Your Own Home-Based Business: It's All in the Family

Balancing work life with family sure can be challenging in this
day and age. Most of us are working harder and longer just trying
to keep up with the bills and the overall cost of living. The cost
of everything keeps going up: food, utilities, gasoline, insurance,
and day care, just to name a few. It's hard to keep up and still
spend quality time with your children. As a result, more and more
people are choosing to start their own home based businesses.

While it's true that working from home can keep you closer to
your family, it also requires a well-organized and consistent
approach in order to meet the needs of both your business and family
life. To be successful, you must find ways to put in the hours
necessary to start and grow your business without being detoured by
family matters. You will need to manage your tasks and optimize
your time. If you or your spouse hold a regular job, then
conscientious time management will be even more crucial. By
establishing boundaries and through careful planning, you can manage
your time and priorities so that your family can be an asset to your
business rather than a distraction.

First, think about how you could divide business specific
tasks between you and your spouse. Plan your work, then work your
plan. For example, while one spouse is at the workplace holding
down a conventional job, the other can stay at home and spend time
working the business by writing and posting ads, doing research,
ordering product, and so forth. In the evenings when the spouse
returns home from the office, that person can take over duties such
as answering emails and making phone calls for training and
prospecting purposes, while the other attends to the children and
household tasks.

Also, consider recruiting your children into your home
business. They may be able to help with certain tasks. Perhaps
your oldest child can babysit the younger siblings during certain
times of the day or evening. Children may also be able to help by
preparing items for mailing, cleaning your office, and organizing
and filing paperwork (don't be shocked, however, when you get asked
to raise their allowance!).

Talk with your family and come to some agreements about the
importance of your home business. Make them aware of the demands it
places on each member as well as yourself. Gain their understanding
and cooperation. Restrict personal use of the telephone to specific
times so that your line will not be tied up during your business
hours (or better yet, consider having a second phone line installed
to be used just for business). Lay down the law that family must
stay out of your office area during working hours. To make it
easier for them to adhere to your rules, try to coordinate your work
schedule with family activities, and schedule some non-business time
during crucial times of the day, such as when the kids get home from
school and at mealtimes. Be sure to discuss your business schedule
with extended family members and friends. Inform them of your
working hours and ask them not to drop by or call you during those
times when you are working on your business.


Work hard and fast to build your home business, and keep
going! Make the whole family aware of what you are doing and what
you need from them. You'll probably find that they are all willing
to help however they can. The rewards will be worthwhile, and you
and your family can reap the benefits for years to come.

Chuck and Michelle Tourtillott are entrepreneurs in network
marketing with the Robert Allen Team and USANA Health Sciences. You
may contact them at chuckandmichelle@usana.com or visit their web
sites at www.robertallenroadtowealth.com and
www.chuckandmichelle.usana.com