Home Based Careers Dos And Donts

Working from home allows you to set aside time for yourself and your family. However, it also requires planning, time-management and organization to get your work done efficiently. You are either a freelancer or self-employed when you take up a home-based career. Do's: -Study the opportunities available in the field you are interested in. You will find good resources on the Internet about home-based careers.

-Use the Internet to learn about frauds and how to avoid them. You can use keywords like 'Common Scams', 'Tips to avoid scams' to come up with good results. -Consider your own interests and passions and choose your home-based business accordingly.

Remember, you do better if you like what you do. You are more efficient if your work interests you. -Contact people who have been working in the same domain you plan to enter.

Their experience will help you get a feel of what you will be doing. Talk to them about the problems they faced in the initial stages. That will help you solve similar problems easily and deal with new challenges in a positive manner. -If you need training before starting out on your home-based career, it is better to do it quickly and keep yourself abreast of the latest developments. -Check if your personality matches the profile of people who choose home-based careers. You need to be self-motivated and not someone who needs other people to push them to get things done.

After all, you will be your own boss and have to be assertive enough to sell your service. Keep in mind that you will not have many social contacts in your chosen field. -Do think about how you will manage the children and other domestic matters while you work at home. For example, instruct your children not to disturb you when you are working. -Set up a neat and quiet place at home, so that you can concentrate. Organize it systematically with all the equipment you will require such as a computer, comfortable office chair, second or third telephone line, fax machine, scanner etc.

-You may require help in accounting, computing or some legal advice. Get professional help, instead of wasting time doing things you are unfamiliar with. -Generate or join a group of people who have similar interests. It is a good way to gain support and inspiration. The Internet is a great source of finding role models and success stories.

You can join online groups and take an active part in discussions. By exchanging thoughts and ideas, you get to learn a lot. -Decide beforehand how much you will charge for a particular service. You have to always know exactly what you want and be firm about your decisions. Don'ts: -Don't pay attention to the dozens of e-mails you will get every day, pushing get-rich-quick schemes.

-Don't be discouraged by the costs involved in working at home. Consider marketing costs, health insurance, and expenditure on equipment and self-employment taxes as part of the deal. -Don't feel shy about asking for support from friends and family. -And particularly, don't be hesitant to market yourself. Make prospective clients aware of what you have to offer to them. Never get discouraged even if it seems like you are off to a slow start.

Always remember that perseverance pays off in the long run, and you are most likely to be rewarded for your efforts sooner or later.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solution's Six Sigma Online offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.