Why Start a Home Business
As I go about discussing the virtues of having one’s own business as opposed to working for someone else, I am often confronted by the unspoken question that lurks in almost everyone’s mind, and that is, “Why should I start a home business?” I should be quick to add that, at least in my opinion, a home business is not for everyone. Some just are not suited to the task. There are certain personality traits and human characteristics that do not lend themselves to support the discipline that is required of a home business operator. But, with that said, I find that, in general, there are a number of ways that a home business can be “customized” to the operator in such a way as to optimize their chance of success. Identifying limitations and strong points are the key, but that’s a topic best reserved for a later article.
Rent or Buy
I believe the best way to answer the question of why anyone who is qualified should start a home business, is a simple analogy to either buying or renting a home in which to live. If you think of a “job” as “renting an income”, the same way you rent an apartment or house on a temporary basis, compared to “buying” a house or condominium, where you actually assume “ownership”, and begin to accumulate an equity in the property, then a “job” seems to be a more tenuous occupation opposed to developing your “own” income source that you control.
It’s about Control
A job is only as secure as the company that provides the work that constitutes the position that you occupy with them. If something happens to that company, whether it’s an internal matter or external forces that affect it, you will be affected as well. As we look around today we see company after company in a broad range of industries that are suffering due to the forces of the economy. High fuel prices are just one of the factors that cause major changes in some companies, like those in the transportation industry. The airlines, for instance, are struggling. They have to raise fares in order to offset the increased cost of fuel, and that affects the numbers of people who fly. The eventual outcome of the situation is that the employees are affected through no fault of their own, and some will loose their jobs as a result. Either way, internal or external, the result is the same. No job, and no income.
Taking Charge
For those who are suited for, and have the ability, operating their own small home business offers another possible outcome when an economic disaster is looming on the horizon. They simply make the necessary adjustments, if needed, and continue to develop their businesses and along with them, the income that is needed to maintain their standards. By becoming your own employer you shortcut the process, and at the same time, take the limits off your creativity because everything that you do to “enhance” your own business will be a new investment that will add value for you.
So How Do You Find a Good Home Business
I think it comes back to the last part of the first paragraph of this article. Start by identifying strengths and weaknesses, and then, the most important part, find a way to apply the strengths, and mediate the effects of the weaknesses. In my opinion, the best course of action is to sit down with someone who can present first hand knowledge of the information you need to make a solid decision, take what is offered, use what you deem to be appropriate to your personal circumstance, then get into action with the plan you choose to use immediately. Once a suitable match becomes obvious you will know it, and action will happen. Inspiration will be automatic if you truly believe that you are involved with the right product or service.
