Benefits of a Stay at Home Business

But, There's a Downside Too...

Your own stay at home business... sounds heavenly, right? But it's important to recognize that doing so won't automatically guarantee that you'll be able to make money working online.

There are pros and cons to owning your own business, as with most things in life. And establishing a truly successful money making home business doesn't happen overnight either... no matter how many "get rich quick and easy" claims you may come across.

More and more people each year worldwide are deciding to work from home... for a variety of reasons. Some work part-time, while others have chucked in all of the hassle of working for someone else.

Working from home can be a lot of fun, but unless it's truly just a hobby for you, you will need to make commitments and reserve time just as you do with a regular job. That is, if you hope to make money working online at home.

But, I can tell you from my own experience, there are definitely some significant benefits to having a stay at home business if you can make those commitments.

Some Great Benefits of a Stay at Home Business

Working from home can be fulfilling and rewarding and offers freedom.

Mothers, singles, divorced and fathers are working at home in every conceivable job imaginable. Some are computer graphic artists, some sell handcrafted items or buy and sell through eBay, while others write articles on the Internet. But every one of them has one thing in common... they love the independence and freedom of working at home!

The type of work done at home matters little for most of us. What's most important is the satisfaction in a job that we enjoy and that is purely our own. Not to mention that reaping the benefits is purely ours too.

Besides the possibility of self-fulfillment in a stay at home business, there are also some very practical benefits too...

A stay at home business can save the costs of daily commuting.

The rising costs of vehicles, gas and insurance have spurred many of us to stop the daily commute and start working from home. Wear and tear on a vehicle can add up quickly in terms of oil changes, parts replacement, and general repair and tuning.

Statistics show that the average driver spends over 150 hours commuting per year just from home to work. Hopefully, your salary at the job takes care of all of these issues, but time is something that can never be replaced. And don't forget the stress of dealing with heavy traffic and drivers fueled by road rage!

The extra expense of eating out is a factor for many people that decide to work at home. The average cost for a fast food type meal is $5 or more, which adds up when you consider a whole year. Brown bagging it, while an option, often does not work for many on the go.

Working from home can enable moms—and dads too—to stay at home and care for their children, while still earning money for household expenses.

This can not only be beneficial for the parent-child relationship, but also saves money on childcare. Some daycares accept children as young as six weeks old, but the cost is outrageous. Cost fluctuates throughout the U.S., but care can run into a few hundred dollars a month per child, even with discounts for more than one.

With a stay at home business, you may not necessarily be able to spend every waking minute with your children when you are home. After all, you still have work to do. However, just being there for your children can make you feel good as a parent. This is true whether you are a mom or a dad.

Not only that, but it is easier for you and your spouse to plan family trips if one or both of you does not have to worry about asking off from work to go. This is a plus for any family, especially one with children, and is one of the goals of many people who work at home.

A stay at home business provides a lot more flexibility than a regular job, in most cases.

If you are a person who does not mind helping others and wants to be available in case your family or friends have an emergency, running a home business can help make this happen.

I can speak from personal experience that this is a wonderful benefit. My mom had a terrible year in 2007, with 5! hospitalizations, one every other month, for a whole year. She's elderly, losing her memory, and just becomeing more fragile all the time. I don't know what we would have done if I hadn't had the flexibility of a stay at home business that has enabled me to be her primary caregiver in every sense.

One word of caution, however, is to not get yourself caught up into too many "emergencies" that really are not emergencies. For instance, if your 80-year-old neighbor lady has a cat that is stuck in the top of a tree, you can call the fire department for her. They will be happy to oblige, as long as they don't have too many emergency fires to put out.

One things I've noticed is that a lot of people seem to forget that just because you have a home business doesn't mean you're not actually working. So, you sometimes have to remind them, "Well, I'm going to be working on such and such project all day on Wednesday, so I'm not really available..." or some such.

A stay at home business is often extremely portable.

