Finding the Right Home Based Business for your Family
By Becky Cash

As promised in my last article, we will explore the question of how you can find the right home-based business for your family.  The first question that you need to ask and pray about is:  Do you want to simply work for someone else and earn an income or do you want to build a business that will pay you long-term?  These are both legitimate options based on your families’ goals.  Once you have answered that question, you can begin to separate out different options.  Let us explore the road to starting your own business.

As a small business owner, I have created a home-based business that affords us the freedom to work when, where and with whom I choose.  If our children wake up sick one morning or if they just need extra attention, much of my day can be re-arranged or thrown out the window.  The flip side to that is that if I do not work, I do not get paid.  However, I chose a business opportunity with a residual income, with a product of high demand.  Therefore, the work that I did a couple years ago has really paid off down the road.  I did a lot of work in the beginning and now, when my children are multiplying faster than my time, Praise Be to God, I do not have to work as hard.  The business model that we work with is called Multi-level marketing.  We began by using a product that made a true and miraculous impact on our daughters’ health, fell in love with the results, and began telling others.  I now spend the majority of my time training others to do the same.  The benefits for us are: better health, more time for family, mom and dad both work from home and a long-term income, just to name a few.

Another option in starting your own business would be to literally start your own company.  I know a Catholic mom who has a particular nitch talent.  She creates adoption books for families interested in adopting.  This is a talent that I do not have and taking on such an endeavor would not be an option for me.  I know another mom who creates the most beautiful doll clothes and has created a business doing so.  And obviously, Dr. Shaklee, the creator of the company I work with, started his own company many years ago.  Another mom I know had the dream of creating the perfect child care facility.  After years of renting, contracting, getting loans, licensing and recruiting, hiring and so on, they broke ground on their second center last year.  If my children needed to be in daycare, they would be at her center.  What she has created is incredible.  For us, our dream started as a health quest and we have built a sizable income working within the parameters of another company. 

In choosing which direction you wish to go, finances need to be considered.  Some options cost very little, while others can drain you of all of your resources.  Start by asking yourself some simple questions.  Are you looking to build a dream or an immediate income?  Are you looking for short-term income or long-term income?  Do you want a home-based business or a job you will go to?  And most importantly, what does God want me to do at this point in my life?  We will explore choosing the right income opportunity for you, more in the next article.