Where Does Your Support Come From?

Starting a business is hard enough. Starting a business from home can be worse. You no longer have anyone to answer to. You are the boss. Having support is still required. Where does your support come from?

A supportive family and spouse can be hard to come by at first for many people. They may eventually come around but getting them on board is important. This is where a well laid out plan comes in. Not just ideas in your head but written down and worked out. This is regardless whether you are turning a hobby into a business or you are going to be a distributor for your favorite direct sales company.

For some without the support can be a deal breaker. How do you plan to deal with this? Have you thought about this yet? It is not something we want to think about but it can happen. You need to be prepared.

Support can leave down the road as well. Some may be experiencing this. Not to worry. Try inviting them into a day in your life. Show them what you do in a day and have them assist you. Let them see what you do. Some of the non-support comes from the not knowing. The more they know the better the chance you have at gaining or regaining their support.

Sit down with your spouse and discuss your new venture. Make sure to answer their questions and address their concerns. Just keeping your spouse in the loop is all you need to get continued support.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com

WAHM Tip of the Week

As a WAHM you are likely to have a spouse or significant other. Work and family can be a balancing act that love can often be left out of. Don't let that happen. One hour a week make time to spend quality time with that special person in your life. Watch a movie, sip a cup of tea and talk, play a game. Make it the same day a week and same time. Neither of you will forget and it becomes habit. This is one habit you don't want to kick.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com

To be, or not to be, a WAHM

Stay at home with the kids, take care of the household chores, spend more time with your spouse, make money in your spare time. Being a WAHM sounds wonderful right? Of course it does. That is why so many turn to working from the home every day. Is it really this glamorous?

First thing I will tell you is get out a notebook and write down your plans for the business. If you are opening your own business you need to know your start up costs - printer, paper, labels, website, website design, shipping materials, payment fees, business cards, brochures, promotional items, graphics, logos, how you plan to ship, advertising, business license, resell license, permits, will you have employees. If you are a consultant for a company you need to know what business materials do you need to start, samples, full size product, domain names, monthly fees, quotas. You need to write down your expenses and be realistic. Starting a business even as a consultant is never free. A free sign up is not a ticket to easy money. You still have to do the work and that will involve money. To work your business and actual build a business you must have business materials, inventory even if only samples, and so forth.

Working from home is not easy. You must be well disciplined to make it work. You must adhere to a schedule as though you were working outside of the home. You need to be prepared for 8+ hours a day. Maybe you can get away with only 4 hours a day (although I would not depend in this amount) but you will have to put in time daily to make your business a success. If you have to many distractions and you cannot work around them, how to you plan to work?

Before you decide to start or join a business, you need to write down all you do in a typical day. If needed keep a detailed diary of everything you do daily. If the first thing that comes to mind is you don't have time to do that, being a WAHM is not for you. If you don't have time to write down all you do or keep a diary for a couple days how do you plan to build a business? A response I would expect is you would make time. If you can make time to work, you can make time to to do one small task. This one task isn't even a dent in what you will have to do when building a business.

You have your day laid out and know that you can rearrange your day to accommodate a work schedule, it is time to decide on what you will do. If you plan to join a company know your market locally and online. An example: In my local area Avon is a hot seller. Problem: I can name off 5 people I know very well that sell it and I can name at least 3 more within just 1 or 2 blocks. The reason this is a problem is the market is over saturated. They do get sales but in the end they are only making about $500 for the year. Now this is not the case for everyone so you must do your research. If you have an over saturated market in one field look at another. There are no Discovery Toys reps in my entire state. Now that is an open market and huge potential.

Do not join a company that you would not enjoy. Do not join a company that will not sell in your area. Its hard to sell a $500 jewelry set in a small town with a median income of $20k. My suggestion is to have a home party or a rep come to your home for a opportunity party. The success of that party will give you a good idea if the success you can encounter.

Being a WAHM is hard work. It is not and never has been easy. The ones that make it look easy have been doing this for quite some time. Don't be blinded by glamorous side. Be realistic, do your research, know your goals before starting, know your beginning budget. Your success depends on your ability to plan and push through the obstacles. If you are not willing, being a WAHM is not for you. This is not a quick or sudden decision. Take your time and know what you are getting into before you invest your time and money.

Olivia Vidal
© 2009
http://sochicbagboutique.com/