Why I Decided To Work From Home (Part 1)
December 9, 2010 24 Comments
So I have been working from home for about 7 years and it was the best thing I ever did. I had spent many years working for other people, some great..some not. Either way…great or not, THEY got to choose my worth..THEY got to choose my pay and if, and when I got a raise….THEY got to chose my vacation time. THEY got to choose who I worked with. Does this seem right to you? After all I am the one doing the job. Not them…Shouldn’t I get to choose all that? After a while things began to really bother me. People screaming at me because I made a mistake. I MADE A MISTAKE! I didn’t burn down your house or steal the company profits. I made a mistake. Do I really deserve to be humiliated in front of the people I work with? To be treated like a child or told how stupid I am? The answer was obvious. NO I DON’T!
So finally I decided to take that leap of faith and go it alone. It was really scary believe me. Once you get used to that weekly paycheck (no matter the amount) it is really scary when it is no longer there. So what was I going to do? I had been involved in a few part time companies over the years. I had sold a few products and made a bit of extra income. You know..one of those “things” The “P” word where you annoy all your friends and family until no one will return your calls. So I wasn’t sure that this was the way to go. Many companies promise the earth and the moon but often don’t deliver. Plus I really had no desire to be bulk buying and then trying to resell any more. I had to find what thrilled me. THAT was the secret. you have to do something that excites you or what’s the point? It has to be more than just a paycheck.
So I sat down and though about what I had done in my life that thrilled me the most and other than becoming a wife and a mom, the answer was so obvious. I HAD TRAVELED I had spent time in many parts of the UK, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and London. I had lived in Spain, Switzerland, Greece, and the USA. I had vacationed in many many other places around the world. And I had loved every minute of it. THIS is what I needed to do. THIS was my passion. but how?
I looked into becoming a travel agent and perhaps opening up a local store. Apart from the huge cost involved and the time it would take. It didn’t take a genius to know that many of the brick and mortar Travel Agents were going out of business. So I started to research. You know, do my due diligence . What I found out blew me away. …… 42 cents out of every dollar spent online was spent in travel Let me repeat that…42 cents out of every dollar spent online was spent on travel. That was HUGE! I knew then where I needed to go. I really needed to be in the online travel business. But how?……………………Visit my blog or click here to read part 2
Do you work from home, if so, what was it that helped make the decision to do that? Are you glad you did and would you ever go back to working for someone else?
About Julie Labes
Fierce over 50 
I would love to work from home. But I’m not much of a traveler. The steady paycheck isn’t what I’m sweating so much as the health insurance. My family’s is almost fully paid by my employer. That is hard to give up. Maybe I can convince them to let me telecommute part of the time…or maybe this lottery ticket I’m holding will be my ticket! I won $12 once. All I need is a few zeroes.
what a great perspective for me to read….as I embark on a “working from home adventure” myself.
I am looking forward to part 2…
It is pretty scary as I start to open up business banking accounts, etc., but hearing stories like yours will keep me grounded and excited at the same time!
Yes, I do work from home, and no, I didn’t always. I was a corporate climber in the Fashion business until I burned out. I’ve been in my own interior design business for 17 years now. Do I love it? Most of the time. Sometimes I miss the assurance of an anticipated pay check plus benefits,and the structure to my day…other times I love that my time is my own to decide what to do when, as well as the freedom to decide what kind of work I want to do and when. Plus and minuses on both sides…right now this is what I choose to do!
I remember when I made the jump to working from home in 1999, and I’ve never looked back. Even in Belize now I do the majority of my work from home. Good for you for aligning your passions together to find what worked for you!
Sharon Hiebing
Follow Your Dream Compass
http://www.wealthships.com
I work from home and love it (most of the time). You have to be more disciplined and anyone who tells you that products “sell themselves” is outright lying. It is great that you took the time and thoughtfully chose a business that aligned with your passions. Part of my business involves sponsoring others and I feel it is my responsibility to portray the experience honestly and not take advantage of those just looking for “something” – partly for integrity and partly because I have no desire to hand-hold, I want self-motivated individuals who have chosen this business.
Pat Zahn, Photo Solutions Superhero
http://www.patzahn.com
I have worked from home since my youngest was 2. I have tried various things. Some got cut off and interrupted by our moves. Some just didn’t float my boat. Now I am starting to coach SNCC I feel I am really finding my niche. I have always wanted to teach but school teaching just didn’t feel right. That also means working for an employer again. As a contractor for SNCC I feel I am finding the best of both worlds. I can work at home, around my family doing something I love. Win win!
Louise Edington
Facing Fears and Frontiers Over Fifty
I love your sense of humbleness in part 2- the way you describe the truth is great!
Your fear is so real to me right now.
Rachel
I actually miss being in my workplace! I left because of health issues, so it wasn’t the kind of choice you are talking about. I don’t do as much work now (at home) as I did then, for various reasons. But I relate to all the things you said, the problems with some workplaces and the desire to be independent. I am envious of your experience, skill, and comfort with traveling! I’ve traveled a fair amount, but I’m such a homebody it’s hard to make myself get out there. When I hear the wonderful places you’ve been, I remember what traveling can bring to life.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
I have worked from home ever since my daughter was born. I can not imagine working for someone else at this point. I like setting my hours, my rates and serving my clients in the best way I know how that isn’t dictated by someone else. I love the freedom to create new products or events. I love that I take my daughter to school and pick her up everyday. I love that if I feel like working all day on Sunday, I will. And, if I feel like playing all day on Tuesday, I’ll do that too. Best of all, I love that when you work for yourself and really live your passion, you never feel like you are “working” but instead you are co-creating!
