Work from Home Jobs Getting Started The following list may seem very basic, but it is necessary to REALLY understand where you are coming from and where you wish to go with your work from home job. I think one reason many of us may stumble,is that we do not really have any clearly defined goals or understanding about our what is required. For a variety of reasons we feel working our job from home sounds like a good idea. We may be unhappy with our present job, our job may not be providing enough money to cover our needs, let alone our desires. We may have some grand idea of how great it is to be your own boss and not have to be told what to do all the time. We may never see our jobs as providing anymore than the basic minimum and it certainly is not going to provide any 'extra' which we might put aside for a house down payment or vacations, or a better car, the kids education or any other things we can think of. Let's get started by sitting down with yourself and try to clearly define why you REALLY want to work a job from home. If you can't get a good handle on the reason at this point, there is a very good chance you will have difficulty 'sticking with' whatever home based job you decide to start. This will help you clearly define how much money you realistically want to earn from your new business. We may all dream of how wonderful it would be to earn a million dollars, and some of you will, but unless you are very unique with a very unique idea, it is not likely a very realistic goal at this point. Some motivational types, will tell you it is better to set your sights really high, that way, even if you miss you will still likely achieve more than you otherwise would. However, if you set your goal unrealistically high, you are setting yourself up for disappointment which can become very discouraging. Personally, I think you are better off to establish attainable goals, which once achieved can always to reset to a higher level. For example your very first goal may be to simply earn an extra $25/month clear to spend as you see fit. This, my friend is far more likely than shooting for $25,000.00/month right out of the gate. Then when it does happen, your confidence will receive a good boost which will encourage you to continue your efforts and increase your monthly goal. While $25,000/month is being done by some and you just might be one of those, however, it is far more likely if you are like me, you will be happy just to make a few extra dollars to start out without having to spend a lot of your own to get started. So with some of these thoughts in mind, go through the following questions, answering them as best and honestly as you can. You will find this information valuable in determining what kind of a business you wish to start. Some people never have a plan of ANY kind and therefore, never know how to measure their progress. Others, sometimes will spend all of their time making plans but never executing them. Both types are in for some disappointment along the way. I repeat, knowing the answers to the following is a good starting point, before you begin looking here and there for different ideas and opportunities. Questions to Ask Yourself What do you want your home based business to do for you? Provide part time income? Provide a second income? Replace your exisiting income? How much money can you invest to start? How much time can you invest to start? What do you need to start? What do you ENJOY doing. If you don't enjoy your present job, you may not be any happier in the same vocation simply because you are the boss. What skills do you already possess which you will bring to the business? These are just a few of the very basic questions you will want to answer before you can make a good choice of home based opportunity.   HOME BASED BUSINESS OWNER BENEFITS The upside to being a home based business owner is substantial. The downside should be considered as well, before you think about giving up your 'day' job. On the UP side: Your overhead can be kept to a bare minium. You probably have enough space in the area where your computer is set up to get going. A portion of your rent etc. can be written off against business income, before your start paying income tax. You can be with your family 24/7, which should be a good thing. You can be rewarded for ALL of your effort when you are the OWNER. You have the potential of making more money than you ever could working for someone else. You can have the personal satisfaction of starting with nothing and turning it into something with your own effort and ideas. On the DOWN side: YOU are the only one responsible for your paycheque. If business is slow, or customers are slow paying, YOU are the only one responsible. You can work MANY MANY hours for which no one pays you. You are responsible only to YOU, in other words if you goof off when you should be working YOU are the only one who can tell you to smarten up. You will find with the right approach, that you will have traded one boss for many, when you realise that each customer is now your boss. The UPSIDE far outweighs the DOWNSIDE, but unless you have a good plan and are well funded, you should seriously consider keeping your regular job and building your own business in your 'spare' time. Even if you only quit watching TV and put that time to use, you would be well on your way to establishing a good long term home based business. By JimTaylor, Publisher: Work From Home Jobs news