As has been mentioned several times, I never knew what a WAHM or a WAHP was until late 2010 – actually, more correctly, I wan’t familiar with those specific terms. Home-based businesses are a reality of the new 21st century economy, and I believe they offer many benefits for individuals and society as whole.
nothing new under the sun
In many ways, home-based businesses are nothing new, they are the old notion of “cottage industry” with a modern twist. Indeed, with so many hobby-based businesses around, it is almost a literal renaissance for cottage industry as we now see hundreds of work-at-home Mums sewing, creating, making and mending. The difference with the 21st century version is the way people are able to sell their services as well as hand-made or imported/drop-shipped goods.
Services like writing, book-keeping, graphical design, web site creation, baby sitting, child sleep/behaviour consultancy, personal fitness programs… the list goes on.
the global marketplace
Not only are services now a highly marketable commodity, each and every one of us can reach out to a potential audience of millions, through the magic of the Internet.
Not so long ago, any thought of making money “online” was restricted to things like network marketing schemes, affiliate marketing of ebooks and so on. The Internet has now moved into a new era that blows this whole thing open to literally anyone.
These days it is very easy to create an online presence for yourself, and to put whatever it is you do/make in front of unprecedented numbers of potential customers. Do you enjoy knitting pullovers for kids, maybe sell them down at a local market? You can now take photos of them, upload them to a web site and make international sales without leaving the comfort of your armchair!
make your passion your living
Thanks to the Internet, and the availability of simple, low cost systems, It is now possible to make a living from the thing that you love doing, whatever that is. The benefits to the individual in all this are fairly obvious; job satisfaction by the bucket load, the elusive dream of “work-life balance”, flexibility and freedom. The benefits to society are more subtle, and will more likely be seen in the medium term as children benefit from having one or both parents at home more, families are better able to provide for themselves financially (easing social security burdens) and people are, quite simply, happier.
it IS the future
I would go so far as to say that governments should offer significant incentives and/or tax-breaks for home-based business owners. The “Work-at-Home” model will provide a strong economic backbone in the coming years, of that I have no doubt.
