You've got to love all the pretty ads you see online and in
home-business magazines. Usually the picture shows a
beautiful lady with perfect makeup sitting at her computer
in a massive home office with her two-year-old playing
happily on the floor.
Or perhaps it's a picture of a man who's lounged by the
pool laughing and talking on his cordless phone while his
children are floating around in the pool.
Please pause for a reality check.
As I type this, I'm holding an 18-month old who has barged
into my office and demanded his favorite past-time: to sit
on my lap while listening to iTunes. (Currently, we're
listening to The Eagles' "How Long" while he's trying
desperately to climb onto the desk to get my iPhone.)
In fact, less than an hour ago, I had a phone call from a
potential business partner who had to hold for a moment as
I made sure that my oldest son had his phone charged and
knew to be careful crossing the street to go to his
friend's house.
Of course, I could close the door. I could ask my wife to
watch him for a bit while I take care of some business.
And sometimes I do that. But, more often than not, I'm
taking calls and doing business throughout my day while I'm
enjoying my family.
Welcome to the Home Office of the 21st Century Family:
Where family is the top priority and we don't feel the need
to pretend that our home office is a picture from a
magazine.
It wasn't always this way, though. I remember not too long
ago, if the phone rang, I was shrieking at everyone to be
quiet because I was "working". Or I spent huge swaths of
time with the door to my office closed because I was
"working".
What a drag. What's the point in working at home if you
have to pretend you're in a corporate environment? Or
where everyone around you is stressed out because they feel
like they're walking on eggshells.
I suspect that most home-business entrepreneurs are living
the same way and doing it for the same reason: fear.
They're afraid that if someone hears a child in the
background, it means they're not "professional". But the
truth is that most of the people you talk to would love to
be able to work from home and be with their loved ones
every day. And this is especially true if you're in a
business where showing people how to get out of the
corporate environment is what you do.
The truth is that working at home and being connected with
your family is cool today. Today's best "power lunch" is
when you're making money while slicing a peanut-butter and
jelly sandwich for your kids. And the best suits to wear
when doing business is a swimsuit.
Just this week, I was on the phone with a potential
business partner and my son, Pate, came in to get a hug and
a kiss before going to bed. I asked my prospect to hang
on, laid the phone on the desk and spent the next 45
seconds tickling my son, telling him how much I love him
and that I'd see him in the morning.
When I picked up the phone, I said, "There was a time I
would have apologized for that but that's actually the
whole reason why I do what I do."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone
and my prospect said, "That's the kind of life I want. How
do I get started?"
And of course, when the situation requires, you can always
close your door. There's nothing wrong with that, either.
It's all about choice.
So, the message is simple: don't be too quick to assume
that working at home requires you to be "slick" or
"professional".
I earn a great income from home and have created a great
lifestyle by simply doing business while I enjoy my family.
If you call my office, don't expect that I'll always
answer the phone.
And if I do, you might just hear the sounds of The Eagles
or a Nintendo Wii in the background.
----------------------------------------------------
This article was written on a Saturday morning in the
presence of two children and a dachshund named Bentley who
doesn't know he's a dog. For more information on Tony
Rush, visit him online at http://www.tonyrush.com
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