Tweet

How to Overcome Resistance in Your Home Based Business

Written by: Ann Ronan

Article Overview: I am often asked how I get so much done...running multiple profit centers while still having plenty of time for exercise, reading, learning and play. One thing I can attribute to my productivity is the attitude I took the very first day of my being self employed – I gave my home based business the same respect I had given my previous jobs. Here’s what I did, and continue to do.

How to Overcome Resistance in Your Home Based Business

I highly recommend a book called "The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield. In it he examines internal obstacles to success and how to unlock your creativity. Today's tips are adapted from his book.

I am often asked how I get so much done...running multiple profit centers while still having plenty of time for exercise, reading, learning and play. One thing I can attribute to my productivity is the attitude I took the very first day of my being self employed - I gave my home based business the same respect I had given my previous jobs. Here's what I did, and continue to do:

1. I show up every day. When I first started my home based business, I decided I would work Monday through Friday -no weekends. I also decided I would make my commute down the hallway to my desk in real clothes. Now, one of the joys of working from home is that I can wear comfortable clothes...however, I don't show up at work in my pj's.

2. I show up no matter what. In my previous employment, I rarely stayed home -I've got great health and hardly get sick, I didn't want to let my colleagues down, and I took pride in meeting my project deadlines. I have the same philosophy in my home based business. If I'm truly sick, I rest but other than that I show up.

3. I stay on the job all day. I decided my hours would be Monday-Thursday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and Fridays from 9:00-2:00 pm. And for the most part, I am at home working during those hours. I gradually adjusted the tasks I would do at different times. For example, I used to take client calls every day -now I don't take them on Mondays or Fridays. Mondays is a day when I work on projects and writing, and Friday is a project day and also a time for planning the upcoming week. I now quit at 1:00 most Fridays. Most days my husband joins me at home for lunch - so I have a midday break.

While working from home gives me the freedom to rearrange my hours if needed, I find that my regular daytime schedule works for me...I have plenty of time in the early mornings, evenings and weekends for relaxation and play. Your ideal schedule might look very different. The point is to have a schedule and stick to it.

4. I accept pay for my work. You accepted your paycheck when you were employed by someone else right? You didn't feel guilty for taking it did you? Yes, I'm enjoying my work and yes it provides service that I feel compelled to give to the world and YES, I'm here to make money! You'll need to get over any discomfort you have about quoting your fees and asking to be paid if you are going to have a successful business and not just a hobby.

I've seen these 4 factors make or break home based businesses. Commit to these things for 3 months and let me know what "magic" happens for you!

Related Articles
  Managing Resistance
  Direct Sales Strategies: Overcoming Initial Resistance- We Just Want the Price
  3rd of the 10 Kurlan Sales Competencies that are Key to Building a Sales Culture
  Resistance and Resilience Reflect Each Other
  Sales Force Alignment with Market Strategies

Article Tags: attitude, home based business, jobs, productivity, profit centers, resistance



Related Forum Posts
Elevator Pitch in 10 Words - "Winning Business Design For Aspiring Entrepreneurs Based On Their Idea"
Re: How do you budget your life? - Here is my financial management categories for today: 15% Long Term Savings; 10% Home Expenses; 45% Business and Marketing charges; 10% Friends (Meeting); 20$ Scientific and Law Books. But this will change when it is August or September. Orxan
Books for Women Entrepreneurs - There's a thread for good books in the Resources folder, but it doesn't target books for businesswomen particularly, so I figured I'd start such a thread here. It doesn't matter how successful you are in your business - it's always possible to learn something new. In subsequent posts I give Table of Contents and brief descriptions for various titles - most of them devoted to the businesswoman - and sometimes a review. If anyone else has read a review, or has read the book and found it useful, please comment! 1. The Old Girl's Network 2. Mother's Work 3. The 7 Greatest Truths About Successful Women 4. Pitch Like A Girl 5. Workplace Warrior 6. Treasure Hunt: Inside the Mind of the Modern Consumer 7. Contingency Planning & Disaster Recovery 8. She Wins, You Win 9. Napoleon On Project Management 10. Why Good Girls Dont' Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do 11. Comeback Moms: How to Leave Work, Raise Children, and Restart your Career even If you Haven't Had a Job in Years 12. The One Minute Millionaire 13. Talking From 9 to 5 14. Soloing: Realizing Your Life's Ambitions 15. 101 Best Home Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road To Success 16. Work With Passion: How to Do What You Love for a Living. Revised and Expanded 17. Fail-Proof Your Business: Beat the Odds and be Successful 18. Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End 19. Women Don't Ask: Negotiation and the Gender Divide 20. Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen 21. Start Small, Finish Big: Fifteen Key Lessons to Start - and Run - Your Own Successful Business 22. Rewired, Rehired or Retired: A Global Guide for the Experienced Worker 23. The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build or manage a business 24. The Essentials of Entrepreneurship: What it takes to create Successful Enterprises 25. Net Ready: Strategies for Success in the E-conomy 26. The Promotable Woman 27. Leave The Office Earlier: The Productivity Pro shows you how to do more in less time and feel great about it 28. The Work At Home Balancing Act: The professional resource guide for managing yourself, your work, and your family at home 29. Secrets of Six-Figure Women
My entry - 1. The Best Business Books Ever: The 100 Most Influential Business Books You'll Never Have Time to Read - this is a fascinating book about the history of Business theory, and I'd recommend it to anybody. 2. The Big Book of Small Business: You Don't Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of Your Pants, by Tom Gegax. Ditto. 3. PADI: The Business of Diving Book Okay, so this book won't be of use to anyone who doesn't want to start a scuba store, but I did, and this book was of course invaluable to me in reaching that goal.
Re: Trade Shows - Are They Worth It? - HI, I have used trade shows (not participated) to collect potential clients. For example, the Home & Garden Industry is extremely behind the time in regards to their websites. I attended an Home & Garden Expo in Denver and collected all the companies contact information. I plan on cold calling & mailing information to each business. It also gave me time to research the industry more, talk directly to the owners in many cases, and learn more about what they need. Jeff


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Starting a Business a Brave Move or a NoBrainer

Tips for the Novice Traveler

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.