Can You Really Support A Family Working From Home?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 12:48PM 
If you're the primary or sole breadwinner in your family, working from home may seem more like a fantasy than a real possibility.
Sure, you've heard about a few lucky moms who convinced their bosses to let them telecommute, but your boss would never go for that.
Starting a home business? Sounds great, but you don't happen to have six to twelve months of living expenses set aside to cover the mortgage while you build a business from scratch.
So you figure you'll be stuck with your daily commute for quite a while. Maybe it's time to reconsider.
I've been supporting my family while working from home since April 2007, and I'm here to tell you it can be done.
It's not easy, and it can be pretty stressful, but it's doable.
Here's the thing: you will never find a system, a business opportunity, a book, a blog, or anything else that will do it for you. You have to get creative.
What matters more than anything else is your ability to create significant value - whether for your boss, your clients, or your customers - while working from home. That means:
1. You need childcare. This could be your husband (mine is a stay-at-home dad), your mom, a nanny, or day care. You simply cannot take care of the kids and build a business (yours or someone else's) at the same time. Maybe down the road, after you've built up a lot of passive income, it will be possible. But not now.
2. You need a product or a service. This sounds simple, but it's not. Do not get sidetracked by internet marketing "gurus" that make it seem like all you have to do is turn on the computer and start collecting your cash. The truth is, if you're working for someone else and you want to work from home, your work has to be better than the other guy's (you know, that guy who's willing to come into the office every day). And if you're working for yourself, you'd better be selling something (good). If you have nothing to sell, you're out of business.
3. You need a plan. You may not be able to quit your day job right away. As the primary breadwinner in your family, you don't want to risk being unable to pay for food, housing, health insurance, or other necessities. You will need a plan to get you from where you are now to where you want to be.
Questions or thoughts? Share them in the comments! I'm really hoping to form a community of breadwinner moms who can support and encourage one another - so don't be shy :)
And if you're hoping to make the transition to working from home full-time, stay tuned. We're going to talk about home businesses that can actually support a family, making the transition without taking unnecessary risks, and how to get things done when you're working from home.
If you haven't yet, subscribe to The Breadwinner Mom so you won't miss a post!
photo credit: CosmoPolitician
Reader Comments (9)
I have worked from home and made the lions share of the money for my family for years. I agree with everything you have listed, I would also mention try working with your current employer see if they will let you work from home one day a week to start with.
I find that a lot of people can't work from home because they are to easily distracted.
I have been working at home for 12 years and have made the bulk of the money as well. It can be done but you need a lot of support. Beth is right as well, it is very easy to get distracted. It really takes a lot discipline. I am self employed have been the entire time. This year has been awful for us as far as income because my business is very sensitive to the economy. That said, I did have 12 months of living expenses set aside because of the cyclical nature of my business, because without it, we would have lost our house this year. I am hoping business gets better next year. I do not sell products; I have a service business. I have also been looking into other ways to make money from home this year so that our income is not so dependent on one thing. But your article is right - there is no quick fix. Everything takes time and effort. You will get back what you put in. And if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
@Beth - Thanks for sharing! Talking to your current employer about working from home one day a week is a great place to start. Many employers will be receptive if you can prove to them that working from home actually makes you more productive. And you are totally right about the distractions - without a daily schedule and the ability to stick to it, working from home would be nearly impossible (at least for me).
@Stacy - I'm so glad you came by and shared your story. I am continually amazed by the strength and determination of the breadwinner moms I've met online, including you! It takes a lot of hard work and discipline to save up 12 months of living expenses, but you did it and managed to save your house as a result. Best of luck with your business, and please keep in touch!
Thank you for blogging on this topic. It's true and relavant. Mom's work hard regardless of whether they are the primary breadwinner. Being the primary breadwinner (or even the only breadwinner) makes it that much harder! It's nice to know I'm not alone. Thank you!
Thank you for this. I'm finding it difficult, not because I'm the breadwinner, but because there are very few other role models available. No one to talk to. I do my best to support my husband (SAHD, who by the way is amazing). But I find I'm exhausted. I come home from work and immediately launch into dealing with the kids. Until I put them to bed, then I'm beyond exhausted. I barely want to talk after that.
My memory of the 'traditional' Dad was he came home, had dinner and plunked himself in front of the tv. Certainly not an image I want to emulate. Work hard, come home, ignore the kids but, I'm so tired. I need a break too. Going to work is not a break...it's work.
Amelia,
Thanks so much for sharing. That sense of isolation and exhaustion is exactly why I created this blog, and while I've been away from it for a while I think I'm ready to start writing again.
You're right - going to work is not a break. I completely understand what you're saying about the work/kids/sleep pattern, and there don't seem to be any easy answers.
I hope to connect with you again soon.
Traci
I have been working on working at home for the past 2 years. Having had few successes and more failures. What you said is right on true and perfect. I am the sole support for myself and my kids and sometimes my desperation to make it work without having to resort to child care has led me down a merry path of marketing gurus and get not so rich schemes. But, I have a passion, and no matter what I keep returning to it. And, now it is time to implement it. I am taking the steps and thinking that success for me is right around the corner! Love your site!
Lee - Sounds like you have exactly the right attitude. Glad to hear the gurus and scammers haven't dampened your enthusiasm or commitment. It can be tough to persevere when things don't work out quickly, but it's worth the wait. Keep taking steps in the right direction and you will get there :)