In the past decade, there have been thousands of people who have left corporate America to follow their passions and dreams of working from home and becoming their own boss. According to the latest census count, there are currently over 30 million people who work from home around the world.
It’s estimated that this number will increase by 60% in the next five years. Now before you give your boss the finger and walk out there are a few things you need to know before you make the transition from the daily 9-5 grind to working from the comfort of your home.
In this blog post, I’m going to share some tips with you that has really helped me out as I slowly made this transition myself. I’m also going to show you how to prepare yourself for moving from your 9-5 schedule to the online world, as well as how to stay focused on your work and avoid distractions.
What you need to think about before you even consider quitting your job to work from home
Working from home may sound like your dream job and something that you have always wanted to do, but just remember that it also comes with its own set of responsibilities. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when deciding if this is something you want to do before making any drastic decisions that could affect you financially later on.
You need to find the perfect work environment
Unlike when you work in corporate America, working from home doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be confined to 1 place every day.
I do most of my work from my house, but sometimes I need to get away from here so I can concentrate on my daily tasks and really get some work done.
One of the things I like most about this opportunity is that you can work from anywhere you have an internet connection or can find a WiFi hot spot. This could be your nearest Starbucks or even Mcdonalds. Let’s not forget one of my favorite places to get work done, your local library.
If you don’t have a good work environment you won’t be able to focus on your work and you’ll likely be distracted by the least little thing that comes along.
You’ll need to change your mindset
You can’t go from trading hours for dollars to online entrepreneur without changing your way of thinking. This means you need to start thinking outside the box and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone for a bit. Otherwise, you’ll never break free from the 40 hour work week and be able to start living life on your terms.
How do you think all the wealthy people got to where they are today? If you have a negative mindset starting out chances are you won’t ever make your first $1 online.
Get familiar with how to make money online first before committing to it
If you’re looking to replace your full time job and make the transition to the online world it’s a good idea to know what your doing. Affiliate marketing is huge and there’s no way you could possibly learn everything there is to know about it.
If you can manage to get a better understanding of the basic concept of it all first, then this will be a huge step in the right direction and will lead to you learning more as you progress in this business.
In the 2 and a half years I have been here, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of what’s possible in the online world.
Think long term and don’t expect to make money right away
It’s important for you to realize that working from home isn’t the same as when you get a job in the real world. You won’t be able to just fill out a bunch of paperwork, put in your time, and get a paycheck a few weeks later. Remember you will be working for yourself, and learning a whole new set of skills which can change your life for the better if you are willing to stick it out and follow a proven path to success.
In order for you to be successful though it’s going to require that you work hard and devote lots of time and energy to it. Before you can make your first $1 online you first need to understand how the whole process works. After you are able to wrap your head around this and everything starts to make sense the money will come shortly after.
Stay within your budget
When looking for the right work from home opportunity it’s important to stay within your budget and don’t try to buy your way into success. There are countless get rich quick schemes out there that guarantee you can make thousands of dollars overnight if you invest into their program.
To be completely honest with everyone here, programs like this simply don’t work. Trust me, I’ve spent the better part of 15 years trying to buy my way into success and all I ended up doing was wasting money and going completely out of my budget.
When you work for yourself you are responsible for budgeting your finances and you shouldn’t be spending money where you don’t need to be.
Set yourself some goals and stick with them
You don’t want to be stuck at that 9-5 forever do you? In order for you to break free from this rat race you need to have a solid plan and you need to follow through with it. By setting goals, you will have something to work towards and you should give yourself a set amount of time that you would like to reach your goals.
For example, One of your goals could be that you want to replace your full time job within a year and be making a full time living from your home within that time. This was actually one of my goals when I first started here and you can read more about how long it took me to achieve this goal here.
So when should you quit your job to work from home? If you follow these 6 tips that I have laid out for you and take action on them you will be much closer to making this decision. Personally for me, I waited until I was making almost double online what I was making at my full time job before I was able to leave corporate America to pursue my passions of working from the comfort of my home.
Everyone’s situation is different though depending on how many bills you have and how much money it takes for you to live comfortably. I really hope this post has helped everyone out and has given you some insight into what you need to have in place before you make this transition.
How long did it take you before you were able to cut the strings from your employer and pursue your dream of working for yourself? I would love to hear your story and I’m sure many other people would as well. Feel free to leave it in the comments below and I will get back to you A.S.A.P.
Your Friend, Scott
Neil
Hello, Scott!
Quitting my job is always on my mind every day, and I ask myself “Why am I here putting myself through torture and making somebody else rich, instead of working on my dreams online from home?”
I actually hate my job, but can’t quit because my online business isn’t at the stage to create financial freedom yet, but that day is getting closer as each day passes, so I know that one day I will be able to fire my boss 🙂
However, I found your article very insightful and will be a massive benefit for anyone wanting to work from home. I have just bookmarked this!
