No Ho-Hums at Home only Drive and Passion

How many of you have experienced this: "You work at home, how nice for you to do what you want?"

When will the myth of "work and play whenever you want to" wear off and the truth be known to those who don't work from home?

Let me clarify for intrapreneurs (whom aren't the target for this blog so feel free to share it outside of the small business circle).

• Working at home does mean I can do whatever I want; just as much as it can be reality for you too. It does not mean that I can wait for any service or product longer than others (like in a bank line, or doctor's office).
  
  
• Working at home is handy. Yes indeed it cuts back on greenhouse gases from my car, can be a handy tax right off, and reduces the need to make a healthy lunch before the start of the work day. It also means, I have to walk by my desk any other time I'm not behind it and see what's waiting for my return. Included in this availability is the possibility of customers dropping in because they figured I'd be at home (read: the need to have things tidy at all times).
  

Entrepreneurship is not for sissies. It takes mental focus, determination and commitment to a balanced life beyond what is happening at a desk. Not just a little work here, and a little work there. To keep this positive, here are the advantages in my perspective:

1. Ability to move quickly: Be Nimble without the need for approvals, departmental meetings etc. They happen, it's just easier to make a decision with only one person (albeit with split personalities some days) or a team of remote staff.
   
   
2. Get the work done and then play...guilt free. If there isn't enough play; it's your own fault! If there isn't enough work to warrant the play, then maybe you're in the wrong business. If there is too much work to play then you need to delegate and then play! Simple.
   
   
3. Networking as a entrepreneur is different. One can't help but want to network and talk shop and learn how you can do business with others or do things better. Sometimes, as an intrapreneur, your passion while networking might not match who you are networking for.
   
   
4. Access to the entire universe of talent! You get to choose who works with you and whom you work with! Barring the mailman, you get to hand-pick your support team.
   
   
5. Leveraging technology has to be the most significant advantage in today's business world compared to 10 years ago. Think of the progress we have made in the method and speed we can do business. This point delivers the previous ones for without technology none of this would be possible for many of us (VA's in particular).

In closing I suggest instead of "oh, how nice that you can work from home" people give us a little praise for accomplishing all we do. After all, it's not just being able to get the kids off the bus and provide healthy meals to the family. (I wonder if that would actually happen if I worked for someone else!) Ask what drives us to do the business we do; you may just be surprised how passionate our answer is!

Nimbly,
JCM