Getting started working from home may involve a lot of preparation or very little, depending on what you already have and how far you’ve already gone with your work-at-home plans. The following is a basic checklist to help you get started.

Computer

Of course, you’ll need a computer – you knew that, right? Nonetheless, it’s not necessarily enough just to have any old computer. For working from home, you will need a computer that can be your daily work horse – it needs to be up to date, have plenty of memory, and functional USB ports. If you know others who work from home, ask them what computer they use, and why. Also ask them if they would choose a different computer if they had to do it over again.

Laptop or Desktop?

While you are considering what computer will best serve your purposes, you will probably need to decide between a laptop and a desktop. Most sources recommend both – using your desktop for daily tasks (desktops usually have more memory) and your laptop for certain projects and for back-up.

The ideal situation is a desktop and router, and a laptop with a wireless card. The wireless card plugs into your laptop’s USB port, picking up a signal from the router and allowing you to connect to the internet using your laptop. Then, you can do the bulk of your work on the desktop and grab the laptop when you need to finish something up or work on a project somewhere else in the house. 

Broadband Internet Connection

It’s pretty much impossible to work from home effectively without a broadband or high-speed internet connection. Dial-up takes far too long and will greatly inhibit your business capabilities. So sign up with the internet service provider (ISP) of your choice and get set up for high-speed internet.

Family and Childcare

Many people choose to work from home in order to be near their children. However, childcare is necessary during your work hours. This can be a dilemma – making enough money to pay for childcare right off the bat is challenging. Try relatives first – grandparents, aunts, and so forth may be willing to watch your children for a few hours a week each, and for free.

Then you can check into mother’s helpers; these are childcare providers who come into your home and take care of your children while you are there. Mother’s helpers are much less expensive than conventional babysitters, because you are on the premises and the helper is using your home.

Babysitters who will watch your child in their home are more expensive, and traditional daycare is probably the most expensive. If your children are in school, you can arrange your work hours around their school hours. 

Workspace

While this goes on your checklist, it’s highly individualized. Some people are happy with a workspace in the corner of their kitchen; others prefer an entire room dedicated to being the home office. The important thing is to have some kind of area set aside for you to work in. This helps you get in “work mode” more quickly since you will associate your surroundings with working, and it also sends a signal to other family members that you are working when you are in that area.

WAHMs, or Work-at-Home Moms, often begin their ventures with very little money to invest. There are specific business ideas that can be started on a shoestring budget. Here are some business ideas for moms who have few start-up funds.

First, a Website…

Since you will probably be finding many of your clients online, you will need a website. This is generally considered to be step 1 for any work-at-home venture. It is a means by which you can promote yourself, and a place to refer people who want more information.

Prospective clients can visit your website to learn a bit about you before hiring you, and they can contact you by email through your site. Thankfully, though, starting a website is not expensive. You can generally purchase a domain for less than $10, or you can start a blog for free and build that as your promotional online presence.

Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who does administrative or secretarial work remotely. VAs transcribe, translate, prepare mailings, and do other administrative duties. Virtual assistants are not confined to secretarial work, however. Some VAs offer web design, marketing consultation, and even technical support to clients. Since VAs use the internet and telephone, they can garner clients around the world.

Some suggest taking a VA course online. Whether you take a course or not, success depends significantly on the hours you are willing to put in. Some VAs become so successful that they begin their own VA business, employing a staff of VAs who can serve their clients.

Consulting

Teaching others something you know is a low-cost WAH idea. Consulting can start with your acquaintances and friends – spread the word that you have valuable knowledge and are going into business sharing this knowledge with others.

Some ideas for consultant businesses are in the fields of nutrition, natural lifestyles, green living, and marketing. But in reality, there are so many possibilities in the consulting world that you can get unique and creative with your consulting business. Just make sure you are filling a real need before you venture out to sell your knowledge.

Childcare

Someone needs to care for children while their parents are working – even working from home! Once you check with your local regulations and laws in this regard, running an in-home daycare (or something less official, such as watching one family’s children) can be a lucrative at-home business.

Writing Web Content

The internet is the place to go for information. This is why no one buys sets of encyclopedias anymore! That information has to get out somehow, and writers of web content are often in demand. You can work for a publishing company that provides web content to its clients and write articles on various subjects.

Moms are busy, and by necessity you have to wear many hats. People tell you to focus in order to succeed in business, but how can you focus and stay motivated when so many things demand your attention? Here are some tips for busy moms who need to keep their focus and motivation.

Choose the Right Job

If you are just trying to bring home some money and are willing to take on jobs you dislike, you will burn out before long. This is not to say that you can just do what you want and earn money at it, but it does mean that finding the right WAH job is important to your motivation. Choose topics that you care about, and use skills you enjoy using. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you want to do it all day.

Establish a Routine

New and interesting things are fun and exciting, but routine helps keep you grounded. It’s a good idea to set your alarm for the same time each weekday morning and head to the home office/computer at approximately the same time each day. Trying to scramble and figure out your work hours each day only wastes time and energy, and hampers your productivity.

Stay on Task

It’s amazing what you can do if you buckle down and shut out distractions. It’s easy to think you spent two hours writing an article, but if you cut out the trips to the refrigerator and the bathroom, the email reads and replies, and the few minutes here and there that you spent on social networking sites, you probably spent less than an hour actually typing. Taking breaks is fine – in fact, it’s necessary to avoid burn-out – but schedule your breaks into your day rather than taking them at a whim.

Delegation is Fine

Presumably, your family is going to benefit from the extra income you plan to generate with your home business. It would behoove everyone to support your efforts! Delegate some of the household chores and errands to the kids and husband (or whomever is in your family).

Ask Others to Help

You might consider getting a friend to act as a motivational partner who can hold you accountable if you haven’t accomplished your business goals. He or she can check in on you at regular intervals to see how you’re doing and to encourage you if needed. Tell this person what your goals and intentions are so that he or she can check on your progress. For some people, it really helps to know someone is “looking over their shoulder.”

Be a Nice Boss

Just because you are your own boss doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a nice one. Give yourself time off and frequent breaks, but also crack down when things aren’t getting done.