Marriage and Working From Home

I have worked from home for the past 5 years. This month, actually, is my 5 year anniversary of working from home. I have been married that whole time. In fact, I started my first business about 6 months after I got married. My husband had a hobby, and I didn't really have one. So I started that business as a hobby, and eventually worked harder to earn money. Now, I am doing a business that I am actually earning money with, and I love it. But one thing remains - my marriage comes first.

There are a few things I've learned over the past 5 years about how to make working from home work for you if you are married and/or have children:

• Schedule your time! Plan out exactly when you are going to work, and let your family know. If you plan to work evenings, make sure your husband is aware and supportive. For me, I try to work during the times that my husband has something else going on. Of course, that is not always the case, but he knows I'm earning money, so he's usually fine with it.
• Keep your business and personal life separate. By doing the first thing, scheduling your time, you will be able to focus on your business during business time and your family during family time. That is such a common problem with people working from home - they try to combine it with their family life, and everyone's unhappy. The key is to find time that you can truly focus on your business, and then the other times - RELAX and spend time with your fam.
• Take time for yourself and your marriage. This is similar to the previous point, but I mean dedicated, separate time. Perhaps it's a date night or a family day. Perhaps it's a bubble bath or a movie night. Recently, my husband and I went away for marriage retreat. This is something we do every year. It's a way to just focus on our marriage and each other. It is so much fun, and during that time, I didn't do any business. It was purely a fun weekend away.

If you're looking for some great marriage advice, I recommend checking out Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage. Last year at our marriage retreat, we watched these videos and they are great!

Finding a Business That Is Right For You

In the new year, with many people trying to recover from credit card debt and facing potential job losses, more and more people are looking for additional income options. For some, that may mean finding a second job or trying to get a raise. For others, this may entail finding a way to work from home a few hours a week. Many people are choosing the second option due to the flexibility and choices that it brings with it.

While choices in the home-based business industry can be a positive thing, they can also be quite overwhelming. There’s skincare, purses, jewelry, scrapbooking, kitchen products, candles, and more. Then there’s the terminology: party-plan, direct sales, multi-level marketing, network marketing, online business, blogs, etc. How does one decide what is right for them?

One way to start is by answering a few questions to narrow down your choices. By answering these questions, you can help determine what you are looking for as well as what a company might offer. Some examples of these questions would be:

• What are you passionate about?
• What products does the company offer?
• What is the market in your area for these products?
• Are the products affordable for the average person?
• What is the start-up cost and is that refundable?
• How long has the company been in business?
• What are the average earnings of people in the company and how many hours a week is required to reach that income level?
• How do you market the products - parties/shows, online, face-to-face, over the phone?
• Does the business result in residual income?

In addition to asking yourself these questions, there are some excellent resources available online. Obviously, when researching online, one must keep in mind that there is a lot of information out there, and not all of it is accurate. Be sure to thoroughly research your topic, and remember that personal experience is the only way to know if something will work for you or not. That being said, here are some online resources that one might find particularly helpful:
http://www.wahm.com/ - The online magazine for work at home moms. Here you can browse through message boards such as "Business Advice and Topics" or "WAHMs in Party Plans".
http://www.dsa.org/ - The Direct Selling Organization’s official website. You can search the Member Directory according to company name, products/services offered, or type of compensation plan.
http://www.bbb.org/ - The Better Business Bureau’s website allows you to search based on company name and/or type of business. You can view the company’s status with the BBB and how the company has resolved complaints against them.

Finally, one of the best ways to make a decision about working from home is hearing first-hand experiences of others. You can ask friends and family who they know who has a home business and is successful, talk to members of Tuesday Forum, as well as read online blogs of people who work from home.

Once you find the right business for you, it is important to treat it like a business. You’ll need to give yourself at least 3-6 months to begin generating some income. However, don’t allow someone to convince you that it should take 3-6 years to generate income. While it will take some time, if you are working consistently, a good business will result in income in a reasonable amount of time. For me, I have found the right business, and I feel that it is a business anyone can do!

My Future Car

Here's a picture of my future car:







A Toyota Highlander - my goal is to have one by this summer! And have my company paying for it!

Tips for Successful Presentations

What are people looking for in a presentation? Everyone is looking for different things. When you work from home, it's important to learn, however, to determine what someone is looking for. That way you can help meet their needs with what your business has to offer. I find that the best way to determine what someone is looking for is to ask questions. You can't assume that just because they are in front of you, that they actually are interested in what you have to offer. So, what I usually do before I share my information is ask the potential customer a few questions. This allows me to cater to their needs while still sharing all that my company has to offer.

This skill of asking questions does not always come naturally to everyone. We usually want to talk a lot, especially when we are excited about what we are sharing. However, I find that the people who are most successful in working from home are those who learn to ask questions first. After asking questions, it's important to LISTEN! If you ask questions but then jump to telling without truly listening, you still will not find success.

So, my tips today would be to ask questions, listen and customize what you are offering without compromising. This, in conjunction with the right business, will lead to success.