About 11 years ago I was faced with the biggest challenge of my life - one that required a gigantic leap of faith. My first child was about to be born and even though I had the benefit of half price childcare, I just couldn’t bear to hand over my baby to a childcare provider. I had to do something - I had to find a way to work from home.
Here is the path I took - it is one that could easily be adapted for anyone who is looking to start working from home.
1. Identify your skills and your passions.
- Take a quick inventory of the skills you have and make a list. At the time I had pretty good desktop publishing skills - these were skills I had developed at my most recent two jobs. I knew that I was a whiz at all the Microsoft Office products and that I could learn new software quickly.
- Think about what you like to do and where your passions are. At one of my previous employers I was always getting in trouble with the publications department - I was forever bucking their WordPerfect structured system. I hated boring, ugly documents - I wanted pretty. They wanted me to follow the rules, I wanted to break them. From this I figured that desktop publishing and document production might be a good way to get started.
2. Do your research.
Find out if what you want to do is going to fly. There are so many resources on the web, but here are a few that I have found to be helpful and legitimate:
- WAHM.com - You could spend hours on this site alone, but its true power is in the message boards. Members discuss business ideas, strategies, scams, and it is a great community.
- HBWM.com - Home Based Working Moms is another great resource of ideas, what to do and what not to do guidance, a community, and tools like income and savings calculators.
- Other good resources are StartUpNation, StartUpPrincess, AllBusiness, 30 Second Commute, and eMoms at Home.
3. Start with your current or most recent employer.
It never hurts to ask. When I decided to take that leap of faith, the first thing I did was approach my current and most recent employers. I was careful not to burn any bridges, but as it was, I could easily do parts of both jobs from home and both employers were more than happy to continue receiving my services. Granted, after about a year, the projects from these two were done, it still gave me some incoming work and pay while I lined up other clients and projects.
Another good friend of mine has been working for a very high profile employer (think of that lingerie catalog most of us receive in our mailboxes monthly) for many years and realized that everything she does for them could be done from home. Luckily for her, her area of expertise was so specialized and she does such a good job, that when she approached them with the idea of work from home or resign, they quickly responded and set her up to work from home. That was about 8 years ago.
If you do approach a former employer, be very clear in what you propose to take on, how you will track your time, how you will be accountable, and most of all, how it can be of benefit to them.
4. Network online and off.
You can not run your business in a vacuum. The only way to develop new work is to get your name and your face into the marketplace. With the evolution of the internet, it is certainly making it easier to network without ever leaving your house, but face-to-face networking is still powerful.
- Join your local Chamber of Commerce. Our’s has a women’s group that meets once a month for lunch. This group was absolutely key in the beginning stages of my business. One of the first clients I took on, I met through the group - and 10 years later, she is still a client! The relationships you can build often provide more than just immediate income.
- Participate in a few targeted forums online. Find ones that fit your personality and goals. I have found the boards at WAHM.com, HBWM.com, and MomGadget to be most useful (and friendly).
- Try blogging. Not only does blogging give you the ability to join in conversations all over the globe, it is a great way to showcase your skills, meet potential clients, and participate in non-stop professional development. Need to know where to start? Check out eMoms at Home, Problogger’s Blogging for Beginners series, Essential Keystrokes - Getting Started, or the Blogging 101 topic on the MomGadget Forum.
5. Be prepared to run your business.
- Create a dedicated work space for yourself. Sometimes this requires some creativity as the ideal spot may not be right under your nose, but you need to do it. A corner of a room, an under utilized closet, or under utilized room in the house will do. You need to have somewhere to keep your paperwork, files, and supplies at a minimum.
- Get all required local business paperwork out of the way. Some jurisdictions have strict rules on starting a new business, others don’t, but you need to do the research and get it done.
- Set up an accounting and filing system that works for you. Not all systems are created equal. This may even require some restarts on your part, but be prepared to make changes as you go.
- Put your best face forward. Whether it is your business card, web site (make sure you get the right web hosting) or blog, take the time and energy to put the best possible look for yourself out there. First impressions are CRITICAL.
This post was long overdue. Thanks to Darren at ProBlogger for hosting the Top 5 Group Writing Project and giving me a reason to get this done.
There are some pretty cool gadgets that can be used to monitor your home or business. Using the right software that’s compatible with Microsoft Windows XP & Vista, you can create a professional security system that’s able to record all data locally or remotely over the internet onto a PC’s HD. For Digital Video Recording equipment, capable of operating over any network, please visit 123 CCTV Camera & Security Camera Equipment.
