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Home › Articles › Join the Ranks of Telecommuters › Finances, Flexibility and a Little Bit of Faith

Finances, Flexibility and a Little Bit of Faith

What It Takes to Start a Home-based Business

By Melissa Granberry

Pages:  1  2  3  

The Long Haul

Though a crystal ball would be useful for planning your company's future, a more practical approach is to think about potential obstacles. "Plan for the long haul from the very beginning," says Keitt. Consider situations such as your spouse being transferred from his current location or more children in your family's future.

"I started my business with a new baby and a 2-year-old and was very frustrated at times," says Amy Walker, owner of Tag, You're It! in Cypress, Texas. "There were not enough hours in the day to get everything done." However, she persevered and is now enjoying her business and her time with her children. "Be patient!" she says. "It takes time for the hard work to pay off."

Reap the Rewards

"Building a business can consume you," says Keitt. "But if you develop a strategic approach to doing business in a way that is compatible with your family, you can find yourself reaping the awesome rewards from all sides."

These rewards include financial independence, flexibility, self-fulfillment and maybe even sanity. "I love the flexibility!" says Walker. "The most rewarding thing about the business is having a little something for myself while being able to stay at home with my kids."

"I never dreamed my company would one day become a quarter of a billion dollar corporation," says Vernon. "As my business grew and I became successful, I realized I loved what I was doing."

Of course, the odds are small that a company started at home will eventually become a multi-million dollar company, but you never know until, like Lillian Vernon, you take that "leap of faith."

Home Business Tips

Stacy DeBroff is a mother who decided to start her own business from home to be with her kids on a more regular basis. She is also the author of The Mom Book: 4,278 of Mom Central's Tips – For Moms from Moms (Free Press, 2002) and founder of www.momcentral.com. She offers the following tips for having a business in your home:

  • Set up your office in a part of the house from which you or your business callers cannot hear the sounds of your baby crying, children fighting, cartoons on TV or the dishwasher running.
  • Section off a separate space for your office. Examples are the attic, a walk-in closet, hallway or even a part of your bedroom.
  • If your child is being watched at home by someone else:
    • Have a door that locks to avoid unexpected visits and demands.
    • Arrange for classes and activities that take your children out of the house for fresh air or on new adventures.
    • Childproof your office by putting a gate up, creating a kid's desktop if your child plays computer games so she can't disrupt main system files, locking filing cabinets and placing important things such as papers and computer equipment out of reach.
  • Have two or three phone numbers assigned to your home or business line so you can discern whether a call is business or home-related based on the distinctive ring.
  • Resist picking up your personal line while working – let voicemail or your answering machine get it and check messages over your lunch or coffee break.
  • When you and your partner both work from home, work in separate spaces if possible, with shared breaks or lunch. Make sure each of you has your own telephone line, computer, desk and drawers. Share expensive and seldom-used office equipment, such as a fax, copier and printer.


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