One of the best things about being a direct seller is you get to work from home. That’s really cool! It’s something lots of people dream about but never get to do. As someone who’s worked from home for the better part of the last twenty years, I can tell you that in the early days, it’ll seem like the biggest luxury ever. What I’ve learned, however, is that feeling will fade and you’ll find yourself facing some challenges that come along with working from home. I thought I’d lay out some of the things I’ve learned (the hard way) so you can hopefully avoid them.
1. Never Leaving The House
Being a direct seller used to mean being out of your home at least a few nights a week to do in-home parties. In the past few years a lot of what you do as a direct seller can be done entirely online if you’ve got right strategy in place. But, why limit yourself to nothing but the online world? It might be tempting to sit indoors in your pajamas all day, but that’s not good business. in my opinion, a successful party plan businesses still incorporates live parties sometimes. You should also make an effort to get out there and establish new opportunities in your business (especially if building a team is part of your success plan). Join your local Chamber of Commerce or a networking group. Even if you only get out the house to do online work somewhere else, you don’t know who you might meet. It’s always a good idea to socialise in this line of work.
2. Making Your Location Known
You might be tempted to make everyone aware of your location when you’ve got your own business. After all, it’s not just a house — it’s your place of work. However, it’s not a good idea to share your home address on the internet as you never know what type of unwanted attention you might get. It puts your privacy at risk, and it can also lead to irritations like junk mail.Open a P.O. Box and use mail forwarding instead.
3. Not Having Systems in Place
I’m a systems girl and I know it’s the only thing that’s allowed me to successfully work from home for the past two decades. The bottom line is, your home isn’t built for business purposes. It’s filled with distractions and people who probably don’t understand that you’re actually trying to WORK. You need to adapt it to your new lifestyle and make sure your family understands what you’re doing and how to support you. I have a whole program designed to support you in every area of your business called Get Organized and Take Back Your Life. Failing to organize properly will result in a messy, cluttered workspace that doesn’t lend to productivity and a stressed out YOU that may not make you very popular in your own home. Get your systems in order as soon as possible and stick to them.
4. Never Ending The Day
As a home party professional, you have lots of irons in the fire every day. It’s easy to multitask and, worse, become a workaholic. The problem with working at home is that there’s never a time when you have to stop working. You could go all night if you wanted to, and many people do. The problem with this is that you’ll soon suffer from burnout, and this will drain your productivity. It can negatively affect every area of your life and business. Set some clear office hours and stick to them unless an emergency arises that you have to deal with outside of the time you’re supposed to be working.
5. Failing To Look After Yourself
Creating systems in your business and developing a routine around how and when you work are crucial. The biggest reason for that is that you need to take self care seriously. Working at home comes with no rules. You don’t have to get up and work. You don’t have to eat. You don’t have to get dressed if you don’t want to! Be careful that you don’t lose all semblance of a life. Make sure you make appointments for lunch with friends that get you out of the house. Schedule rewards for work done (like a pedicure or massage) and don’t put these off. This is probably the thing I’ve struggled with the most in my own work-from-home life and I’ve learned just how important it is to take care of myself so my family and business thrive.
Bottom line…you can definitely achieve success as a direct seller by working from home. Just be sure to pay attention to the warning signs if you start to struggle and get some systems in place to support you in maintaining the harmony in between your life and business.
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Julie Anne Jones is a sought after keynote speaker, online trainer, and corporate business consultant. She’s an accredited life and business coach with over fifteen years of experience speaking on stages across the United States and Canada. Known as “the systems specialist,” Julie Anne can break down any concept into simple, step-by-step, action-oriented training. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific language and communication tools for business success. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read more blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.
