Home Business Boom

In today's troubled economic times, it's of no surprise to me that huge numbers are turning to home based businesses. The days of job security are long since gone, in fact many large corporations that have been around for over 100 years have disappeared entirely or downsized dramatically.

So the old myth of go to school, get a great education, get a job, work hard and you'll be able to retire simply doesn't apply anymore. We've got many losing their homes, their jobs, and not quite sure what to do about it.

I believe troubled economic times are huge opportunity for change. Makes people wake up a bit and realize what they're doing doesn't work or hold true anymore. So many are looking for a better way, a happier life, spending more time with their partner and family, travelling more and just in general enjoying life as we only go round once. The answer for the freedoms of all I've mentioned is having a home based business.

No more answering to someone else, working long hours for little pay, spending hours each week stuck in traffic jams, feeling burned out, underpaid and totally unhappy. They're looking for a better way and many are realizing there are plenty of home based business opportunities out there, but they're nervous, they've never done this before, is this a legitimate business, how much will it cost to get started?

All of these are valid questions and feelings, but if you just stop and think for a moment of what's really involved, all it really is - is your time. Time to check things out and do some research, explore what's available, what appeals to you, what investment is required. Doesn't lock you in at all, but do give yourself permission to at least explore, there are many legit opportunities and the time has never been better.

The next question you need to ask yourself is do you have what it takes to be in business for yourself? Not everyone does, but for those that do - it's limitless. You must be disciplined and have a DMO (Daily Mode of Operation) where you schedule yourself just as you would when you worked for someone else and had to be there at certain times.

You do have the flexibility of arranging your schedule to suit your needs when working from home, but make no mistake - you must treat this home business seriously and give it your all if it's to succeed. There will be enormous learning involved at least initially and this all takes time and must be done if success is expected. You had on the job training when you worked for someone else but you also got paid while you learned.

Making money when in business for yourself doesn't happen overnight and you must be prepared for that and have enough to make it through the learning stages. Once you've mastered what you're doing, you'll then have to learn how to market yourself to make sales and this too is a whole new ballgame also requiring revenue.

The lessons you learn along the way are immeasurable and will be with you a lifetime, so knowledge is always a good thing and please know there's light at the end of the tunnel. It can seem overwhelming at times, but if you've got that burning desire to be your own boss and a strong belief in what you're doing as well as believe you can do it, be persistent, talk to everyone you can and learn all that you can - you will be successful!

I am self employed, in the amazing arena of self development Direct Sales (not any longer as of Nov. '09) - also a home based business. I did a lot of research and when I found this opportunity I knew immediately it was right for me. I love self development and since the release of the movie "The Secret", this field has literally exploded.

I had done a fair bit of work with life coaching already, so was familiar with the concept of Law of Attraction and that what you think about you bring about, so when I saw this opportunity - I knew that it was my calling so to speak, and would be something I would have a passion for probably for the rest of my life. The self exploration involved with self development appeals to me greatly and I can think of no greater feeling than helping others find a better, different way so they can live the lives they say they want.

Is being an entrepreneur for everyone? Definitely not - but for those who make the decision to make this their business, their lives are changed forever. You must have passion for what you do if you're going to be successful at it. Countless highly successful entrepreneurs all agree that you must have passion!

I hope I've opened your mind just a little to the pro's and con's of being your own boss in a home based business scenario. Food for thought for sure! So get out there! Explore! The world is your oyster!

If you're not sure where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere else.
- Anonymous

Why Be an Entrepreneur?

I've often wondered what drives some of us to have a burning desire for being our own boss. Why is it that some have it and some don't? For me it's just in my blood, has been for about 25 years. I recall ever so clearly being very young, being a give a damn employee, taking great pride in giving it my all and often feeling that I gave more than my bosses.

I put more hours in just to get on top of things, was often working overtime for no extra pay, just so I could have an easier day because I was caught up, or because I wanted to meet a time target. It also occurred to me that not many others were doing this, and in fact had been told "hey don't be doing that! it makes me look bad!".

So one day after working about one year for a pharmaceutical company without a boss, taking on huge responsibilities, travelling to put together a new drug submission to our U.S. offices, working diligently without supervision, it was time for my annual review. I got told they truly appreciated all I did, that I was an amazing "give a damn employee" and that they couldn't have filed that submission without me, that they'd really gone to the wall to upgrade my job classification pay scale, and then told me I'd been given about a $1,500.00 per year increase.

Something went off in my head at that point, my thoughts were good lord! they've saved paying a Medical Director's (my boss) salary of about $250K per year and all they were offering me was a measly $1,500 per year!!!

I was only about 20 years old at this point, thanked him very much, walked back to my desk, immediately typed up my resignation letter and had it back on the General Manager's desk within about 1 hour of my review. He read it and looked at me totally astonished and asked me "are you sure you know what you're doing?, do you have another job offer?".

I replied very politely that I had never been more sure of anything in my life and that if going to bat for me resulted in a lousy increase like that, it was very clear my exceptional efforts were not at all appreciated or recognized and that no I did not have another job offer, but needed to stop wasting my time with an employer who didn't recognize who I was and what I brought to the table. I gave 2 weeks notice and never looked back!

Got home that night and announced to my common-law hubbie that I'd resigned, he didn't seem too taken aback and that was that. I then began pursuing a passion of mine that was producing fashion shows. I worked diligently with such energy, no thought of defeat ever crossed my mind, no hurtle was too big to overcome and did this for almost one year without ever making a penny.

In the end, I had secured and put a deposit down on a fairly big venue for my show that I called "Fashion Rocks" where I wanted to put Toronto's newest and brightest young designers together with a well known rock band. Long story short - I was unable to secure advertising revenue, so took a loss with deposits and shut it all down. That was well over 25 years ago, and ironically out came "Fashion Rocks" from the UK a few decades later! Sheeesh! A girlfriend of mine pointed out recently that I was way ahead of my time.

Had my own business in auto service and sales with my late hubbie for 17 years, which was profitable but also very negative. Is there anyone out there who trusts their mechanic?lol! Shut that down too in 2002 and began my long, extensive search for what I now wanted to do.

Discovered the fascinating world of life coaching and self development and knew immediately it was something I wanted to be part of and that I had tremendous passion for. I've been involved with self development/personal growth for several years and have decided it's where I will now focus my attention and income on. I'm now in the continuous learning of what that's all about, have faced many hurdles (mostly self inflicted - as most are!), have learned a lot about myself, turned down a fairly lucrative job in the interim because something deep inside me rose up to say "Hey you can't work for someone else! That's like giving up on yourself!"

So my thoughts today drift to why it's so important to me at least to be my own boss, to make my own decisions right or wrong, to create what I want and to take full responsibility for my outcome.

As I fondly look back at my past, I realize that with youth also came lack of fear, lack of failure and remember ever so clearly how that felt. My own personal growth has led me to where I am today, learning to undo many years of negative thought programming and getting back to living life fearlessly!

One thing I am entirely clear on is that I will always be in business for myself, and that it's my calling to help others discover the wonderful world of entrepreneurship. The business opportunity that comes with the self development is just the icing on the cake!

This is my first "business" blog and look forward to hearing any and all feedback you may have. In closing, I will post a wonderful quote that spoke loudly to me:

Some make it happen, some watch it happen, and some say, "What happened?"
- Anonymous