The Pros and Cons of Having a Home Business

working in shorts with raquet

 

Working at home can be both great and frustrating, but having done it for the last 20+ years, I have found that the great parts outweigh the frustrating parts by a lot. I mean, who wouldn’t want to earn money staying home all day?

With any type of job there are good things and bad things to consider, and working at home is just another job. I’d like to offer some of my observations on the pros and cons.

 

The Value of Working at Home

Pajamas

The most obvious benefit of working at home is not having to go to an office. It’s nice being where you are comfortable and you can wear anything you want, including nothing!  Unless you have clients coming over or must be on a webcam, you can pretty much dress as you like.

On My Time

Another benefit is being able to set your own schedule. I am not a morning person and with the path I’ve chosen I don’t really have to be. I can get up when I want on most days and drink my coffee in complete relaxation.

Kids

Being available for my children is a huge plus. Whenever they have school events or dentist appointments, I can easily arrange my days to be there for them. I can also pick them up from school and help with homework. I have found that the bond this has created is incomparable.

Shopping and Errands

Mid-morning is the best time to have to run to stores or get any errands done so you don’t have to fight the crowds. I don’t do it often, but when I have to shop I do it at 11:00 instead of 6:00. This save me a lot of time.

I’m the Boss

I know that I would not have done well in Corporate America because I have a definite problem with authority. I really like to do things my way, on my schedule. I love that I can make my own decisions about my business, my future, and my time.

Unlimited Income

When you work for someone else, there is usually a set amount of money you can make unless you’re in sales. Working for yourself is like being a sales rep. Your income potential is only limited by the amount of work you want to put into it. The sky is the limit if you are willing to work hard and be creative. There are so many potential ways to make income if you look for them.

home desk

 

The Downside of Working at Home

 

Lack of Motivation

This is the hardest part for most people, but having done it for so long I’m really used to it by now. Sometimes it can be hard to ignore that laundry and write business letters or update my websites. The key is setting a schedule for each day, even if it’s just an item or two. It definitely helps to keep you on track because it’s usually just a matter of getting started.

You are it

When it’s your company and you are the only employee, there is no one to take over in case you are sick or if something needs to be done and your kids have to be picked up. Being good with time management is definitely a very important quality for a stay-at-home worker.

No health insurance

I’ve been very lucky that for the last few years I’ve been able to get health insurance through my partner’s company. Before that, I had to get my own self-employment insurance and it can be very expensive. Although there are new plans available to help the self-employed through the ACA which is helping many people cope with getting plans for their families, it’s definitely something to consider.

morning paperInterruptions

It’s nice being able to be there for your kids, but sometimes they can prevent you from getting any work done. I try to get everything done while mine are at school, but summer vacation can present a real challenge.

It Can Be Done!

 

Whatever you decide to do with your home business, it’s good to know that you are in control. With the internet at your fingertips, there is a wealth of information available to help you along the way.

There is real, valuable training to create an online business!

 

Having joined the wonderful community at Wealthy Affiliate, I have been able to create this website and also my BaseballMomStuff.com website and I’m starting to make income from them. I hope to fully transition from my home-based lighting business to making a living from my websites. It’s completely free to try it and you will be building a website in a matter of days.

You have nothing to lose! Just click the banner below.

 

 

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26 comments

  1. i have just started my full time online business and stumbling upon your website is the best thing that has happened to me today, no lie. I needed to hear from someone experienced, someone who have been working online for a while now and your post is much detailed thank you very much for this post. It has really helped me

    1. Awesome, I’m glad I could inspire you. If you ever have any questions or just need some tips on how to stay engaged, please leave me a comment. I appreciate that you stopped by. 🙂

  2. Your page is balanced – the information you provide is offered up in manageable chunks with headlines that catch the eye. You do a great job covering the pros and cons and they are points that I can relate to. I have a traditional job, one that I am now working completely from home and I “get” all of your pros and cons. Well except my kids are my dogs 🙂 In the end I agree with you, working from home can present some challenges but it is worth everyone of them.

    1. Awesome! Your “kids” can sometimes make you want to go play…am I right? How nice to be able to have them as foot-warmers while you’re working. Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate it. Good luck with your home job! 🙂

  3. These are all very true. I think it’s safe to say the pros definitely outweigh the cons. Of course It’s hard to stay motivated at times but that is part of our job working at home, to keep our head in it and not give up. It’s very rewarding to be on your own time clock, deciding when to work and not to work.

    1. Thanks for helping me confirm this. I love being my own boss and wouldn’t want it any other way. And, thanks for visiting my website. 🙂

  4. Hi – I’m new to leaving comments so….

    I find you to be an authority on having a home business. You outlined the pros and cons clearly and cleanly Do you mind telling me which theme you used?

    I didn’t see a clickable link to WA but I did click on LEDLightingInfoDOTcom which doesn’t have a link to WA either.

