How I’m Able To Work At Home And Be Happier

I made the transition from an office working code monkey to a self-sufficient work for myself at home small business 2 months ago. Here’s how I did it.

• Confidence – I have 2 kids and a wife who is also an independent business person. It didn’t occur to me to worry if I could support the family without that steady paycheck. I had so many good ideas but no time to implements them. I was sure that I would start making enough money to pay the mortgage (2 of them, as a matter of fact), because I was able to find a good job and pay the bills that way. There is essentially no difference between working for someone or working for yourself, functionally. Either way you have a path to success – you know your success point. Its only the trip from where you are now to where you want to be that is different. Inspired by that sometimes rocky path…
• I saved the money to do this. Yes, I was confident, but stuff happens. I could have been hit by a bus the day I resigned. So i saved up a generous cushion fund to make sure a) I had enough to feed the family, just in case and b) I wouldn’t feel panicked or overwhelmed by being on my own suddenly. The pressure I would put on myself, I figured, would be enough stress, without the gnawing worry of how to pay a month’s mortgage. We stripped absolutely every last bit from our budget, went without dining out or anything like that for 2 years. Remember, this is my make or break moment – the difference between working for myself for the rest of my life, or a working holiday and then back into someone else’s rat race. 2 years of hone made dinners is a pretty small price to pay.

This ends part one. Part 2 will be up this week.