Would you like to be your own boss?  Work from home?  Own your own business?  For many people, that sounds like nirvana.  Imagine:  no daily commute, no rushing to be on time every day, no boss… sounds great, doesn’t it?  If that is what you want to do, are you doing it?

I have owned my own home-based business for 18 years, and people often tell me “Gee, I’d sure love to have my own business and work from home.”  I always tell them, “It’s great!  Why don’t you start one?”  Then come the excuses:  “I don’t have any money to start one” or “I don’t know where to start” or “I don’t know what kind of business to be in”.  I always press for more information;  “How much money do you need?” or “Why don’t you buy a book to get you started” or “What do you like to do?”  Almost without exception, they don’t have the slightest idea what they need or what they would do and they haven’t tried to figure it out; they just know they “can’t”.  BALONEY!

If you really want to start a home-based business, don’t just say you “can’t” without getting information.  What things do you think you can’t do and why?  Instead of saying “I can’t” do something, ask yourself “How can I do it?”  You can do this:  it’s not difficult, but you have to start!   Step 1, then, is make a plan.

Do you cringe at the word “plan”?  Don’t!  It isn’t a lifetime commitment, and it doesn’t have to be fancy.  It’s just a place to start, and you can change it any time.  All you need to do at this point in your planning is figure out what you want to do and if it’s “doable”.  The good news is that your research will probably cost you nothing but time. I think you’ll be surprised at what you find out.

To start your plan, decide what kind of business you want to be in.  It’s time for some introspection; make some lists.  What do you like to do?  Just as important: what don’t you like to do?  What do you like to think about?  What do you like to talk about?  Golf?  Gardening?  Travel?  Now combine the items on your list and think of a service or product you could offer to others like yourself.

Whatever you decide to do should be FUN for you.  Do NOT pick a business solely for the money potential; money won’t make you happy.  That may be hard to believe, but trust me on this one.  Money will make you comfortable, but it won’t make you happy.   Do something you enjoy and do it better than anyone else, and the money will follow.  Your chances for success are far greater if you do something that you enjoy.

We will continue this discussion in the next column.  You can have your own business, but you have to start!  If you think you can’t, I say “Baloney!”