Editorial "Thats Nice Dear....." Does that sound familiar? Do you have family members or close friends who tend to think that working from home is just a little hobby, something to keep you busy while you are watching the children grow up, and something to lift the burden of housework or the boredom of being a stay at home parent? For many of us, this is very true.  Spouses, parents, and extended family members, especially those who have grown up in the business world, tend to look at people who work from home (especially if that business is virtually based) as being our little "hobby".  How do you manage to cope with this?  Do you try and explain your hopes and aspirations to your loved ones without it sounding like you are getting on a soapbox?  And when you do explain, does it sink in?  Do they finally understand how you feel and what you are trying to achieve?  In fact was it worth all the trouble in the first place?  I don't think it gets any easier or difficult in time, it's just "different".  It's tough enough to make the business world realise that there is life outside of a skyscraper, that the rat-race only exists if you make yourself a part of it, that there are substantial rewards running a business from home, and Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus.  What I mean by this is if you truly believe in yourself, and in your success, then it will happen, it will be a reality for you and more importantly for those who have trouble understanding.  It will take time.  Nothing ever happens overnight (except in the movies of course) and this same scenario can be used when dealing with those who are skeptical.  Make them aware of your achievements, your growth and your abilities.  Show them what you have gained, in both a business and personal level.  Don't be ashamed to say "Hey I work hard at making this work and I am proud of what I have achieved.  As the saying goes "A picture paints a thousand words" and you can paint a picture of your achievements then you are well on the way to gaining support from those around you. ~~ Jo ~~

Guest Article The Realities & Challenges of Working at Home by Aaron Turpen of Aaronz WebWorkz While many tout the wonders and independence of working from home, whether you've got a regular job that allows you to telecommute or you own your own home-based business, they often don't talk about the challenges that face the home-based worker. Not that I'm going to trade the benefits in for a "real job," mind you…Some of the challenges that face any work-at-home person, whether they have been working from home for years or are just starting out, are tough. For me, personally, they rank in this order: self-discipline, loneliness, family over-time, distractions, organization, and respect. Self-Discipline Self-discipline is by far the hardest thing to master when working from home, whether you're working at your business or not. While it's easy to envision yourself succeeding and "getting things done," it's much harder when the real rote and tackle of work is in front of you. Even if you absolutely love your chosen profession, there are at least some aspects of it that are tedious to you. These are your biggest stumbling blocks. For me, mastering self-discipline was the roughest part of working from home. Other challenges on this list are easy compared to this one, since most of them are just the "excuse" you need to avoid discipline and getting things done. Loneliness (aka "Cabin Fever") For some, this is no big deal. These are people we'd normally define as "home bodies." I'm not one of those. I'm an extremely social person. Luckily, email and (some) phone interactions during the day abate this problem to some extent. I've also got other things I do to keep my normally fidgety self from collapsing in self-pity. I walk the dog, I see a couple of friends for coffee at least once a week, I participate in political activities in my area, and I spend time with my family doing things… In short, I have plenty of things I do outside of my work (and office!) to keep me healthy socially. Family Over-Time This one's tough and can sometimes coincide with the loneliness problem. When your family members are home all day, as you are, it can easily lead to friction, a breaking down of "structure," and a lot of other similar problems.  For instance, when my wife is home with a day off or a short day at work, we can sometimes get on one another's nerves or distract one another from tasks. I have several ways to fix this. The most preferable for me would be to own a large mansion with rooms defined as "suites" and organized into distance-separated sections defined as "wings." Since I'm not a multi-millionaire (yet), this isn't feasible. So I resort to plan b: a notebook computer and the library… I load the stuff I'll need onto my portable computer, go to the library and spend a few hours working there instead of at home. Distractions The above problem is also closely related to this one. There are a million things in your home environment to distract you: especially if the task at hand is particularly unsavory for one reason or another. Computer games, hunger, the dog, the cat, kids, spouses, and various forms of procrastination are all things that can easily be distracting to you. In my own experience, the dog and computer games are my biggest nemesis in this department. The only way I've found to combat these issues is self-discipline using "rewards" for good behavior. I promise myself that if I finish the task at hand, I'll play that game for an hour or wrestle with the dog for a while as a reward. Organization By nature, I'm not a meticulously organized person. However, I do have certain habits which seem to facilitate easy organization: namely I have a calendar and keep email archives.  I recently purchased a $4 pocket calendar/weekly day minder.  On my wall right next to the desk is a marker board on which I write "To Do" lists (coded with special symbols like "*" and "-->" to tell me importance of the item). I also have two marker-board calendars (one for the current month and one for the coming month) on which I keep short notes.  These basic tools keep me on track for the most part. Other parts of organization include your office/business files, your computer's data and backups, invoices and debits, etc., etc. Coming up with **simple** ways to organize these items is key to keeping yourself from feeling "swamped" with details. I emphasize the word "simple" because if your organization is too complex, you'll start "cheating" and it will eventually fall into chaos. KISS is a favorite military term: "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Respect Lastly on my list comes respect. Many people assume that since you "work from home," you must be fiddling around with some get rich quick scheme and burdening your spouse, significant other, parents, the government, or someone else with yourself as you while away the hours in a dream world.These are people who see you during your best hours and don't see the 16+ hour days you're putting in slaving in your office, the struggle to coherently write a web page, email, etc., etc. while functioning on three hours' sleep, or your long battles with the IRS when filling out "self employment" tax forms. To work from home without going insane or maybe to jail for attacking some nay-sayer, you'll have to grow a thick skin . . . or make a lot of money you can flaunt in front of them to disprove their foolish notions . . . either one will work. I personally use the first while working towards having the second. :) So working from home isn't all gravy. Oh well. Nothing in life is. The true beauty of working from home comes from the independence, freedom, and self-reliance you gain in "going it on your own." It offers opportunity, excitement, mental stimulation, and more. Take pride in your choice! Aaron is the proprietor of Aaronz WebWorkz, a full service company catering to small businesses online. Aaron publishes a weekly newsletter full of hints, tricks, and other info for the online entrepreneur. http://www.AaronzWebWorkz.com

Web Site HomeBizTools.com I came across this site the other day while checking some stats for a website I manage and thought that this site may be of interest to you.  HomeBizTools.com is a wealth of information to help you start, expand and promote your business.  From free downloads, tips, tutorials and resources, you will probably find everything you need to help.  There is a great help section from tools to help start you off on the right track through to resources on how to promote and market.  The article base is extensive and covers a wide variety of motivational, marketing and promotional stories as well as articles on the background of a home business - managing work and family. A lot of effort has gone into this site to provide you with a good sound base.  This site is a credit to Brett Krkosska and his team and is definately worth a visit.

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