As we celebrate the country’s freedom and independence on the 4th of July, I’m struck by how those concepts can also apply to a home business.
So here are a few examples of the freedom and independence I have found in having a home business:
No more Boss: Just as the colonies wanted to escape from the rule of a king, a home business owner escapes from a boss. No one is standing over your shoulder, throwing a last minute “priority” assignment on your desk or asking you to work late 3 nights in a row. You have the freedom to set your schedule: how many days to work, and how long your work-day will be. You choose your “overtime” – an extra hour or two late at night when the kids are in bed, the house is quiet and you can concentrate exclusively on your work.
No more Rules: Whether it was the monarchy in the 1700s making random demands and outrageous taxes or a company today demanding a strict dress code and a “freeze” on raises…in a home business your freedom allows you to make the rules. Is your dress code pajamas for 1/2 the day? Great – if you are working on the phone or computer what does it matter? Need extra funds one month for a special event? No problem! As the boss, you decide when to put in more hours and make more money.
No more Sacrificing Family for work: A king could call you away from your family on a moment’s notice and if you disobeyed, the punishment could be severe. A boss can change a work schedule at his/her discretion and suddenly, your request for a day off to chaperon your child’s field trip is not good for the “company”. One of the freedoms my husband and I treasure the most with our home business is the ability it gives us to go on every class field trip with our 3 kids. Sometimes my husband was the only dad chaperoning – which meant that he was assigned the more rambunctious boys in the class – but he loved it! Whether it’s class field trips, school concerts, show-and-tell days or just having lunch with your kids once in awhile, the freedom to work your business around your family is one of the best things about a home business!
No more Living by someone else’s Priorities: The monarchy decided what battles to fight based on their ultimate priorities, and today a boss decides your job duties based on his (or the company’s) goals. In your home business, you have the freedom to make your own goals. Even more important, you have the choice to change those goals or realign your priorities if something in your business (or life) has changed. And there’s no boss to let down (or king to disobey) – it’s just you; with your home business you have the freedom to re-write your goals every day if that’s what works!
So as I reflect on our freedom today and what our forefathers wrote: that all men in this country should be entitled to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, in my home business:
“Life” means putting my family first, working a business around the most important people and things in my life
“Liberty” is the freedom I have to set my own goals and the freedom I have to build a business based on the principles that are important to me
“Pursuit of Happiness” translates to finding purpose and pursuing my dreams as I’m helping others in ways not possible before I had my own business.
I treasure the freedom I have in this country – and in my home business – to decide the right path to success and happiness for me.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Declaration of Independence
Happy Independence Day!!