My Home Biz Experience: An Introduction

by dpenna | More from this Blogger

14 Sep 2006 03:00 PM

I am currently working from home as a freelance writer, something I never imagined I would be doing with my life. I always knew staying home with my children was where I wanted to be, but the journey it took to get here was rather unexpected.

In the year 2000, my first daughter was born, I got married, and I began to think about new directions my full-time career could go. It was so sad taking my daughter to daycare each day, knowing her provider was experiencing all of her early "firsts," though at the time I had no other financial options.

It had always been my dream growing up to just be the kind of mommy that stayed home and had cookies waiting when the kids got home from school. So, as I started pondering career moves, I began to think about work-at-home opportunities.

At the time I was going through this, I was enrolled in a distance education program through the University of Maryland. My intent was a degree in English, with a focus on Journalism. However, after a couple semesters, I realized writing with such structure was NOT for me.

What to do? I found a great certificate program at the same school for Paralegal Studies, and decided that after a few years of study I could possibly work for an attorney while at home. (I later found out that this is legally impossible, at least in California.)

I continued working full-time, started the certificate program, and through a friend at work, I ventured into the world of AVON, my first experience with working a home business. As it turns out, this experience formed the foundation for my future enterprises.

Many people don't realize the work involved with a home business, including budgeting, marketing, stocking, and more. There is a very high turnover rate for many home business opportunities, which is why I always recommend starting with something small. You may find that you actually despise the "business" end of working at home, and having to give up a smaller investment is easier than one you mortgaged the house for.

AVON was a good start for me. I loved it, was enthusiast about the products and my customers' interest in their products. I was still selling AVON in 2003, when I took the leap from my full-time job to work my business part-time at home.

Was the home business a success? Read the next article in the series, "My Home Biz Experience: Leaving the Working World," available to read shortly.

Related:

The Pitfalls of Running a Home Business

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