Awesome website too! Cheers, Neil
Scott Newkirk
Hi Neil,
Yea, I think this has come across everyone’s mind at some time or another. We can’t do anything about it because were stuck on the hamster wheel helping someone else become rich. Personally for me, I was sick and tired of getting laid off and going from job to job and not being fulfilled in what I was doing.
I knew there had to be a better way than living paycheck to paycheck and never having any money to live out my dreams. I’m so thankful for Wealthy Affiliate and if it wasn’t for them I would probably still be working my 9-5 and being miserable. I have been keeping track of your progress and I know that you too will be able to fire your boss someday soon just like I have done.
Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your experience with everyone here today Neil. I really do appreciate it.
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott
Tom
Hi Scott- This is some great advice to anyone who is starting to work from home no matter what type of business model. You spell out some very specific goals and how to attain them. Personally, for me it has taken me a little longer than I had planned to be able to go full time in the online world. I still haven’t quite made the transition yet, but It’s currently #1 on my list of goals to achieve for 2015.
Coming from corporate America where you basically are on a rigid work schedule supersized by someone else. When you work from home, you are thrown into an environment where you have to learn to motivate yourself and learn how to deal with many newly discovered distractions. There are many other snippets of good advice in this post, and I hope your readers will take it to heart.
I have really benefited from reading this post and I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Well done!
~Tom
Scott Newkirk
Hey Tom,
I’m glad this post has really helped you out and that you were able to benefit from it. Working from home definitely requires a plan and you need to set goals in order to be able to break free from your employer and become successful at it.
I’m glad to hear that you are currently working on going full time in the online world and I commend you for sticking with this and putting it #1 on your list of goals to achieve in 2015. I agree with you that you definitely need to be self motivated and learn how to deal with all the distractions that come your way in the home/ workplace environment.
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing this with everyone here and if I can be of any help to you please let me know Tom.
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott
Leo Emery
Hey Scott,
I think the thought of – and as you say “giving your boss the finger” is on many people’s minds in today’s economic environment.
And yes the thought of working from home with no boss is a great – no doubt about that.
But you really have to make sure you’re prepared. There’s a lot to working from one’s home. And a lot of things will change.
For example once you quit your job, things like health insurance and other benefits that you received from your employer disappears.
One thing I did prior to going full time from working at home. I did not make the leap until I was making 3 times as much per month from being online then I was in the real world.
And I made sure I sustained that for at least 6 months. In total it took me 18 months from the time I made my first affiliate check to going full time online from home.
Sure I probably could have gone full time sooner, but I wanted to make absolutely sure that I would never work for someone else every again. And that was back in 2005.
Fantastic article – one that everyone who wants to work from home needs to read.
Cheers
Leo
Scott Newkirk
Hey Leo,
Many people that start out in Internet marketing think that they will start making money right away and will be able to give their boss the finger soon after they get started. Little do they know that working from home is totally different than working for someone else. While the freedom of being able to work from wherever you want is nice and no longer having to answer to the big guy is even better.
Working from home takes things to a whole new level and comes with a whole new set of responsibilities. You need to make sure that your business is financially stable enough to be able to support you and your family before you walk away from your full time job. Like you mentioned, once you start working from home you lose benefits like health insurance along with many other benefits that may have come with your job.
That’s why I emphasized that it’s something you need to plan for and set goals you would like to reach before you make the switch from employment to internet entrepreneur. I’m glad that you not only waited till you were financially secure, but that you were also able to maintain your income before leaving the employment world to work for yourself.
I really do want to thank you for stopping by Leo and sharing your experience with everyone here and as well as how long it took you to be able to quit your job. I’m sure this will help other people and give them a more realistic idea of how long it could take them.
To your continued success online
Your Friend, Scott
John Cruz
Hi Scott,
This is something that people need to read before getting started online and I wish I came across this before I joined. Like you, I was also able to go full time in under a year and escape from my 9-5. I also agree with you that there are entirely “too many get rich schemes” out there who offer you nothing but empty promises. I believe that you definitely should stay within your budget and I wouldn’t pay more than $50/ month for any make money from home program. What do you think about this?
Scott Newkirk
Hey John,
I agree with you and like you, I wish I had run across an article like this when I first got started online as well. It seems like everyone wants to work from home and quit their job, but what they don’t seem to understand is the fact that this is nothing at all like working for someone else. When you make this transition you no longer have a boss to answer too because you are the boss.
Congrats on being about to leave corporate America to pursue your dream of working from home in less than a year. It might be a lot of hard work but to be honest with you, I wouldn’t trade this job for anything. What about you? You definitely need to stay within your budget when you first start out online.
For me personally, I didn’t pay over $50 a month and I don’t think anyone else should have to either. Especially when you can get all the training, tools and help and support needed to run a very successful online business with Wealthy Affiliate for actually less than this per month.
I do want to thank you for stopping by John and sharing how long it has taken you to build your business and work from the comfort of your home.
Cheers,
Your Friend, Scott