pros and cons of working at home

With today’s rising demand for service-oriented businesses along with recent technological advances, the opportunities for home-based businesses have never been better. However, before taking the plunge, you may want to consider some of the pros and cons of working from home.

The PROS of a home-based business include:

Financial Benefits. One of the biggest advantages of a home-based business is the financial benefits it provides. A home-based business allows you to eliminate the cost of an office, a major expense ffor most small businesses. Also, most home based business owners are eligible for a partial write-off of their house payment, utilities, and maintenance costs. (The laws are becoming stricter in this area. Be sure to check the current tax laws in your state.)

Flexibility and Freedom. Let’s face it. Work takes up a lot of our lives. Because of this, more and more women want the flexibility and freedom associated with owning a small business. Even if they must put iin more hours than their corporate counterparts (which is highly unlikely these days), home-based business owners gain the flexibility to structure their own time and control their own lives.

The CONS of a home-based business include:

Vague Boundaries. One of the greatest cchallenges of working from home is to set definite boundaries between work and family obligations. Friends and family members may have a difficult time adjusting to the fact that you have to work while you are home. Remember, this is a transition period for them, too. As long as you are straight-forward about your expectations, you should be able to eliminate most of the conflicts before they occur.

Increased Self-discipline and Isolation. In addition to the skills every woman needs for starting her own business, a woman ...