My journey to work-at-home success took longer than it had to. If I could start over again, there are several things that I’d do differently, the results of which would have me making money and staying home much sooner. Here are a few mistakes I made, that you can avoid:
1) Not learning about working at home before getting started. Like many people, I jumped right into the what-can-I-sign-up-to-do-from-home search without studying what working at home is all about. By not understanding telecommuting or home business, I got caught up in scams and crazy schemes. Knowledge is power when it comes to working at home. The more you know, the safer you’ll be and the faster you’ll be able to find the right work-at-home vehicle for you.
2) Not using my current skills and interests. This is where many people miss out on work-at-home success. They see ads hyping fast money doing one thing or another. These ads may in fact be legitimate offers, but if you don’t know or like what the work entails, you won’t be successful. Nearly everyone I know who successfully (and happily) works from home tapped into skills or interests they already had. I was a social worker, so I worked as a contract adoption worker. I also like to help people, which I’m able to do through Work-At-Home Success, my writing, and speaking. The good news is that with the Internet there are more jobs and options available. So you can turn a job skill or knowledge into a job or business. Or take a hobby or passion and turn it into a business. But start by inventorying your skills, interests and passions, and then look for opportunities that fit them.
3) Not giving regular and consistent effort. Initially, excitement at the possibility of working at home drove my effort to find a job or start a business. But once that first resume went out or the first ad was run, I sat back and waited for the work and money to come in. Of course, nothing happened. It would have been easy to blame the job or business, but in truth, most work-at-home failure comes from a lack of consistent action and follow through. Now I spend time EVERYDAY marketing Work-At-Home Success and my other ventures. Promotion and finding work is part of my “job” along with providing my services (work-at-home content, freelance writing, etc). There is no sitting back on the laurels when it comes to working at home. Resumes must go out daily until you’re hired. Businesses must be promoted daily to generate consistent sales.
4) Not having a plan. A plan not only keeps you focused, it also makes you more efficient. I plan every week. Several times a year I do an overhaul of my plan to look at what’s making money and what’s not so I can focus on those ventures that are successful and get rid of the ones that aren’t. Then I re-plan based on what I’ve discovered. For example, I have a couple of blogs that aren’t doing much. I don’t have the time or desire to work on them, so I’m better off to let them go. That frees up time to work on the projects that are making money or that I want pursue more deeply.
Working at home today is possible for anyone and everyone who truly wants it. But you won’t simply sign up to work at home. Instead, learn from my mistakes. Take time to learn about working at home (there’s tons of information here at Work-At-Home Success), list your skills and experiences to find work-at-home options, give regular and consistent effort, and make a plan.
