Erika- There are SO many things that come to mind when reading your post and question. A little background on me: I am a 52 yr old Mother of an 8 year old daughter and she is our one and only child, so I was almost 44 yrs old when she was born. I did initially go back to work after she was born, however, after talking it over with my husband, we mutually decided soon thereafter that we would ALL be better off for SEVERAL reasons if I stayed home with her, which I did for the first two years of her life. I consider that the best gift my husband has ever given me, I have alot of respect and compassion for women with children who work outside the home, however, for me personally, my heart and my mind told me that I did not wait til I was 44 years old to have my one and only child to pay someone else to care for her several hours a day, several days a week. It was by far the best decision I have ever made! When she was 2 yrs old, we enrolled her in a private Christian school in their Child Development Program (another great decision). I thought about going back to work, however, the thought of having a boss, someone else dictating where I worked, what time I had to be there, how much I got paid, and begging time off of work if our daughter got sick, etc. did NOT appeal to me at all! Also, I wanted to do something where I could help people. Basically, "Making a Living, While Making A Difference".
It was right around this time that someone made an appt. with my husband to show him a "legal service plan" to protect his tile, marble and wood flooring installation business. (\Averaging only $2.50 a day to protect the business legally it totally made sense to us and we enrolled in their program immediately. I inquired if they had something similar to protect the family, he showed us that plan, another "no brainer", we enolled in the "Family Plan" (which averaged out to just under $1. a day to protect our entire family legally nationwide!). When the man got ready to leave, I told him "you can't leave yet, I know you're making some money here tonight and I'm looking...show me the business opportunity". That was 7 years ago. I have happily and successfully worked from home since then through a 38 year old, NYSE Company, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., which just experienced their BEST MONTH EVER in their 38 year history in August 2009 in the midst of a recession! (My best month on a part-time basis was $6,200, much of which is "leveraged income") I work around our daughter's schedule, am available to pick her up from school at 2pm, assist with homework, volunteer at the school, attend field trips during the day with her class, recitals, sporting events, playdates, etc.
All of that being said...
The first thing to do is figure out exactly what it is that YOU really want. What makes YOU happy and feel fulfilled. I do realize that there are certain challenges with the economy, however, don't allow that to cause you to stop considering your own needs, dreams and desires and what is best for YOU and YOUR FAMILY as well as what contribution you would like to make in the world.
Working for or with family holds it's own special set of challenges. However, as with any job/employer, there is some room for negociation. Perhaps suggesting working out a 4 day a week schedule, or working at home part of the time and the office part of the time would work out. Whatever you suggest to them, you need to present it in such a way as to help them see "What's In It For THEM". Spell out the benefits THEY would derive from your suggestion.
There are several things to consider before quitting your job and/or choosing a company or business opportunity to align yourself with. First off, with very few exceptions, most people should never simply quit a steady paycheck and begin working from home or starting a business. This is something that can and should be eased into gradually. I call it "Digging Your Well BEFORE You Need The Water". EVERYONE should have a "Plan B" that they can work at WHILE they are working their full-time gig. That way if the bottom falls out and you do lose that paycheck, you have already begun to build something else to replace, (or surpass) that income.
If you do consider one of the many work at home opportunities...be VERY careful and do your homework! I did ALOT of research and know alot about numerous opportunities (both GOOD and BAD), which I would be happy to share with you. There are alot of scams out there, but there are ALSO alot of opportunities that have ALOT of "competition". (Several different companies selling "the best" product or service they offer). Don't get me wrong, alot of them are very good Companies, have very good products and GREAT training. I've worked with some of them and will not bad mouth the company or product. However, you DO have to ask yourself a few important questions: "How long has the company REALLY been around? Are they a fairly "new" company talking about "projections of where they hope to be" or is there a solid, proven "track record of their performance" , AND "How many OTHER companies are out there selling a similar product or service?"...Or in other words, "How much competition is there in the marketplace?" One of the many things I love about PPLSI which offers our legal plans and Kroll, Inc. which offers our Identity Theft Shield product, is that we are NOT a new company trying to get a small piece of an already existing industry, we represent two 30 plus year old, publicly traded companies that CREATED two industries. There is a proven track record to refer to. You also need to make sure you check out the level of support and training you will receive as this is key to your success.
Whatever you choose it has to be the right "vehicle" for YOU! My recommendation would be not to "prejudge" any opportunity based on the name of the company or what you THINK you know about it or even have heard from others. If you ask your broke neighbor what they think of XYZ Company, keep in mind that if you accept their opinion, you accept their lifestyle. Get ALL the facts and accurate information from the people directly involved and make your OWN intelligent, informed decision.
I wish you the best success in whatever path you choose and invite you to contact me directly. You can leave a voicemail message on my toll free number and I would be happy to get back with you. That number is 888-448-1489.
Respectfully at your service,
Susan
Susan Byrtus
Independent Associate/Executive Director
Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. (PPLSI)
Website: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/sbyrtus