A Matter of Lifestyle

Today is a perfect example of the lifestyle I have been able to build with my business. Why? Because my daughter is home sick. She is also supposed to go to the dentist this afternoon.
 
Freckles has had a few health issues over the last year that have caused her to miss a handful of school days (today it's just a fever and a cold). I have had the ability to go into her room in the morning and realize that she needs to stay home and just let her stay home. I then come into my office and work - just like I would if she was at school. 

The point is this: I don't lose income when this happens. I can still go to work. I don't have a boss I have to call to get time off. I don't have to miss out on my wage because I had to stay home. It's not a big deal with a bunch of red tape.

Even if she wasn't sick today, I would have had to pick her up to take her to the dentist. If I had a traditional job, this would have meant getting permission to leave early and, most likely a loss in pay for those hours that I was away. Maybe it would have meant working through my lunch hour so that I could leave an hour early.

I often have the opportunity to go for coffee or lunch with a friend during the day. I can make my own appointments during the day instead of evenings and weekends. I can decide to take a day off if I've done a trade show over the weekend. I can plan my schedule around my family.
 
That's the key: I plan my schedule around my family. I look at our family calendar and our commitments that are already in place and I tell people the dates I am available for parties. I control my schedule. It means I ultimately decide how much time I will put into my business and when that will be.
 
This truly is a lifestyle business. I can go and earn a paycheque anywhere. But I choose to earn it from home. I love the freedom and the flexibility to be here when my kids are home sick. I love being the first face they see when they get off the bus. I love going on field trips and taking cookies into the classroom to surprise them.
 
When our children are young, they are very dependent on us. As they grow, they need us even more - just in different ways. For those of you with little ones, this is the perfect time to build a business from home so that as they grow, you too have the freedom and flexibility to choose how you fill your calendar!