One of the great things about having your own work at home business may be that you can take it with you wherever you go (depending on the type of business it is). For instance, to support my boyfriend who is starting a new career midlife, I've moved to different parts of the country 3 times in 3 years.

But it's been OK... I've said many a time, "As long as I have my laptop and an Internet connection, I'm still in business!" And it's true... I even visited my children in Austin, Texas for 2 different 2 week periods last year and was able to keep my business running without a hitch.

If you want to travel, often times you may be able to take your work with you too. Hotels, motels, and even campgrounds usually offer some sort of wired or wireless Internet connection now.

A stay at home business enables you to do only (or at least mostly) work that you truly enjoy.

When you have your own home business, YOU decide what projects to take on and what work you'll do yourself or what you'll farm out. You're in charge; you're the one making decisions, and if you don't enjoy a certain type of at home work, then just don't do it.

Work from home to achieve complete financial freedom.

This particular reason for starting a home business is many people's ultimate goal. In fact, most of us hope to be financially independent to the extent that we no longer have to work from day to day. It's called making money passively and it can be a wonderful thing.

A true money-making business is possible, but it does take persistence and hard work, so don't expect to achieve financial freedom within a month or two of quitting your job and starting a business.

An added benefit of having a profitable stay at home business that enable you to make money working online is that it enhances your ability to "give back". Many people want to support charitable causes they believe in, but are so caught up in the day to day of making ends meet, it seems difficult, if not impossible.

So, those are some of the main benefits of a stay at home business. You can probably think of more that will pertain to you. But, as I mentioned above, there can be some disadvantages to working from home too.

Here are a few...

Some Work at Home Challenges

OK... I want to be honest... working from home is not all sunshine and roses. There can be some cons to it too. So, let's take a look at some of the disadvantages, just so you have a complete picture of what might be involved.

Starting a stay at home business can cost you.

Are you already financially independent... or do your parents or spouse support you and money is no object? Well, good for you! You can consider your work at home business to be more of a hobby than an alternative to a regular job.

But, for most of us, we do expect that starting a business is going to be a way of making the money we need to live. There's an old adage, "You have to spend money to make money."

I'm not saying you can't earn any money in an online home business without spending money, but I have to tell you, I think it's going to be difficult to do so. That being said, one of the beauties of an online business is that you can get started very cheaply.

You don't have to invest thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to get off the ground as you would have to with a bricks and mortar or franchise business. But, if nothing else, you'll benefit if you can invest at least a few dollars in educational materials and tools.

So, it'll help you to succeed more quickly and reliably if you do have some money at your disposal going in.

The other thing is that when you work for yourself, you're not going to have the benefits we often take for granted with a JOB, such as health insurance... and paid time off.

So, you're either going to have to fund your own medical expenses or buy single subscriber insurance, which is unbelievably unaffordable. Just something else to consider, especially if you already take prescription medicine of have to visit doctors frequently, as I do because I have asthma.

And as far as taking time off, sure one of the great things about working for yourself is that you can work when you want to... without asking anyone's permission. On the other hand, don't forget that you may not be earning any money then either. At least, not until you have passive income flowing in 24/7.

Working from home can often be isolating.

When you're the only one in your home office, it can be lonely. But trying to meet your socializing needs by spending hours in online forums, IMing with old work buddies or having lunch out with friends can all take needed hours away from your business, especially if you're a very social person.

You also won't have onsite support if you get stuck and don't know how to do something, as you might on a job. For instance, if your computer freezes or something...

I'm not saying this is a reason NOT to start a stay at home business... just be aware and plan for dealing with this issue.

So... Remember that working from home is a viable option for almost everyone today, and the solid reasons for working at home save money and time.

Working from home is not for everyone because some people like the interaction with others, or feel that they are more motivated by being in a work environment with other people around. But a stay at home business is a way to save money and time if it fits in with your lifestyle, and many are taking advantage of it, staying at home, making money and loving it.

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