As a single mom to three children I’ve always found working for other people a mixed blessing. On the one hand the regular money comes in handy – you can’t live without it! On the other hand juggling school-aged children and a 9-5 is far from easy.
As I’ve always been the independent type, being my own boss is the perfect answer. I can set my own hours and if my child is taken ill and needs to spend the day at home, well I just reschedule my own work.
Until two years ago the problem has always been finding the right business. And believe me; I’ve tried several! Each venture has taught me something I needed to know or learn, but for one reason or another wasn’t “the answer” I was looking for.
So what was I looking for?
Through trial and error I realized that if I was going to make any business work for me, and in my circumstances, (and I wonder if you can relate to this), it needed to have the following elements:
Top of the list I’m afraid. But as a mother, I don’t want to work eighteen hours a day just to bring in enough money to pay the bills, do you?
- Working with happy, motivated people
If I’m going to spend several hours a day with other people, I’d rather like it to be an enjoyable experience!
I want to be able to choose the days and times that I’m available for work so that I can fit it around my family and social life – NOT the other way around.
- Doing something worthwhile
Life is unpredictable and we all have to take the good with the bad. However, one of the ways I’ve found that can REALLY make you feel good and make the world seem a better place, is by making a positive contribution to someone else’s life. What better way than to do this through your work? That means you’re doing it everyday and getting paid for it!
For a while in my “mixed bag” career I worked as a cleaner. I set up my own business and specialised in cleaning rental properties after the tenants had moved out. It was enjoyable at first and the money was good. However, after a few months I found I just didn’t like cleaning THAT much! An excellent experience and business venture which works for many people, including a good friend of mine who is making a very decent living out of her own cleaning business. I just couldn’t see myself doing it indefinitely.
- It has to be something I’m good at
I don’t have any “professional” qualifications or specialised training but, like everyone, I have a set of life skills and some positive personality traits. To enjoy my work it is essential that I am using these skills to their best advantage.
This is a biggy! I’ve had my share of stress, we all have. You can’t bring up three children with zero stress. In fact you can’t live life with zero stress. Well, OK, some can – I just haven’t quite achieved that elevated mindset yet. (I live in hope!). But, after my many hit and miss attempts at running my own businesses I came to the unshakeable decision that my work would never be a major source of stress in my life again.
- It has to be something I’m proud of
Whether it’s a good or bad thing, we’re all judged by others on what we do. It’s a bit like being judged on your appearance. In many ways it’s rather shallow and there are much more important things in life to be concerned with. That said though, it’s a pleasant experience to tell people what you do for a living and get a positive and interested reaction in return.
Well it’s taken me long enough to get here, but I can honestly say I have now found the perfect business for me. It meets all the above criteria and more besides – and it just might be what you’re looking for too.
Taking my several years’ experience in using my home computer, my oodles of patience from bringing up three children single-handedly and my liking for enthusiastic, motivated and interesting people, I now run my own Computer Tutoring service for adults.
There are thousands and thousands of mature adults out there who are just beginning to get to grips with the explosion of technology we have experienced in the last few years. To many this world is a bewildering and frightening place but the urge to become involved is overwhelming. And quite rightly too.
For the older generation, and seniors in particular, computers and the internet open up new and exciting experiences such as keeping in touch with distant family and friends, online shopping, creating personal greetings cards and digital photography – the list of possibilities is immense.
In a nutshell I teach adults in their own home how to use their computer for all the useful and entertaining purposes that many of us take for granted.
If you’re good with your computer and enjoy working with people, this could also be the ideal business for you. The demand is great and there just aren’t enough people out there meeting it at the moment. To get more of a feel for what I do and how I do it, please visit my websites at http:Computer Tutor Business Handbook
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope it has been of interest to you and I wish you every success in your own personal ventures.
