What Happens to Business When Something Personal Is Wrong?

by Cheryl Williams Levey
Copyright (c) 2003 Cheryl Williams Levey. All Rights Reserved.

In a traditional job, most people tend to keep their personal lives and their work lives separate. When you work for yourself at home, that becomes more difficult, and the line between business and family/play/home becomes blurred. In many respects, this is a good thing. You can take breaks as needed, and arrange your work around your personal and family needs. This, actually, is one of the primary reasons many people want to work from home.

But what happens when something big goes wrong in your personal life?

Ideally, you can take the time needed to attend to the problem. But realistically, we all know we need to keep working or our business will disappear. It's really no different than knowing we'll get fired if we don't show up for a traditional job.

But, working for yourself from home has some distinct advantages over being employed by someone else. As a home business owner, you enjoy freedoms that people in traditional jobs dream about, one of which is the ability to alter your work schedule at will to wrap around your personal and family needs, instead of the other way around.

If you need time off, you can take it. You don't have to worry about losing your job. As long as you don't neglect your business for too long, that is.

But what if you need an extended time away?

What if, for example, you need to travel for a couple of months? To, for example, help out a family member with medical needs?

Well, if your business is internet-based, as long as you have access to a computer and internet connection, you can work from anywhere at any time. Your location is completely irrelevant. As is your actual daily schedule.

How many traditional jobs offer that kind of flexibility?

When everything is going right, it's easy to take for granted some of the freedoms an internet based business owner has compared to people who work in a traditional job. But when something is wrong, the benefits become even more valuable.

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Cheryl Williams Levey is a writer/designer living in beautiful
Arizona. She writes and creates on a variety of topics,
some serious and some fun. Check out her writing
and designs at http://www.cherylsweb.com.