I Love My Lifestyle Business
January 23, 2008
I recently found out that I actually have people reading my business blog so decided to get my butt in gear and write for it again. One of the areas that I’ve really wanting to write about for a while is the distinction between and Small Business and a Lifestyle Business. My husband, Mike Blake (www.StartupLounge.com) has given me a strong education on the difference between these terms and I’ve actually found it freeing.
I have a business but it is one that I want to work with my life. I still intend to pick my son up from school almost every day and be ‘mommy’ for the afternoon until bedtime. I don’t want to hire anyone, I’m not looking to sell this business eventually. Basically, a lifestyle business is one that keeps me gainfully employed on my terms and that’s about it. For me that’s a lot. I enjoy the freedom of doing my own thing plus I earn needed income for our family. I believe that women (and men too) are looking for this type of opportunity and frequently fall into the trap of thinking that they are starting a “small business” and get bad guidance.
A small business is one that has one or more people and is intending to grow. It might eventually be sold or acquired. There is an intention for the original founder/s to get it going and then at some point probably move on to something else.
I believe that many of us think that we are starting small businesses and then take marketing and development advice from people in that field. There is not a lot of info out there for Lifestyle Businesses and how to start and successfully run them. MLMs attract many who want a lifestyle business but do not know how to verbalize what they want or start such a venture.
So, here I am, happily growing my Lifestyle Business. My goals are to earn well for the time I put in, provide a solid product for my clients and be able to focus on the other parts of my life as needed. My hours are reduced during school vacations and summers but my overall product is still strong. I develop my marketing plan appropriately.
I’d love to hear from readers about your lifestyle business and what resources you’ve found to help you on your way.
