Today, opportunities abound on the home business front. Pick up any magazine to do with self-employment opportunities and you will find ideas galore; many ideas geared to the home. It's where the heart is. It may also be where the heart of your earning power lies.

Who runs a business from their humble or not-so-humble abode? Anyone does. Who should run a business from home? Well, that's a different story.

There are definite characteristics needed by someone who is planning to run their own business. In the case of a home-based business, these characteristics are even more pronounced. Working for an employer at their place of business demands a different mindset than working from your own place. Your employer sets the rules for his productive environment. You set the rules for your productive environment at home.

This is where your personal character and work habits make or break your business. Following are characteristics that anyone running their own home-based business must have:

* Personal discipline: Be able to get out of bed in the morning instead of hitting the snooze alarm again and again. This is difficult when you know there is no boss waiting at the door. When you report to yourself, it's easy to cut yourself some slack.

* Persevering mindset: If the going gets rough, meaning slow sales and increasing expenses, will you hide your head in the sand? Or will you put your nose to the proverbial grindstone and think and act innovative? In other words, will you grind your way through problems or let them grind you down? Running a home business does have its headaches.

* The ability to say 'No': Will you say 'no' to family, friends, relatives and door-to-door salespeople who will come knocking? It's fine to entertain and enjoy all these people in your life (except for the door-to-door salespeople!); just make it known that you have certain work hours. Remember, you don't show up at other peoples' work places unannounced and expect them to drop everything they're doing. Make sure they know your home business is a 'business'.

* The ability to say 'Yes': When you've worked hard and it's time for play, can you say 'yes' to the rest of your life. Your family, friends, relatives and that door-to-door-salesperson selling vacation packages sure hope so. Have a life beyond work. Know when to stop work, before it stops you. Balance in your life is of paramount importance.

* Forward thinking: See, in your mind's eye, beyond the next day's activities. Whatever your home business is, know the trends affecting it. Read up on them in regular newspapers, business papers, trade journals, internet sites and business books. You don't have to buy all these things; go to the library.

* Stamina: There will be days when you're so busy that you will be burning the midnight oil. A home business sometimes requires long days and short nights. You must have the stamina to persevere through these periods. Your business is outside the bedroom waiting for you.

* Sense of Humor: Things will go wrong; you will do stupid things; others will do stupid things; all which will affect your business and your sanity. Learn to laugh it off. Give yourself and others the benefit of the doubt, within reason. Tomorrow is another day and your home-based business will survive minor bumps in the road.

* Confidence: Know that you have skills, intelligence, common sense and drive that when applied bring success. You are capable of more than you think if you believe you are. Action follows thought. Make sure your thoughts are positive ones.

The above characteristics will serve you well as you negotiate the terrain of your own business. Take time to build on your positive characteristics and change your negative ones. Your success and growth depend on it; both from a personal and business standpoint.

Tom McMullen

Home Business Market Place 1