Working From Home

As the owner of an online business, I always work from home... or from any computer I find myself in front of when the mood strikes me. I have worked from my laptop while on vacation. I have worked while visiting friends. I have worked from my back deck whilst watching the kids in the pool. I have logged onto computers in various electronics stores just to see what's going on with my store... and then I leave my store webpage up. It's FREE ADVERTISING until someone navigates to another URL. LOL.

I like being able to be anywhere and still run my business.

I like waking up in the morning to see what sales were like overnight. While I was sleeping, others were shopping.

And for the record, I do work and I work hard. I work all different hours of the day. I work on the weekends. I work on vacation... all by choice of course. It is my choice when to work although timely shipments of sold goods are a must and so most days require a shipping schedule. If I'm out of town or on vacation, a delay in shipping message goes out before purchases can be made by customers so that there are no issues with the wait.

My "working from home" routine goes something like this:

Up at 5:00am to make the coffee and boot up the computer in my office.

Drink my coffee and see what sold overnight, check and answer business questions from customers and see what the "competition" is up to.

Then starts the shipping. Usually 10-20 parcels a day. The post lady picks them up from my front door. How cool is that?

Lunch around noon. A phone call to or from hubby.

Afternoons consist of replacing and adding inventory to the site.

Pick the kids up from school. Attend what ever sporting event one or both kids have.

Make dinner.

Kiss husband when he walks in the door.

Check on business during the commercial breaks of our favorite shows

And that's about it.

It's a lot of work. People who've "watched" me work or have stayed with me for extended visits say they couldn't do it. It's too confusing. It's too difficult. It's too much. But I love it. I make my own money. I figured it out on my own. My husband is proud (in awe...really) of what I've accomplished.

I'm lucky enough that I don't have to work if I truly didn't want to. It wasn't a financial issue that led me to this. My husband was happy to provide financially for us while I was raising the kids, volunteering at the school, keeping the house immaculate (as if!) and cooking dinner. But as my kids "outgrew" me, I wanted to do something that didn't interfere with me being a full time Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend and now Grammy (Grandmother).

I found that "something".

And it's a great gig.