[moonwolf]

I don't normally post on this forum, so maybe someone
already covered this topic.

How much actual time do you put into running your home
based business?

Some years ago I operated a business from home and then
built a store on my property 'next door'. So, actually it wasn't
home based anymore. I walked to work. Took me usually
40 seconds to get there.lol

I didn't really keep track of time I spent outside of store
hours, but it amounted to more than was really worth it.
I work now outside of home at a 'regular' work place, a
retail establishment. It's not high paying , but at least my
experience with product I handled at my self employed
business was good reference to get current employment.
I figure , even with low pay, I make more than previously
when I owned my own business. I can also go home at end
of day and put in time on my homestead. There are aspects
I do miss about self employment in that I chose the direction
and function. But then , isn't that what being your own boss
is all about? Perhaps some day I'll go back to it in some kind
of consulting or advisory /training capacity. I would prefer
that to 'owning'.

So, how much time do you put into your home business?

 

[Harry Chickpea]

Mine is unusual. I put in a ton of work at startup and had a lot of expenses, but once I had constructed my main software program and figured out how to make the supplies for it earn the income, my hours dropped off dramatically with a rare support call or order taking. Some months the only work is filling in the sales tax form and relaying an order to a warehouse and sending a cut-n-paste invoice.

Even when I was working for others, I used every opportunity to set up systems that got jobs done quickly and freed up my time.

 

[clovis]

Sometimes, I feel like I work non-stop in our little business. Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't take a job somewhere.

At the same time, it is nice to take a leisurely lunch on occasion. It is cool to see my little one walk in the door every day after school. It is cool to meet up with my folks for lunch.

I also don't have to fight rush hour traffic. I got jammed up in rush hour today in the big city, and I had forgotten how stressful it can be. To make decent money in our area, you are going to have to fight that every day.

I also don't have to shop for special work clothes. I can work in my underwear if I want. I think sometimes that people forget how much money they spend on clothes, not to mention the time to shop for them. I'd rather take a beating than to shop and try on 14 pairs of slacks again. Or dress shoes. Or neckties. Or suits. Or anything, for that matter.

I also don't have to go to office parties. Or get rooked into giving to the Red Cro$$, the office flower fund, or chipping in to buy some tyrannical nimrod boss a birthday present when he has more money than all of us combined.

I could go on...but more than anything, I am glad not to spend hours of my life commuting to a job that I hate.

 

[moonwolf]

Sometimes, I feel like I work non-stop in our little business. Sometimes, I wonder if I shouldn't take a job somewhere.


I also don't have to shop for special work clothes. I can work in my underwear if I want. I think sometimes that people forget how much money they spend on clothes, not to mention the time to shop for them. I'd rather take a beating than to shop and try on 14 pairs of slacks again. Or dress shoes. Or neckties. Or suits. Or anything, for that matter.

I also don't have to go to office parties. Or get rooked into giving to the Red Cro$$, the office flower fund, or chipping in to buy some tyrannical nimrod boss a birthday present when he has more money than all of us combined.

I could go on...but more than anything, I am glad not to spend hours of my life commuting to a job that I hate.

True enough. I spend 25 minutes driving to work each way
5 days a week. It's a fuel expense, but I also had to take
More than that before when running a business to pick up
orders and other related matters.

At my job I don't have special uniforms to wear, except for
black jeans. They provide shirts, so no expense there. I also
don't bother spending on boss presents or socialize with
the staff if I don't want to. Their annual Xmas party I don't
bother with. It's all good that way.

Funny thing you mention about organizations wanting donations.
When I had my business, I got hounded at least once a week
to 'give '. If it wasn't for the local hockey team or police association,
or whatever, big nuisance. At my job now I don't have that.
So, for me at least it's better.

 

[MoonShadows]

In terms of hours, I really can't say, but I do spend way too much time on a home business that doesn't bring in as much as I need, but it's growing each year, and I love it. Just recently, I was able to go from full time to part time on my "regular" job, and that has made all the effort well worth it. Maybe in the next year, I will be able to quit my regular job.

 

[sisterpine]

My home business seems to be growing down in revenue this year. Admittedly, I have not given it much time this year either what will selling the house and moving to the little farm. My DD mentioned recently that our website needs updating and some of the photos are incorrect...no idea how that happened.

 

[Cygnet]

I probably work well over 40 hours a week (probably around 60-70), but it's on my terms and I have zero commute time, aside from the two mile round trip (or four miles, if I'm up for a challenge and take the long way) quad ride to the mail box twice a day.

There are not many jobs in this world where riding a quad (with your dogs running alongside) is part of your daily routine.

I have bird feeders outside my windows, and get to watch the birds and tree rats ... and get to watch my cats watch the birds and squirrels, which is even more entertaining. (When the giant ravens show up, the cats dive for cover! LOL.) That was never a perk when I worked for someone else ...

I take a nap in the afternoon, for as long as I want, then after dinner, work some more.

I generally have the TV on as I work -- I watch a lot of documentaries -- or I blast rock and roll. Try doing that in an office.

Part of my weekly routine is, every Tuesday (or Wednesday, if I'm lazy and a bit behind) I hit a bunch of thrift stores looking for merchandise and then I drive from Payson over into Camp Verde to the resale mall where I have my booth, restock the booth, and then hit a few more thrift stores in Camp Verde. It's about 180 miles round trip, and it's over a windy mountain roads with spectacular views and tons of wildlife. I used to drive that route for fun. This takes all day. So I'm driving on scenic roads and thrifting as a job.

Yeah ... I work more than 40 hours a week, but I'd rather be doing this than any nine to five office job with too-often unpleasant coworkers ...

 

[TraderBob]

deleted

 

[Big Dave]

10 hours per day. It is work.

 

[Homesteader1]

Just from home business about 2 hours. Working around the homestead 8-12 hours. Love it.

 

[vtwhelen]

I work 72 on a dairy farm. Farming/homesteading is not for everyone.

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