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Not all home-based businesses meet with success. Women undergo various emotional changes when they give up their regular jobs for whatever reason. When they feel they are ready to pick up the threads again, they might find that they have been left far behind in the race as newer and more qualified people have entered the fray. Either in sheer frustration, or in an attempt to prove their worth to themselves, some women might turn to home-based businesses as an alternative to a job. Others might do so with every intention of being successful in their venture. Whatever might be the reason for becoming an entrepreneur, it will do you good to analyse yourself and have an action plan to deal with the emotions that control you. Do this before you invest time, money and your heart and soul in pursuing your dreams. The ten most common obstacles you might come across are:

An unexplained fear of rejection

You may be intimidated by the marketing and sales aspect of your business. Any home-based business will prosper only with some marketing which could be just PR or a soft sell. If you shy away from `selling` your product or recoil at the thought, it is time you overcome this by reading up books on marketing skills, or even practicing sales talk with friends as an audience.

Depression

You might be prone to depression which will cloud all your abilities to think straight. Instead, you will be full of guilt and anxiety which will only serve to defeat your purpose. Should you find in yourself even an iota of depression syndrome, we advise you to think twice before you start your own business. You need a very strong and supportive family who will be able to guide you out of this mental state and you must also have a plan that will help you deal with this condition whenever it strikes. One major deterrent will be that any home business will isolate you and may even make you feel lonely at times. If you are already prone to depression, this will only worsen your condition. With no accountability, you might just succumb to your emotions and then your work will suffer. Even a small thing like lack of attention to your home can set off these guilt pangs. You stop rational and objective thought. With the house in a mess, your guilt will only lead you into a lose-lose situation.Take hold of yourself before it is too late and make your mental happiness and clarity of thought your first priority. Now.

Mental block towards discussing money, rates, fees etc

Most creative professionals go through this problem. But get your act together and fast, as this is one of the negative thought processes that can ruin a business if it is not checked right at the beginning. Again reading up on the subject might really help. Or you can get some counseling as to how you can address this problem.

Do you suffer from ADD? (Attention Deficiency Syndrome)

Generally extremely creative people are so brilliant with their new ideas that they go from one to the other without pausing to think ` in short, they are visionaries with broad and far reaching creative ideas. They cannot allow themselves to get bored but then they do have a problem with focus. What you got to understand is that a home business would require twice as much concentration as a regular job because your responsibilities are that much more. Without a structured office atmosphere, you might find yourself going haywire. Such people would do well to practice meditation to calm and focus the mind.

Do you suffer from low self-esteem?

This is quite common, especially when you are in the grip of the fear of rejection and depression. Low self-esteem is a huge problem that one has to overcome in life in general ` but it can become absolutely insurmountable in the office environment. Actually being self employed is tougher most of the time but once you take a firm hold on yourself and believe in your capability to make it happen and succeed, it is a gamble you should make. Never let low self esteem hamper your progress. It is advisable for you to go to a counselor to get rid of the problem real fast.

You just can`t say `No`

If you are the kind who just doesn`t know how to say `No`, believe me, you are in trouble. You are the person who lands up with the most unenviable and time-consuming jobs simply because you don`t know how to refuse. Everyone, but everyone takes advantage of you ` you are always working overtime, your weekends are never yours, and you are saddled with yet another project just because you didn`t say `No` firmly enough. If you are self employed, your troubles are doubled. Learn to be absolutely firm when dealing with your clients. Ask yourself what it is going to be like a few years hence. Fix up a goal and work towards it. Learn to distinguish between clients who are likely to take your business forward and those who would harm it. Once you analyse, take firm decisions and weed out the useless clients who just prey on your time and energy.

Beware of workaholic tendencies

Keep clear boundaries between work and the home office. In the beginning, you might find yourself working long hours. The danger is that you might get used to working this way and forget to balance the hours spent with your family. Therefore strike a clear balance right from the beginning and schedule your family time and stick to it. It is so easy to neglect your family `just this once`, but it may become an unwelcome habit.

Never become pessimistic

Once you focus on what you want rather than what you don`t want, you will find that things have a knack of working out. One of the best quotes I read recently goes Come to me with your solutions, not your problems". So ask yourself positive questions so that you get better answers. Ask How can I reward my clients who pay me promptly?" instead of asking Why is it that my clients are such poor paymasters?" This way, you become a positive thinker and can get more things done faster as you don`t spend time brooding.

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