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Teaching It, Learning It, Doing It!

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Running Don Lewis Designs and schooling at their homestead.  (continued)

Homeschooling Entrepreneurs

                          . . . that are doing it!

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(continued from page 1)

We divvy up the shop work about 75/25.  Don does 75% of the work.  I do about 25%.  One of the beauties of our lives is how the flexibility of homeschooling meshes with the needs of our business.

 

It is essential – absolutely critical – that a business owner be self-motivated.  If you need a boss looking over your shoulder to keep your nose to the grindstone, your business will probably fail.  It’s tough to work at home because there are so many distractions – the computer, walking the dogs, lounging in a hammock.

 

It’s my belief that watching television is a complete and utter waste of time.  We don’t have television reception and don’t want it.  If someone complains that they have no time to start a home business, I challenge them to throw their television out the window and see how much more time they have.

 

Unquestionably the best thing about having our own business is the freedom and the family closeness.  We are free from the city, free from commuting, free from a boss, free from a nine-to-five office schedule (though admittedly there are many times we work way more than forty hours a week).

 

We are close as a family.  My husband and I are fortunate that we work well together.  Our kids are respectful, well-behaved, and well-mannered.  They see both parents all day long.  Our children’s well-being is of utmost importance to us, and a home business allows us to guide them as they begin the transition into their teenage years.

 

Living as remote as we do, working at home has huge advantages.  Take last winter for example.  We live two miles off-road, meaning our dirt road is not plowed except when the neighbors band together and hire a local fellow to plow.  The prairie winds frequently drifts the road shut with snow.  When that happens, we throw another log in the woodstove, the girls and I settle down to our schoolbooks, and my husband goes to work in the shop.  We don’t have to miss school or work due to the weather.  (The girls complain about this!)

 

Looking back at the hard financial times we experienced, it’s hard to say whether we would do it all over again.  I’d like to say yes, but we might have eased ourselves into it more gradually.  If we had started the business part-time while both of us worked full-time, we may not have been so financially strapped for so long.

 

In this current economy, I would never advocate doing what we did, namely chucking two well-paying jobs and taking the plunge into a home craft business.  This is particularly important if you already have kids – don’t jeopardize their security for your little self-employment fantasy.  I would suggest building a business on the side and testing it before you give up your day job.

 

One of the hardest things to do when starting a business is to fulfill the old adage of “finding a niche and filling it.”  The most successful businesses fill a need by providing a service or a product that is not otherwise available.

 

When you start your own business, don’t go into it with the expectation that it will be an instant and overnight success.  It won’t.  Businesses take time to grow, and it’s best to grow them slow and strong.  Develop your reputation for professionalism and ethical behavior.  Be strictly honest in your taxes and financial dealings.

 

I would also advise extreme frugality while you’re building your business.  Now is not the time to splurge on big-screen TV’s and fancy wardrobes.  Stop eating out, stop recreational shopping, and stop buying expensive gadgets for the kids.  Pay down all possible debt.  Your spare income will need to be plowed back into the business to make it grow, though even here you can be frugal.  Don’t splurge on the finest and best tools and equipment and materials unless you have no alternative.  We buy the best wood we can get, for example, but we’ve been known to nurse an ailing belt sander along for another six months until we can afford another.

 

It also helps tremendously if both husband and wife are in agreement to start a business, even if the business only “belongs” to one person.  If someone is unsupportive or critical, things are likely doomed from the start (either the business or, God forbid, the marriage).  Starting a business is stressful enough without adding personal conflict into the mix.

 

Whenever possible, it’s wonderful if your children can help in the business.  Since much of our production methods either involve power tools or assembly techniques beyond the physical strength of our girls, they help in invoicing, packing, testing, or other things needed to complete a production run.  Our children understand exactly where our family income derives, and this correlates directly with their understanding of our family budget.

 

Though we are primarily a wholesale business, a few years ago we had a friend develop a website for us on which we sell our products retail (https://www.donlewisdesigns.com/).  I confess we’re pretty casual about this website – during our busy season, we’ll close it down and swipe all the stock to send to a wholesale customer, but we try to keep it up and running during our slower times to supplement our income.

 

I would never discourage someone from thinking about starting a home business, but I would strongly encourage going into it with both eyes wide open.  Be practical, not dreamy.  Understand that not everyone may need or want your product or service.

 

But supporting a family on a home business is a wondrous thing.  No doubt about it.

 

Below is an aerial picture of our homestead/business.

 

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