Filed under Working from Home
Gayla wrote @ May 10th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Great Post! It makes me what to start working from home now! 
Char wrote @ May 10th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
You are funny Gayla! I’d love to read your version of the post.
Jolynn wrote @ May 10th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Good article. I am working from home, and I am doing well with my customers from all over the world. It is important to have a positive mindset, and that will definitely help you to focus on the positive and move on.
Char wrote @ May 10th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Jolynn - thanks for stopping in. You are right, a positive mindset is so important.
[…] Hanging out with my super smart son - and the original inspiration behind my working from home […]
Ingo wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Well written and inspiring. Great post Char! You office looks cool.
Char wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Thanks Ingo - Right now it is pretty messy - I guess I have my task for this afternoon.
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
Great post Char! Very detailed 
Amanda G wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Excellent top 5 suggestions. Thanks!
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
George wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Excellent post. I am glad I found your blog through Gayla. I didn’t go through all of the top 5 posts. I am going to have to add your feed to my bloglines account.
All the best,
George
Theda K. wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Hi! Nice to meet another at-home mother! I didn’t go the daycare route for the same reasons as you, and started my own business too. Check out my site, and consider joining my upcoming Work-At-Home Parent link train. It’s already posted, but I’m going to restart it and refine it a bit first. I need more members to start it, actually.
Great tips!
Ginene wrote @ May 11th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Great post! I am always looking for anything that have to do with working from home. I always tell people to ask their current employer. It never hurts to ask.
Good luck on the contest!
I’m so glad that I work from home. What a relief to give up commuting by car to commuting in my slippers from my bedroom to my office! Your suggestions are ideal for helping others to think about and make the transition.
Here’s to working from home!
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] limited entry to one per person, I decided to post an entry from my Casual Keystrokes blog entitled Five Steps to Start Working from Home. The post outlines the path I took - it is one that could easily be adapted for anyone who is […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
Glen wrote @ May 13th, 2007 at 1:05 am
this is one of the very reasons I started working from home 3 years ago.
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Casual Keystrokes: Five steps to start working from home […]
This is a great post with lots of helpful advice. Very succinct and precise!
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Project on Top 5. This is from my blogging buddy, Char from Casual Keystrokes who shares about the “Five Steps to Start Working From Home”. I believe this would be a useful article for everyone who is thinking along this line of working […]
Doris wrote @ May 18th, 2007 at 6:12 am
great post, Char… thanks for sharing 
[…] Polanosky presents Five Steps to Start Working From Home posted at Casual […]
Very comprehensive article on how to start making money at home. Good post.
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] bear the thought of putting him in daycare so I decided to find a way to work from home. (read the entire saga here) I did a lot of MS Word document support, desktop publishing and a bit of logo design. Mind you I […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
Hobo wrote @ July 14th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Nice post. I started my business last year. I always new I would have my own business, don’t know why.
What I did first was to IDENTIFY MY WEAKNESSES. I already knew some of my strengths, but I think to get anywhere you should make sure you know what you’re likely to bugger up or lose interest in.
The strategy I chose was to ask my mate to help me with the stuff I had no interest in (invoicing etc) and let me get on with the creative stuff. Now both of us work together and I actually feel I am actually living now (even if it is as a zombie due to work commitments)!
Hobo wrote @ July 14th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
PS - It’s easier than you think to identify your weaknesses. No doubt everybody you know knows some of them - ask them (and hope one of your weaknesses isn’t “not listening to everybody”
[…] Eleven years ago today, I was about to embark on two of the wildest, most satisfying journeys of my lifetime, too. Motherhood and self-made businesswoman. […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
Asten wrote @ August 26th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Great list! I absolutely agree I’ve been working from home for quite some time now, and that’s one of the best lists I’ve seen.
[…] Five Steps to Start Working From Home by Char Polanosky […]
That is some great advice! I have been thinking about trying to start working from home for some time. This post might be what i needed to actually start moving forward with my plans. Thank You
Oh I so need to follow these 5 steps. Maybe when I get my new computer on Thursday I can follow these steps.
Thank goodness you can’t see my home office now!!!
There is some really good advice here. I’d also add that you should plan to keep your skills up to date as they could go stale if you don’t interact with as many people as you would in an office.
HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe via RSS