Brandy Mychals
Split Second Perceptions
It’s a dream of mine, and will probably happen sooner than I think, given the current job market 🙂
I have never believed that working for someone else is a good idea, but can’t shake the stability factor.
I worked from home for a number of years when my daughter was in school, and loved it. Now I am co-owner of a business with my husband, which still allows me a lot of flexibility, but I have to admit that I miss being at home and working around my own schedule. Being someone else’s employee again would be something that would be really hard to do, and now I am getting to that age where getting hired would be a miracle anyway! But I so relate to your desire to be your own boss and applaud you for your courage and passion! I look forward to learning more about what you do and how you achieve all your goals!
Love working from home! The only draw-backs are that people sometimes do not value your time as much. Consequently, I am often asked to volunteer for jobs because people think that I am handy and available. Even people that I work with treat after-hours, weekends and holidays as though in Vegas! Open 24/7! Oh well. Still love it.
Most of the comments assume that work at home means having your own business and not working for someone else. But this is not necessarily true. I worked at home for a company for four days a week for years. Did I like it? Well I hated commuting in traffic so from that perspective yes. It just didn’t make sense to commute an hour to talk to someone in India or Denver. But with the right company office, going into the office can be social and fun. So I missed that.
Do I like working for myself? Right now yes. I left corporate America because I lost interest in what I was doing and I wanted more control over the projects I worked on. But I haven’t ruled out returning. The right job, with an easy commute with an awesome team and product could tempt me.
I love how you found this great match. What you are passionate about has organically turned into your new line of business. I really got the travel itch again hearing about your journeys. I could so relate to what you said about not being able to work for someone else. This was lovely and refreshing to read.
Fiona Stolze
http://fionastolze.wordpress.com
Thanks Fiona..This a story in many parts. I hope you will read parts 2 3 and 4 as I share my journey
I love hearing how others have tuned into their passion. Thanks for sharing.
I left my comfortable misery in Corporate America and easily transitioned into being a life coach working from, home helping others achieve their dreams and get paid handsomely for doing it. Other than occasionally tiring of the isolation, I have never looked back.
Rachel Lavern
http://www.rachellavern.com
Personal Transformation, Enlightenment and Development
Julie I am struck by the fact that working ones passion is what feeds the soul. There are pros and cons to both working as a solopreneur and working for someone else. I love the freedom of working from home, but its also a treadmill of its own. So much to do, and it all depends on one. I love what I do, I love being my own boss, but I still have to please the boss. And I work much longer hours as a solopreneur than I ever did as an employee. I also have never felt as in control and alive. Unbelievable 42c of every dollar spent online is spent on travel. I actually worship travel agents. They take the pain out of planning. Worth every penny!
Jennifer Duchene
Home Makeover Mixtress
http://home-decorating-makeovers.com/
I don’t work from home but I do have my own company and the same freedom applies. I can vehemently say that I can not work for anyone else! I’ve only had 2 jobs in all of my life and those were when I was an undergraduate; I didn’t last very long at either one of them :-).
For me, moreso than freedom, it’s more about control — control of what I make, control of my time, control of decisions that are made…I guess it is about freedom.
Next to my family, my greatest passion is my business. I mostly love satisfying my wonderful clients! I KNOW my services are second to none, but when my clients share that sentiment — I’m rewarded!
I’ve always worked for myself since college, sometimes at home sometimes at my office, until just this past year where I’ve actually worked for someone else in part time jobs. It was really intersting to see what it was like having to go to work everyday and “clock” in. Not something I really enjoyed!
But I love the way, when you decided to work for yourself, that you went through the process to find your passion and then use that to determine your choices. Many people skip that step! And you left me hanging in Part 2. Now I have to wait for Part 3!
Candace Davenport
http://www.ourlittlebooks.com ~ Little Books with a Big Message
Thanks for this wonderful post! I enjoyed reading how your “ups & downs” as an employee finally persuaded you to seize control of your own destiny. Actually, I think you always were in control, only for a while you let others make many of your important decisions. So congratulations! And welcome to the club. I’m self-employed, too, since 1975, and I enjoy telling people that I wake up unemployed every day. I guess it’s not so funny these days, but I manage to go to a party nearly every evening. It’s my job, and THAT’s a nice passion to follow!
I too am a small business owner. After working for IBM for 14 years in a very successful career I found myself in my second management position (I hated being a manager it was like Nanny 911 for adults) with the goal of making my way into the leadership development division. This was a corporate university where I would train managers and executives. My management experience, past positions experiences as well as a Masters & PhD.d. in Management provided me with a strong foundation to do an excellent job however IBM was never going to let me go there. The people who made it to the leadership development division never left, they never retired and they never died! So 1995 I started my own training and development company – Paradigm Shifts Training & Development. It was a great decision and I am much happier now that I live my purpose and work within my passion.
Lisa Ann Landry
Vibrating Positive Energy
http://www.imagedevelopmentgroup.com
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