5 Lessons I Learned About Building a Home Based Business While Watching a Master Violinist
One of the things I have learned about myself through building a home based business is that there is always more to learn. When I first got started, I had a lot to research, but some of it was hard to find and understand. This post will provide lessons that are both applicable and practical for anyone who wants to start their own home based business. Whether you are looking at these lessons from your perspective as someone who wants to build an online course or simply take better care of themselves by raising their personal productivity levels, these tips should give you something new and interesting to read!
Tips for building a successful home based business
- Be part of a community or network. This is difficult if you are a solo entrepreneur, but if you are part of a community that is looking to help each other out, it is so much easier to ask for advice, share experiences, and get the support needed. If you do not have a group or network yet, it may be time to look online for some people who have successfully started their own businesses.
- Think of someone in your life who can serve as an accountability partner. Have friends who are starting their own businesses? It helps to have someone who will hold you accountable for completing goals and keeping commitments. In my case I was working double shifts at the hospital in my free time and this became too much for me after about 4 months. My EI benefits being denied also played into this decision and made me feel like I could no longer do it. However, someone who took the time to get to know me as a person and saw that I would make an effort was enough to keep me on track in the last few weeks of my study. There are so many ways in which you can use a partner or accountability coach such as Skype, Google Hangouts, or even using a check list app like GOALS . If you are working for yourself but have a long commute, there could be many strategies that you have taken for granted which may need revamping. In my case, I was a bit bored driving to and from work so I decided to do a few extra podcasts each week. As you make extra time for yourself in this way, you will begin to think of ways in which you can spend your time more productively and also become more creative in keeping yourself accountable on days when you don't feel like doing what needs to be done.
- Build your business around tasks that are fun or build skills that can be used for other things. If people are supporting what you are doing, it's easier to take big risks! I got into the habit of making micro goals and having little rewards along the way. I also built up a small library of books that I could use to learn more about things that interested me. These can also be used to keep you motivated on difficult days when you find yourself procrastinating.
- Be consistent in your work habits, but not necessarily your priorities. In other words, you can set priorities for tasks based on how much value they will provide to others, but once those tasks have been completed, have fun! This is where the above tip comes into play. Building a business around tasks that are motivating and enjoyable is the best way to keep yourself on track.
- Write down your ideas and then move on. This helps you to be more productive and also makes it easier to organize your thoughts logically. If you have written ideas down, this also keeps you more accountable to moving through with it.
- Always build in time for fun! I've found that I am more creative when I give myself time for fun than when I try to force myself into creativity by setting aside different working times of the day. Do what works for you!
The most important thing is to enjoy yourself as much as you can.