    However, I’m new at this Maybe this is how things are supposed to be done – idk

    Good Luck To You
    SadieSnow .¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ
    .

    1. Hi Sadie. I used the theme called “Courage”. Seems kind of appropriate now that I think of it. I also made a link on the words “Wealthy Affiliate” to make it more clear. Also, there is a WA banner at the bottom that is clickable. Thanks for visiting my page. I appreciate it! 🙂

  5. Hi Shannon
    Working from home is one of the best things you can do, but as you say you have to be focused. There are so many distractions that you can soon fall into the time trap of unproductively.
    I have my own business repairing HP DesignJets, which I can only do on customers sites, but all my business admin is done from home.
    Wealthy Affiliate has certainly changed the way I view working on the internet
    Great post thanks for sharing
    Mark

    1. Thanks for sharing, Mark. Staying focused is definitely the hardest part. But if you can do it, there is so much available out there. Good luck in everything you do! 🙂

  6. Hi

    I really liked this post on working from home, I have a young family and I work really long hours in my current job. I need to change all that and I’ve been looking for so long for the right opportunity. You present a really good argument for working from home but you also point out the cons, I like that.

    1. Thanks Gary. I think people should know exactly what they’re getting into so they are prepared, but it’s a great option for a career if you can do it. 🙂

  7. You have worked from home for over twenty years?! Wow! That is pretty awesome! I definitely want to learn from you then =)

    This article is actually pretty funny to me because it’s like you are describing me exactly! I have worked from home for two years now and am starting to make some traction with my business.

    I love being able to keep my own schedule, be there for friends or family during the day if they need me, hate authority figures, and I want to be able to make as much money as I want to.

    I do agree with you that health insurance can be challenging for self-employed. I guess I am lucky because I have insurance through the VA from when I was in the military.

    Great article on the pros and cons of owning a home business. Thanks!

    Jess

    1. Hi Jess. Thanks for visiting my page and your input. It’s great not having a boss, right? I’m glad to hear you are having success with your home business. 🙂

  8. So many of these ring true for me. While I definitly feel there are more pros to working for myself from home I think I have to agree with a couple of the cons. First of all I am not a morning person and find I do not always get up and get moving at the time of the morning I should to be most productive and the second is the kids. While its so great to be there for them, there are also a huge interruption causing me to loose track and then it take many more minutes just to get focused again! So I definitely think scheduling time to work in your home office when someone can babysit or kids are napping, at school etc. can make you more productive.

    1. Hi Annelise. Yes, I agree that kids can be a disruptive factor, but now that mine are older I can get a lot of work done while they are at school. I’m not a morning person either and I appreciate being able to “ramp up” at my own pace. Thanks for visiting my page. :

  9. I agree on all that you said about having a home business their are the benefits and their are also the cons and I could not have said it better. The benefits might be good but discipline is whatis needed if anyone hopes to succeed at this business, because we must treat it as a real business because that is what it is. As as along as we no the pros and the cons and are willing to do what must be done we will be well on are way. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Hi Norman. Making money requires hard work…there is just no easy way to get rich. But if you truly want a new career, there are ways to work at home and make a good living. 🙂

  10. I have always been a person who never like working a regular 9-5. Leaving college, I could never imagine myself doing it, but wasn’t sure what else I could do. I thought about starting an online business, but was always afraid to with all the online scams out there. Wealthy affiliate seems like they are more geared to helping learn how to start one rather than make promises to get you rich. I am def interested in learning more about this. Thanks!

    1. Thanks Ralph, it definitely is. If you are willing to put in the time to learn, you can have a successful online business and make a living with it. 🙂

  11. The cons of being a business owner have definitely affected most people especially when they realize that not having a boss to tell them what to do seems to be a foreign concept to most people.

    One thing that I realize though is heath insurance is going to be a must particularly for myself (turn 26 in 2 years). Do you have any resource I can look up to find cheap coverage by any chance? I know you said you were lucky that your partner was able to get you coverage.

    Jessie

    1. Hi Jessie. Before getting covered under my partner’s health insurance, I was paying for an individual plan which was very expensive. I’m really not sure what’s happening with the ACA, but that’s probably your best bet for insurance. 🙂

  12. Having a schedule for all of these types of things indeed is important. I recently just started a list of things to do in order to keep myself busy, and making sure I get all of the things I want to get done throughout the day. Thank you for this informative article!

  13. I just started and am already loving this home based business thing! Im only 17 and my parents still doubt my career choice but as long as I am happy and can make a passive income from it, I don’t care! I think the other con is that people around you will doubt you the most and it be very discouraging but once you actually start to see results, they will act like they did believe in you.

    1. So glad to hear you are loving it and I’m very impressed that you are starting at age 17!  Best of luck!  🙂

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