The holidays give us various opportunities to meet new people and learn new things. In my last blog, I wrote about a young woman I met in a social setting that was adamant about not working at home because her career "demanded" that she stay in close contact with her co-workers....well, the day after Christmas while visiting family I met another woman who is in a different place altogether. A fairly recent widow, she is only now emerging from her sadness and is looking for something to do...she once raised prized, award winning race horses, she grows organic vegetables, she has published a book - an enormously talented woman indeed! She was not sure what she wanted to do in the next phase of her life; she was on a soul searching journey. How does she want to spend her time? Does she want to work outside with her animals and garden or does she want to work inside writing and editing? Does she have anything else hidden away that she has always wanted to explore? These are the type of questions I asked her to get her started with making some decisions. Starting a home-based business at a later age is the chance of a lifetime....it allows us to make the changes we want to make to ensure that our time is finally our own. This lovely women mentioned that she is now in the phase of "I want"....she had never experienced that before. A childhood of being provided only with the basic needs, she had never been given gifts she wanted - books, art, music, theater, etc. She was asked "tell me what you need, not what you want". Taking care of her family as an adult, did not leave too much time or money for her wants either...so now, she is finally at the point of nurturing herself, by herself and for herself. There is a blessing in that....we all need to take care of our inner self and there is no better way of doing it than spending our time doing the work we love. It inspires us, it motives us, it speaks to us. So, for 2011, I ask that you are blessed with work that feeds not only you and your family, but also your soul.

Love what you do and live the life you love!
Helene, http://www.thehome-office.com
www.worldtalkradio.com

Author's Bio: 

Helping People Start & Operate Their Own Home-Based Business for Over 20 Years!
Our founder and owner, Helene K. Liatsos, spent a number of years working in the corporate world as a sales and marketing executive in the Travel and Meeting Planning Industries. Realizing that this environment was not conducive to the lifestyle she wanted to live, Helene started H.O.M.E. — Home Office Management Experts — as a way to take control of her time, energy and money!

H.O.M.E. offers a wealth of services and tools that you need to start a home-based business or improve the one you already have. Services are also available for small businesses that need some re-organizing and a fresh, new approach to operating their business.

Through these products and services — including a DVD, an on-line course and personal coaching or consultation — we provide step-by-step assistance to help get you started and operating successfully, as quickly as possible.

Here’s what we can do for you:

For Home-Based Businesses:
Entrepreneurship: Do You Have What It Takes?
Select the right Home-Based Business
Name your business and make it “work” for you
Obtain the appropriate registrations, permits, licenses, etc.
Understand how Taxes work and claim your deductions
Learn Sales and Marketing Strategies
Prepare The Business Plan and The Marketing Plan
Network Effectively – in person, on paper, electronically
Create a Professional Image
Balance Your Business and Your Home
For Small Business Owners:
Evaluate your business to help you make the changes necessary to ensure it runs as efficiently and smoothly as possible
Set up new systems to manage your paper flow with invoices and bill payments and all your data bases
Review your accounting system to guarantee that your cash flow is what you want it to be
All levels of consultation and coaching are available – we customize our services to fit your needs! In fact, you might want to call us the Business Doctors, because that's what we do. We find out what is ailing your business, and we fix it. We’re here to re-energize your business and help you achieve your goals.