If you’ve ever started a home-based business, your kids noticed. And if you’ve ever quit. Your kids noticed. If you’ve kept on though… through rough times and good… they’ve noticed that as well.
So what lessons are they learning from your business activity? What impressions are they getting, and how will these actions influence them throughout their lives? Well, let’s look at these actions a bit closer.
You Make The Decision You’ve decided to start your own business. So, you sit down with your kids and explain it to them. Maybe you tell them why you’re starting the business, and most likely you explain how it will make their lives different. Hopefully you’ll make sure to tell them both the good and the bad changes.
If your kids are like mine were, they’ll be very supportive and excited for you. They’ll be thrilled to know you’ll be at home full time for them.
Hopefully they come away with the impression that they are your first priority.
You Take Action Then the action starts. The real work. And in the beginning you’re super busy. Up till all hours of the night maybe. Probably stressed and worried too. You find yourself giving 12-18 hours a day to the growth of your business. You might even be scared to death throughout the entire process.
And the kids notice. They don’t like this idea so much anymore… you’re still working – a lot! They didn’t really understand how much time and effort you’d have to put into your business just to get it off the ground.
Depending on the age of your kids, and how well you handle the first stage of balancing problems… Your kids may be jealous of your business. They might decide that it’s keeping you away from them. And besides… if you’re so stressed and worried, it must be making you unhappy. If your children are old enough, they might actually be impressed that you’re trying so hard… for them.
The overall message that you’re sending to them at this point, is that anything good in life takes a lot of hard work and determination.
At this point, two things generally happen: You Quit… or You Make Progress
Quitting Many new home business owners are like their kids: They don’t really understand the amount of work involved with starting a new business. They don’t realize there are many ups and downs… and the downs can outpace the ups for awhile.
So they quit.
And what message do the kids receive? People have to have a JOB. Their life is destined to be controlled by someone else. A boss. Someone who tells you what time you have to be somewhere… and what time you’re allowed to leave. Everyone’s income is controlled by the JOB, so everyone must live within their means. Your dreams are only fantasies if they’re too extravagant, because the JOB only pays so much. You’re not paid by your efforts and successes… you’re paid on a standardized scale. This is your lot in life and you must accept it. It’s a waste of time and effort to try anything else.
Making Progress On the flipside, if you knuckle down and ride out the down times in your business… you’ll make progress. And through trial and error, mentors, additional learning, and many other means… you can actually succeed. Now, success is relevant and personal. What success means to you might not be the same thing it means to your neighbor, mother, brother, or friend.
Regardless of your personal definition for success, as you progress in your business the stress and worry will fade. The ups and downs will even out, you’ll become much more adept at balancing business and home priorities, and life will become very good. There might still be rough times of course, and your kids will see this. They’ll also see you digging in and making things happen.
And what do they learn? That people can control their own lives. With enough determination and persistence, things can be changed. They’ll learn that they have a choice in life. They can forge a path of their choosing… on their terms.
Your kids will have a fierce independence. They will be free and creative thinkers. They’ll look at life much differently than you might have. Amusingly, you’ll find yourself having problems with them “bucking the system” at school – and you may have to spend additional time teaching them about how standard society thinks. Because they’ve learned there is more than one way to accomplish things in life. They’ve learned to question instead of accept. They’ve learned to take the reigns and get things done, instead of taking orders.
So, before you start, quit, or advance your own business, stop and try to see the future. Try to imagine how your kids will react to each stage, and try to decide how you’d like this decision to influence their lives.
If you already have a business and you’ve seriously been thinking about giving up… think long and hard about the message you’ll be sending to your kids, and decide: Is it really the one you WANT to send?
Related Resources: The Single Mom’s Survival Guide – http://www.gurugazette.com/resources/15-1.html
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