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Who's Got Your Back?Operating a successful home based business is great. You can set your own hours, you don't have to deal with office politics or long commutes, and even though you work just as hard, if not harder than you did at your old job, you feel a sense of freedom and control. But what happens if you lose that control? Should you get sick or injured, or even if you die, who is going to take care of the business for you? Many of you may have already decided that your spouse, or one of your grown children, will take over things. But do they know how? Do they know EVERYTHING? Do they have the login information for your webhost? Do they have the login information for other sites that you use in the course of your business? Do they know where those sites are? Do they know who your contacts are and what business you have with those contacts? Do they know what deals or projects you are currently working on, or planning for the future? If they don't know all these things - and more - then they are not prepared to take over your business. In a "traditional" job, there is almost always somebody to back you up. The company is always prepared to replace you, and train somebody new, and in the meantime, they already have somebody working for them that knows your job who can fill in until they hire somebody else. In the traditional business world, we are all replaceable. Not so in a home based business! Nobody likes to think about getting sick, injured, or dying - but it happens. You need to know that there is somebody who can take over for you, If nothing else, you need somebody who has all the information they need to shut your business down. You may consider making a "training manual" of sorts. You can type it all out on your computer, but then print out the pages and make a notebook. Make sure the person who will take over your business knows where this notebook is located at all times! Be sure to include all information they will need to run your business, including your windows logon password. Keep adding information to that notebook as time goes on. Make corrections and changes as necessary. You should incorporate updating the notebook into your schedule, and do it on a regular basis. It's important that you talk to the person who will take over for you at length to make sure that this is something they are willing and capable of doing. They need to know that they can do your job, and for your peace of mind, you need to know that they can do your job. It may also be a good idea to let clients know that you do have someone to take over your work in case of an emergency. This gives the client peace of mind as well. About the author: Kelly Lowe offers Home Business Coaching, and a variety of other services for home business professionals at affordable rates. Visit her site, All Business Publishing, at http://www.allbusinesspublishing.com Circulated by Article Emporium
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