by Ann Albanese

Created on: May 31, 2008   Last Updated: June 13, 2009

Many people begin to think about operating a business at home because they want to spend more time with their kids. Juggling both family and a career at home can be done. Some will say it can't, but don't believe it! It is true that certain types of professional service businesses can't be run with young children causing a ruckus, but dozens and dozens of people operate a business at home and seem to function quite well when structured around the needs of their families.

Your family's reaction to your conducting business at home will vary greatly, depending upon the ages of your children, their personalities and your family in general. In most situations, they will be glad to have you there with them and available when they need you. A good rule of thumb, applying to children of all ages, is to child-proof' your home office rather than trying to office-proof' your children. In other words, let your kids be kids. Set up your office and your schedule so that having the kids around will not disrupt your work as much as possible. Make sure that you dedicated short periods of time to them so that they can appreciate the value of having you there even more. You can even involve your kids in your business and have them help you by answering the phone or filing. In addition, if you pay them, you may be able to deduct it from your taxes!

Blending your Family and Business at Home
One of the first problems that face people when they operate a business at home is where to set up shop, do the work that it involves, and store merchandise, supplies or files. It's not so bad if you have a large home and can dedicated one room to the business, but it takes real skill and ingenuity to run a business out of a small apartment, or house trailer - something that is being done by more and more people every day. Initially a business may be confined to one room or area of one's home but, just like the weeds that creep into your garden, it soon can consume all unoccupied space.

Sometimes, even if there is plenty of space in which to work, a complete separation of business from one's private life may be an impossibility. For some people, they don't know how to end their day, nor have the sense of quitting' at five o'clock to go home. After a time, this can have a disturbing psychological effect. In speaking with different home-workers, I have noted that some people treat their business at home as though they would if they actually left their homes. For instance, one person I know actually gets up in the morning and gets dressed as though going to the office - although she will never met with anyone in person. Another woman takes her purse into the office in the morning, and then takes it back out when she leaves for the night.
Doing these types of things will help you to separate your time and space and give you more of a sense of fulfillment.

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