Stay at Home Jobs and Home Based Businesses - Dream Come True or Nightmare?

Stay at home jobs and home based businesses have never had as much appeal as they have today. Chucking the nine-to-five grind to stay at home is a dream that appeals to most of us. Really, you think, what's not to like about not having to dress up, fight traffic, and endure bosses who lean over your shoulder every minute of the day?
It's easy to think a stay at home job or a home based business would be a dream come true, and for many people it is. Realistically, though, a stay at home job is just like any other job--you have to actually to work. And statistics show that people who have stay at home jobs and home based businesses generally work more hours per day than their counterparts who work in conventional businesses.
One problem that many people who work at stay at home jobs or who have home based businesses run into is what's often referred to as "feast or famine syndrome." They find their workflow is either too low or too high; in other words, they either have a lot to do or nothing. This makes it hard for people to budget their time and their money, and is especially hard for people just beginning stay at home jobs or home based businesses. It takes time to develop a steady base of clients for stay at home businesses, and even then there will be many times where everyone wants your product and/or service at the same time. This can be very stressful when there's only one person, you, to do everything. So if you're planning on starting a stay at home job or home based business, it's good to have a plan in place to help you deal with what can often be a roller coaster workload.
The feast or famine syndrome of a stay at home job or business leads to another difficulty. When you're feasting, you're making money--when you not feasting, you aren't. It's hard. One week you're raking in the money, and the next week you're barely squeaking by. This is where a stay at home job or home based business can, again, be more stressful than a conventional job where you're paid on schedule and know exactly how much you'll be bringing in every month. To deal with this, first of all, you need to have some money in the bank before leaving your regular job for a stay at home job or to start a home based business--or to focus on that stay at home job or home based business that you've been working at part-time. Experts recommend that you have enough money saved to cover six months of expenses before leaving your job for any reason. This is especially important for people who want to stay at home and work or to start a home based business because it can greatly reduce the stress that comes with feast or famine syndrome and give you some much needed breathing room.
Too, people who have a stay at home job or home based business often run into payment problems. You've done your work or provided your service and product, but you don't get paid. Collection can be a nightmare when this happens. And what many people don't know when they become stay at home workers or owners of home based businesses is that people who hire you may classify you as an independent contractor and pay you as far out as 90 days. To make sure you don't run into payment issues, always get everything in writing. It's hard to wait 90 days to get paid, but it's even harder not to get paid at all and perhaps have to turn to a collection agency in order to get your money. Because many stay at home jobs and home based businesses are Internet-based, you need to take special precautions to know you're dealing with reputable businesses with a good track record of payment. So do your homework and get all payment terms in writing before providing any stay at home work or home based business product or service. The headaches and stress this will save you is immeasurable--and ensures you're more likely to believe that your stay at home job or home based business really is your dream come true.