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Reworking the Way We Work™ Are
You Ready To Work From Home? By Jeff Berner
Look through these components of success, and see how many you can bring to the desk. Be easy on yourself, but also try to be honest. Self-discipline is essential, especially about food, drink, and other distractions. It's important in dealing with laziness and in conquering workaholism -- the twin demons that live in most home offices. The ability to get and stay organized is vital when you don't have the support of a manager or staff. Working independently requires you to use your time to market your skills or products and deliver them on time. If you're moving piles of paper around to find a letter or invoice, you aren't making a living or making a life. Goal-orientation is important because how much you work, and when, is all up to you. Set achievable goals -- such as filling ten orders today, or writing that report on deadline -- while keeping your eye on the bigger strategic goals, such as a gross income target and a vacation date. Self-confidence and optimism are vital, because rejection is a big part of working independently. I maintain this spirit by secretly believing that presenting my proposal isn't a sales call, but a first working meeting on a new project. If I don't win the contract right away, more often than not I'll be kept in mind for another project. Decisiveness blossoms from self-confidence and is imperative if you're operating your own business, because there's usually nobody around to give approval or save you from a wrong decision. Once I make a decision, I surrender to it. This doesn't preclude changing my mind or bailing out if circumstances change, but it sure helps build momentum and commitment. An interest in profit is important if you're running your own business, because without a reasonable profit motive, you may wind up just pretending to yourself and others that you're making a living. What else is necessary to run a business or career from your home? A high tolerance for handling lots of problems -- big and small -- seemingly all at the same time. You must be able to cope with uncertainty, as weeks may go by with little or no income. Then, suddenly everyone may want what you're offering, and right now! And if you're constantly willing to learn, and if persistence is your second nature, you're probably well-suited for the home-based business life. And finally, you should have a bold eye for opportunity and a clear sense of what your personal skills are-along with the ability to connect them to those who can benefit from what you have to offer. If you think you may not possess enough of these traits, relax, because in future columns we'll be looking at some tricks of the trade that can help you acquire or strengthen your qualifications. Soon you will be handling as many successes as problems from the relative security of your home office. (c) 2001 by Jeff Berner Also read: Three-Minute Guide to Becoming a Free Agent/Consultant Jack/Jane of All Trades -- Master/Mistress of None? Overcoming Technophobia in Five Minutes Flat
Copyright 2001 2Young2Retire.com, All Rights Reserved
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Marketing communications consultant and
home-office pioneer and workshop leader Jeff Berner has been an independent since
1965. He was the name branding facilitator for Sun Microsystems' "Java"
and "Hot Java" internet software, and his clients in the United States and
Europe include Office Depot, Apple Computer and Nikon USA. He has presented his
"Making a Life While Making a Living" seminar at Macworld Expo annually for a
decade. Jeff's columns have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, and on the websites
iVillage; ThirdAge.com, and MyPrimeTime.com. He is the author of a dozen books, including