Should I Start a Home Business? Do the GROUNDWORK First! • R is for Relationships

Should I Start a Home Business?
Do the GROUNDWORK
R is for Relationships

In laying the GROUNDWORK for starting a home-based business 
the second thing to consider 
is the strength and support of your relationships. 

Relationships are what keep us interconnected to others. It's the intimate associations of a spouse, siblings, parents, relatives and children that entertain, enrich, empower, and edify us. In turn we seek to sustain and strengthen them. When we make significant changes in our lives we measure it against those bonds that we feel strongest about. It is essential to address those alliances when asking the question, "Should I start a home business?"

Things will change. You will only have so much to give and a new business will be taking some of your life. What time and talent allocated to family should go to what is important to them. Have a dialog to determine what that is. What do they want you to continue doing? What are they willing to give up? For a spouse, it might mean maintaining daily phone calls while letting go of lunch dates, joint attendance at events or get away weekends. For children, that might mean maintaining daily homework reviews but letting go of being room mother, car pooling or attending certain events. For siblings it might mean keeping the monthly family get together but skipping the birthdays, plays and movies. Making sure you are doing what is beneficial in their eyes will go a long way to help them feel that you have remained connected. 

Spouses and children can fear the unknown. When those significant people feel disconnected or displaced they will lash out to bring things back to the normal and known weakening you mentally and emotionally. Families that are currently strained will be taxed further, possibly to the breaking point. We don't want the very business that starts out to boost us and our family be the very thing that ruins the relationships in the process. Recognize and address the fears of your family, talk about the adjustments that need to be made. When the future possibilities are prepared for fears subside and a sense of faith follows. It's still unknown but it doesn't seem unworkable.

A couple's relationship is one of the most intimate kind of connections and is therefore essential in the discussion of starting a home business. It will require strong, solid support from your spouse. If your spouse is used to a certain way of life they will continue to expect that way of life unless there is some real dialog about what is changing. Spouses will need to know that these issues were visited so that no one is surprised by the turn of events. They still may be surprised because discussions are different than daily life but it is helpful to know that expectations were addressed beforehand and it's just a matter of readjustments. 

Here are some Family Council Questions to start the conversation about considering a home-based business.


Q1   What areas are you willing to give up my involvement in?
Q2   What areas would you still like me to be involved in?
Q3   Who and how can you contribute to the home business?
Q4   What time periods should be devoted to family?
Q5   What things should we maintain for a strong couple's relationship?
Q6   What things would need to be sacrificed?
Q7   What will be the shift in responsibilities?
Q8   What are some positives and negatives to starting a home business?
Q9   What are the long term and short term results and rewards?
Q10 Is it going to change the focus of what our family is about?

Areas to Consider

Because you value these people in your life consider the following:

• Throughly evaluate where your relationship with your significant other stands and the strength and support you can expect.

• Honestly calculate the pros, cons, and concerns you have for your children's progress while starting and running a home business.

• Respectfully deliberate with extended family about what they can and can't do to support your family and home business.

• Openly investigate how your friends might lend a hand and what that would mean to your friendships.

Starting a home business will take its toll on those close to you.
 If the foundation of your family is healthy and happy then starting a home business will be another life choice that can enhance the experience.If the family associations are neglected or non existent then starting a business may make a further divide. 
In assessing whether to start a home business, the value of the relationships around you 
will add to the degree of your success.