John Hawkins - Working From Home: Finding Success in Work From Home Businesses

Working from Home

By John Hawkins

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Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to be accurate in this publication. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation. We do our best to provide the best information on the subject, but just reading it does not guarantee success. You will need to apply every step of the process in order to get the results you are looking for.

This publication is not intended for use as a source of any legal, medical or accounting advice. The information contained in this guide may be subject to laws in the United States and other jurisdictions. We suggest carefully reading the necessary terms of the services/products used before applying it to any activity which is, or may be, regulated. We do not assume any responsibility for what you choose to do with this information. Use your own judgment.

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Some examples of past results are used in this publication; they are intended to be for example purposes only and do not guarantee you will get the same results. Your results may differ from ours. Your results from the use of this information will depend on you, your skills and effort, and other different unpredictable factors.

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Table of Contents

Why Work from Home?

Do you like the appeal that working from home offers you? Most people do and the first things they think of are flexibility, being your own boss and working in your pajamas. While this is great the reality of working from home can be a little different. Lets take a look.

Being your own boss is absolutely one of the biggest pros of working from home. But it can become your downfall if you are not careful. While you can easily change your hours as you like, you will still need to commit to work on your business regularly. If not, you will find that your income becomes non-existent. So, have set office hours where you proactively work on building your business.

Flexible hours are another huge plus of working from home. If your kids are sick you can take the time to care for them. If you have a doctors appointment, you can simply work this into your schedule. Again, you need to be careful that you arent out running errands all day. Schedule your appointments carefully and try to book them together. This way you can get all of your running around done in one day and not find yourself breaking up several days into chunks.

The lure of not getting dressed and working in your pajamas may be great at first. But it can also deter you from actually getting work done. You may find it easier if you do get up, exercise, then shower and prepare for work. Then just walk into your office and start your day's work. Mindset is important if you want to run a successful business. Allowing yourself to be lazy could result in you getting less work done on a regular basis.

One of the biggest drawbacks about working from home is that it is so easy to allow yourself to have excuses. This might be for taking an extra day off, or for not being productive enough.

In order to run a successful business from home you need to have a good mindset. This includes realizing that you and only you are responsible for your own income. Taking off too many hours each week is not going to help you support your family and live a carefree lifestyle. Instead you want to set goals and limits on your time. Build your business first, before taking advantage of what working from home can offer you and your family.

Which Home Based Business Model is Best for You?

If the lure of working from home is appealing to you, have you thought about what type of business you could run from home? There are many types of business models that could be suitable for you. This article will take a look at some of the most popular choices today.

Service Based Business

This type of business model is where you are working for clients. You can provide various services such as:

*Writing

*Web design and graphics

*Book keeping

*Data entry

*Email management

*Social Media management

The best aspect of this model is that it will provide you with an immediate income. Your main priority is finding clients and then fulfilling the work. If you already have experience in a certain area then it makes sense to continue with this in your home business.

For example, if you work in a tax or accounting office, you can simply offer this service to your clients. You can target both online and offline business owners. All you have to do is set up a professional website with your services and then market it to attract clients.

Your Own Business

This model is extremely attractive but it does have a few draw backs. When you are first starting out remember that it takes time to build a business. Be prepared to not see an income for the first few months. Then when you do, you will need to put some money back into growing your business.

Types of businesses that fit this model include:

*Self-publishing your own books

*Creating and selling digital products

*Running an ecommerce type store

*Affiliate marketing

*Blogging

All of these are fantastic business models which allow you to be in control of your own destiny and income. Running an online business from home takes dedication and determination. You have to be prepared to work long hours at first, and you need to be consistent with your efforts.

Some people like to mix and match these business models. It is possible to offer a writing service while still publishing your own books. Or you may want to offer social media management as a service so that you have income to put into creating your own products.

Thats the beauty of running a home-based business, you have the flexibility to choose what to offer, and when to offer it. We would recommend that you only offer one type of service at a time. You can always add a new service later on if you wish.

The Discipline That Working from Home Entails

One of the biggest problems for anyone working from home is that of discipline. Working from home allows you lots of freedom and choices, and it is easy to take things way too far. Have you ever taken a day off because the weather was great, or you didnt feel like working? Whats worse is when that one day stretches into a few or more.

This is why the topic of discipline is so important and should not be overlooked. If you really want to enjoy those summer days, you can. You just need to plan and schedule your day differently.

It is understandable that you want to spend more time with your family during the summer. There is no reason why you cannot, and you dont have to let your business suffer either.

Instead of taking complete days off, plan to work a shorter day. You may find it easier to get up early and work while your family is still sleeping. Plus, if you know you only have four hours to work, you will be amazed at how productive you can be. It is way too easy to let checking your emails or posting to Facebook eat into your day.

At the end of each business day write out what must be accomplished the next day. Using a whiteboard is great for this and list the items in order of priority. Then as soon as you are ready to work you know exactly what needs to be done. Dont even open your email until the first task is completed. Then allow yourself ten or fifteen minutes to check on emails and your social sites. Then get back to work promptly.

If you do this during the summer months you may notice just how productive you can really be. By the time your kids are up you will be finishing for the morning and can then spend time with your family, without feeling guilty.