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Family Involved

February 19, 2006

Q- I am thinking of starting a new business that will provide a service to help other businesses but it will demand that I quit my job and start to work out of my house. My concern is how working at home will affect my wife (who is a stay-at-home mom) and our two young children. Do you have any suggestions to help me with this?

I applaud you for wanting to start your own business. Walking out to the ledge and then stepping off takes so much courage.

Before you make the plunge, however, I encourage you to test whether there is market for your product. Quitting your job and changing your entire life without knowing whether there is a demand for your services is not a good strategy.

One way to test the market is to try to sell your product or service on a part-time basis while you are still earning a regular paycheck. If that is not possible, then inquire among some prospective customers about whether they would be willing to buy what you are offering at the price that you are planning to charge.

In terms of your family, you have to get all of them to buy into your plan, especially since you are going to be operating out of your house for a while. In the beginning there is going to be lots of confusion. In the past, the time for family interaction was when you were at home. When your home is also your office, you have to set limits.

You cannot just tell your children once that things are going to be different; they will need to hear and see the changes reinforced over and over again. It helps to have an office with a door you can close. By keeping the door closed when your kids are home you are letting them know that you are working and should not be disturbed.

In a like manner, you cannot come out and play with the kids whenever you want because you’ll just confuse them. They need not only to know that there are times when you are not available and times when you are, but also how to tell the difference between these times.

Adapting to this new way of life will be most difficult for your spouse, especially since she is a stay-at-home mom. Even if she completely supports your decision (and you’d best not take action until she does) she is still going to be worried about economic repercussions. If you then mess about with her work schedule, you will have created one very unhappy spouse.

For many years, she was the captain of your home. You cannot return as the captain but rather as a mate who has work to do. You have already asked her to make an enormous life change – don’t ask her to make any more major accommodations.

Working at home will really save you a bunch of money, but you have to be very careful to understand that you are moving into your family’s arena and you must be respectful of this. Good luck!