One of the Top Skills Necessary to Be a Successful Work at Home Mom
Working from home used to be thought of as a luxury. But now with the proliferation of the internet, Web 2.0 and more people starting their own business, working in your slippers or at your nearest coffee shop can be a reality.Being a successful work at home mom has many benefits. First of all, you are able to stay home and take care of your children. As mothers, we are instinctively cautious about letting other people watch our children. So avoiding the challenges of day care or finding a babysitter reduces stress and anxiety which benefits the entire family – especially you!A second benefit of working at home is the flexible schedule. Doctors’ appointments, family events, trips to the grocery store and miscellaneous errands can all be accomplished during the work day. Unlike a traditional job, there is no need to ask for permission to leave early or come in late.The third benefit of working at home is that you are your own boss. You can manage your workload as you see fit and you can get things done on your schedule. Plus, there’s the satisfaction of being able to get things done your way. While there may not be a boss telling you what to do and when to turn something in, ultimately you will have to answer to clients and customers.While there are many other benefits of being a working at home mom, these three illustrate some of the main reasons people start their own business. Regardless of what type of business you start, there is one critical skill you need to be successful when working from home.You need excellent organizational skills.This one critical skill can be the foundation of your success or the demise of your business. Having excellent organizational skills is imperative when you work from home simply because you have many things to manage.The organizational skills needed to run your business are as follows:Time management – knowing exactly how you spend your time each day will help you determine how to prioritize your tasks. Multi-tasking is not productive and can cause you to spend more time than necessary getting things done.
Bookkeeping – no one likes to talk about the financial aspect of owning their own business but maintaining excellent records of your time, expenses, profits and donations is a key component to a successful business. Mismanagement of any one of these can spell disaster when it comes to tax time and planning your budget.
Managing your workload – accepting new projects or taking on new clients is imperative to your success and profits. However, make sure you have adequate time and resources to complete each project on time and to the best of your ability. Starting a new client just because you want to make more money is not a good way to start a business relationship or impact your family life.As a work at home mom for more than 2 years, I can attest to the importance of having excellent organizational skills. Simply being a great planner is not enough when starting your own business. There are so many challenges to running your business and keeping your family happy, that it’s easy to let things get out of hand.Take the first step and identify your organizational skill set now. If you have any opportunities, it’s best to know this in advance to learn how you can improve or get help from someone like an accountability partner to help you stay on track. Your business and family will benefit from this proactive approach.
