at some point, I would have to sit down and write this article, clean up a website, network with a potential customer or business owner, study the news and read message boards. In other words, I would have to work in order to make MY business a success. I would have to do all the things my BOSS would have asked me to do, but now I have to do them for myself. I AM THE BOSS! And the janitor, and the sales manager, and the receptionist, and..... What the heck! I can pack up my computer and go down to the coast next week. Oh yeah. I've got freedom, but I have a business to think of too. Let's see. I'll need a motel with a view of the ocean and in-room high-speed internet. They have to accept pets. Don't forget to contact some people down there and make this a business trip.... |
