So, you’ve decided to stop fighting the traffic, the office politics, and the wasted time and instead work from home. Whatever your reason, and there are plenty of valid ones, you now need to decide how you are going to work in your home office. To be more specific, are you going to be doing home based jobs or run a home business?
Here are six questions to help you decide which is the best for you…
Home Based Jobs or Home Business?
Would You Call Yourself Self-Motivated?
Having your own business does allow you to set your hours, but you have to be a very self-motivated individual to make it work.
There are many facets to a typical business owner day and between the building, marketing, and collecting you still need to have the drive to keep everything going.
If you are not firmly self-motivated, you may not be a good fit to run a home business. But you can still have a great career with a work-at-home job.
What Kind of Skills Do You Have?
Take stock of your skills by making a list. Consider any natural talents you have as well as any past activities. Once you have your list, go down it one at a time and see if any can translate into a business.
Make a note of the potential market for each entry on the list, and when you finish, you have a possible home business list to review.
Of course, many skills that would work for a home business can also translate into a suitable qualification for a home based job position ( or work at home job).
You can note these on the list as well, and then when finished see which column has the most entries. The higher count might be a good indication of which one you are more suited for, but use it only as a loose suggestion. After all, it only takes one great idea or talent to make a successful home business.
What Kind of Lifestyle Do You Imagine Having?
Home based jobs usually require you to log on or otherwise “show up” on time for each day that you are scheduled. This schedule can be pretty inflexible, and make it hard to vary your routine or accommodate family issues.
If you think it’s hard to call in sick at a regular office job, you should try it as a work-at-home employee.
On the other hand, a home run business tends to be more deliverables based. Being this way is good news if you need to have flexible time. Just remember that a failure to deliver usually means no money. You have to ship it to get paid for it.
Do You Have a Business Idea?
If you already have a good business idea, it shows that you have at least been thinking about running a home business. But how far have you planned out the steps required to make it work?
Do you know the next required steps? Are you ready do what you need to make it a reality? More importantly, do these questions stress you out?
How does Punching A Time Clock Feel to You?
You may be okay with punching into a time clock. You also may not mind that someone else tells you what to do. If both of these are true, then home based jobs may be for you.
But if the thought reminds you of prison, then running a home business might be the best choice.
Do You Have the Funds to Start a Business?
Starting a business, even an online one, takes an investment of time AND money. What does your business plan tell you about how much you will need to get it off the ground? Do you have a business plan?
If you don’t have the resources to start a business now, you could consider taking a work-at-home job until you can build some up.
Once you have the amount needed, you can begin the endeavor on the side until it reaches a profit, then ease into running a home based business full time.
Whichever path you decide to follow, both can be a good choice. The important thing is to find the option that is best for you and suited to your abilities.
Don’t forget; you can always change your mind along the way. The important thing is to keep the momentum going whatever your choice.