Owning a Mexican restaurant was my husband’s dream. His mom had a restaurant when he was in high school, he loves to cook, and he wanted to be an entrepreneur instead of working for someone else.
There were many positive things about owning a restaurant. The food was awesome —authentic Mexican food that the customers raved about. Regular customers were so grateful to have a non-franchise restaurant with “real” food. This was a fun environment to meet people and make new friends.
However, no one realizes how many challenges a small business owner faces until they step out to fulfill their dreams. I don’t want to be negative about his business. However, there were the permits for everything related to the restaurant, including the size of the lighted sign outside. Then hiring good employees and keeping them was a continual process because turnover in the restaurant industry is probably the highest of any business. Payroll tax, sales tax, and property tax are non-stop expenses that seem to bleed the revenue. Having the cash flow to meet payroll each week was an unending worry. Rather than owning the business, the business owned him. Leaving on vacation was next to impossible because in a small business, the owner is the main “employee.” One week my husband was out of town and I filled in for him. It was a very slow day and I noticed the cooks in the kitchen were very happy. Then it dawned on me. They got paid per hour and they liked it better when they weren’t busy! Wow!
The worker’s mentality is that they get paid whether customers came or not, whereas the owner’s mentality is to work hard to grow the business.
The truth is, a lot of small business owners wish they had never gone into business at all. But what would they do if they sold out? After all, they are business people. They love the idea of being part of the business world, associating with other business owners, and simply being part of the amazing free enterprise system. But being your own boss is supposed to be a dream-come-true, not a daily round of hassles.
Small business owners who feel trapped by many of these problems are now looking for alternatives. One direction many are taking is to start a home-based business. According to a September, 2006, report by the U.S. Census Bureau, about 49% of small businesses today are home-based, and the number is expected to continue rising.
Why is a home-based business so appealing to so many? To begin with, most of the aggravations associated with storefront businesses just aren’t there. Feelings of freedom and peace reign in a comfortable home office environment. A flexible schedule allows more time to spend with family or to fulfill other dreams and desires.
As a home-based entrepreneur, you will still be part of a viable business community of like-minded individuals who will be happy to network with you and who won’t expect you to be their caretaker. This frees you up to devote your time to accumulating wealth for yourself and your family, the people who matter most to you. Successful home-based businesses still take work. But if you are doing what you enjoy, and have only you and your clients or customers to focus on, the experience is freeing, expansive, and gratifying.
Marilyn Schwader and Linda Schwader are successful entrepreneurs with a passion for helping people remove their daily struggle for money so that they can focus on the change they want to be in the world. If you are ready to start your own home based business, if you have drive, focus, integrity, and ambition, and aren’t content to wait and see what life gives you, but are ready to create your own business, then we encourage you to contact us.
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