You Are Not Alone

The life of a home-based businessperson can be a lonely one.
Some home-based businesses are just that: home BASED but there
is plenty of outside activity. For example, a home-based
plumbing business may have an office at home but all of the work
is done outside the office. They are the lucky ones. Most of us
sit in our home offices with our telephones and computers,
marketing, selling, and doing all kinds of things to promote our
businesses, but no one is around except the dog. Who do we talk
to? Who do we interact with? Who do we bounce ideas off of? To
whom are we accountable?

This is a common problem among us bathrobe-types, but do not
despair. you are not alone. There are several ways around this
problem, but you have to work at it to make it happen. One way
is to join your local Chamber of Commerce, and attend all of
their events. The idea is to get out there and talk to other
business people. Find out what they are doing, and tell them
what you are doing. Just the process of talking about it will
help you think! And hearing about other people's activities will
give you ideas. Finally, you just might stir up some business
with other members! You just can't go wrong attending Chamber
events.

Another aspect of this problem is accountability. You know what
you have to do, but if you don't do it you don't have to answer
to anyone. Sometimes things can slip if you don't have to
explain why. Sounds kind of silly doesn't it? If you have to do
something, just do it. Right? Wrong. It can be very difficult
to do what you have to do, especially if it's something you don't
like to do or if you just don't feel like it. And if there is no
one to answer to, it's just too easy to let things slip. I know
I often have that problem, and it helps to have someone to answer
to if you get lazy. The trick is to find someone who you can
work with that will help keep you on track. It doesn't have to
be a professional person; ideally, it can be someone else with a
home-based business that has the same problem. Schedule a
10-minute phone call once a week so you can check up on each
other. It's amazing how much of an incentive that can be! And,
there is always the added benefit of being able to bounce ideas
off of each other, network, and learn from each other's
experiences.

Running a home-based business is a dream come true for many, but
as with most things in life there are trade-offs. You don't have
to be alone if you don't want to be. So don't.