Do you want to start a home business? Most people want to work at home for several reasons. What’s your purpose? Are you tired of having that boss breathing down your neck? Are you looking for something that can bring in some additional income for you or your family? Are you travelling too much in your current position and want to do something new? Whatever the reason, you’ve made the decision. It may appear like the perfect opportunity, working your hours and not having anyone tell you what to do. Let’s be honest, amidst all of this home business paradise, there will be some stress involved, and if the pressure begins to overtake the amount of fun you should be having while working at home, it may be time to step back to see what has gone wrong.
One of the most stressful aspects of running your own home-based business is pay. Your pay may not be as you were used to when you were working for someone else. Having your own business doesn’t give you the security of that weekly or bi-weekly paycheck. You know how much to expect and when to expect it. If offered, overtime means extra money, and again, you knew when it would be received. Chances are there was also a health care plan you could join at a reasonable cost as well as retirement benefits. Paid vacations are another advantage usually enjoyed by employees and, in some cases, sick days and personal time. However, you made that life-changing decision and decided you wanted your own home-based business.
When you are considering your home-based business opportunity, you do need to realize that all of those things are going to go away. When you are working at home, you are earning money, and most times, you will get paid once the job is turned in and approved. However, each week the amount of your check may be a little different. Sometimes it will be more, other times it could be less. If you are working with different companies, the income may come at different times, and although all the various streams of income can add up to a tidy sum, there will be some stress involved if one or more of the streams is running a little slow.
It will be a rare home business opportunity in which all make the payment the same day of the week of the different clients or customers, and until you learn to adjust to this new style of income schedule, it can be a stressful environment. Additionally, taking some of that pay every time you get it and socking it away for taxes can also put a strain on the family budget. However, if you don’t make the right plans, it will make income tax time much more stressful than it needs to be.
For most home-based business opportunities, a regular, structured income can relieve a lot of stress, but that is something you will have to design on your own. The salary will come, but not in one lump payment and get used to it can take a few months of struggling until it finally sinks in.
That’s ok; it happens to all of us. I started my first home-based business when I was 23 years old, and I let the stress get to me. I wasn’t getting paid what I thought I was going to, and then decided to stop that business and went back to work for someone else. What I didn’t realize at 23 was that if I had stayed positive and kept my direction, my business would have continued to grow. I know this because there are successful people still running that business that kept their focus.
I should have just taken some time off. One aspect many of us realize is that taking a day off is ok. Your business is not going anywhere, and taking time off can help you refocus. Get your mind off of your stress, work on your favourite hobby, or spend time with your family. Whatever it is, step away. You can then come back, take a look at everything from the outside and reevaluate what you are doing. You’ll probably be surprised at what you find out.
