Do you have what it takes?
I know that it sounds like a no brainer, but seriously, think about it for a few minutes. Do you have what it takes to run your own home-based business? Particularly one based on-line?
It seems like the dream job, right? Sit at home and type away on your computer and rake in the cash. Websites, advertising, affiliate programs... it's all there just waiting for you to grab your share. Right?
Not exactly.
First you have to work. And I mean work. Just because you are your own boss does not mean that you can stop punching a clock. Well... in ways it does mean that, you don't log in at 9 a.m. and log off at 5 p.m. and smile when every two weeks or thirty days a check pops out of the old 3.5 card drive on your computer.
It would be nice if it worked that way, but it is hardly realistic to expect that to replace your day job, much less pay the bills, put the kids through college and let you save for retirement.
In a lot of ways working ay home is like retirement. The other day a radio guy was talking to someone about how much they had to save for retirement (was something like 70% of their current income), but what caught my memory is his description of why you needed less money when you retire.
Your car is no longer likely to be kept to the latest model, you'll find it is perfectly fine even if it is a few years past its prime. You may even replace it with a used car rather than the new car you always used to replace it with.
Your no longer in need of taking expensive suits to the dry cleaners, shoot, you don't even have to go out every few months and buy new expensive suits for work, just one decent and casual suit will probably do.
You may eat out less so you don't have such a high expense on food. You may or may not travel less. Might travel more, but you probably have the freedom to buy tickets in advance and can therefore get them cheaper.
Most all of the things that apply to retirement apply to working at home, but, you are still working. You are still earning a living.
If you don't think that people that work at home full time don't have insane hours, consider this. It is 7:49 a.m. in Alaska going into New Year's Eve and I am still awake working on the computer because I have some advertisements to write for some people.
That's what I have determined I am. I am a freelance Internet advertisement copywriter. I am also a freelance writer. A magic realism fantasy writer. And first and foremost - a family caregiver.
The last is a non-paying job however.
But you can see that if I want to make money, I have to work insane hours. So here I sit, in my blue and white cotton nightgown, my moon and stars blue flannel robe, and my sheepskin moccasins typing away on my new computer and trying to provide useful information to you in between what I hope are, to at least a few people, semi-useful advertisements.
I do have to admit one thing - the disclaimer that is now part of every post I have been paid in any way for is a very liberating thing. I can now post things that I may not normally have posted and get paid more because I am no longer simply targeting all posts to my blogs based on usefulness. That is still a major factor when I can manage it, but if I have a choice between making nothing and making $100 I am sure that you all will forgive me for making you skim past the advertisements on the blog to find the articles like this that I hope are of genuine use. (even if they do ramble)
Thank you if you read this far, I'll shut up now.
It seems like the dream job, right? Sit at home and type away on your computer and rake in the cash. Websites, advertising, affiliate programs... it's all there just waiting for you to grab your share. Right?
Not exactly.
First you have to work. And I mean work. Just because you are your own boss does not mean that you can stop punching a clock. Well... in ways it does mean that, you don't log in at 9 a.m. and log off at 5 p.m. and smile when every two weeks or thirty days a check pops out of the old 3.5 card drive on your computer.
It would be nice if it worked that way, but it is hardly realistic to expect that to replace your day job, much less pay the bills, put the kids through college and let you save for retirement.
In a lot of ways working ay home is like retirement. The other day a radio guy was talking to someone about how much they had to save for retirement (was something like 70% of their current income), but what caught my memory is his description of why you needed less money when you retire.
Your car is no longer likely to be kept to the latest model, you'll find it is perfectly fine even if it is a few years past its prime. You may even replace it with a used car rather than the new car you always used to replace it with.
Your no longer in need of taking expensive suits to the dry cleaners, shoot, you don't even have to go out every few months and buy new expensive suits for work, just one decent and casual suit will probably do.
You may eat out less so you don't have such a high expense on food. You may or may not travel less. Might travel more, but you probably have the freedom to buy tickets in advance and can therefore get them cheaper.
Most all of the things that apply to retirement apply to working at home, but, you are still working. You are still earning a living.
If you don't think that people that work at home full time don't have insane hours, consider this. It is 7:49 a.m. in Alaska going into New Year's Eve and I am still awake working on the computer because I have some advertisements to write for some people.
That's what I have determined I am. I am a freelance Internet advertisement copywriter. I am also a freelance writer. A magic realism fantasy writer. And first and foremost - a family caregiver.
The last is a non-paying job however.
But you can see that if I want to make money, I have to work insane hours. So here I sit, in my blue and white cotton nightgown, my moon and stars blue flannel robe, and my sheepskin moccasins typing away on my new computer and trying to provide useful information to you in between what I hope are, to at least a few people, semi-useful advertisements.
I do have to admit one thing - the disclaimer that is now part of every post I have been paid in any way for is a very liberating thing. I can now post things that I may not normally have posted and get paid more because I am no longer simply targeting all posts to my blogs based on usefulness. That is still a major factor when I can manage it, but if I have a choice between making nothing and making $100 I am sure that you all will forgive me for making you skim past the advertisements on the blog to find the articles like this that I hope are of genuine use. (even if they do ramble)
Thank you if you read this far, I'll shut up now.
posted by Sandra at 7:39 AM
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