Checklist: Family Considerations

(From Checklists for Starting an Internet Business)

The change in lifestyle that comes with an online business affect both you and your family. Here are just a few issues for discussion.

Separating business from family. Home businesses are particularly difficult to manage because they're just steps away from family life. While you work, you shouldn't have to feel guilty about "neglecting" your family… likewise, when you spend time with your family, you shouldn't feel like you need to do "just a little more work."
- Home office and equipment: a place where you can feel secure doing your work with minimal interruptions. Although some families share computers, consider having one strictly for business purposes only. Then you will not have to worry about someone accidentally deleting, changing, or moving important files.
- Office hours: time you set aside where you can focus on your work.
- Family time: time where you set aside business and focus exclusively on your family. Some people find that scheduling a certain time of the day or a specific day each week is helpful.
- Personal time: time for yourself! Exercise, read, bask outdoors, or do whatever you want. No one can work all the time, and you'll burn out if you try.
Family members' contribution to the business. Don't assume that your spouse is willing to help out. Likewise, don't assume that you'll have complete independence because "it's your business". Coming to an agreement can help to lessen the stress for everyone.
- Helping out on a regular basis: who is responsible for what task; what things are strictly off-limits (ie. you are the only person who answers the phone during business hours).
- Helping out during busy periods: who is responsible for what task, what things are strictly off-limits.
Financial matters. A business, particularly in the startup phase, is going to require funding. Your family may have become accustomed to a certain level of 'comfort' when it comes to luxuries such as dining out, recreation, spending money, and so on.
- Sources of funding: agreement on whether or not using loans, credit, help from family and friends, etc. is an acceptable risk for the family. Note: if you currently have a job, consider establishing a line of credit now while you are still employed. Once you are self-employed full-time, your income is much less stable and financial institutions may hesitate to set up with a line of credit.
- Agreement on how much employment income and savings may be used to fund the business.
- Agreement on which 'luxuries', if any, will be sacrificed and for how long.
- Agreement on how long and how far your family is willing to financially support your efforts to earn an income online.
- Contingency plan for emergencies.
Impact on normal household activity. Businesses require a great deal of time and effort -- and that goes double for the startup phase!
- Regular household chores: will they be redistributed while you get your business off the ground?
- Conflicts between business activity and 'regular' life: for example, what happens if you work a day job and can only work on your business in the evenings -- when the family normally watches TV? If you aren't able to concentrate with the noise, you will have to discuss alternate arrangements with your family.
Managing children: handling the kids who are home while you're working on your business.
- Child care during business hours: will you split the responsibility with your spouse? Hire a trusted babysitter to care for the children while you work?
- Other childcare tasks such as picking the kids up from school, making lunches, picking them up or driving them to after-school activities, etc. How can your family better manage the time so that you can work? For instance, you may be able to arrange for your child to stay at a friend's house for an extra hour after school until your spouse can pick him up on the way home from work.
Business emergencies. Every so often business emergencies will arise. Whether it's a sudden big order that needs immediate processing, or you discover an error that must be fixed right away, you will be absorbed in your business with little time for anything else.
- Help from family members: come to an agreement about whether family will help you with your business during emergencies, ie. stapling, sorting, packaging, running chores, etc.
- Your regular household chores: discuss with your family who will do your regular household chores during a business emergency.

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