My husband, Bill, our son ,Sam and I, Cindy, own our own business. We call it Social Cindy. Because we work out of the house, people often really and truly think we don’t work at all.
When we first moved here, Sam’s friends would come over at 1;00 or 2:00 o’clock and want to just hang out. We got to the point where we put a big sign on the front door saying, Work in Progress. Unless you are a delivery person or you are in grave danger, do NOT ring the doorbell or knock on our door until after 5:00 pm!.
Apparently we aren’t the only ones who deal with the misperception of no office, not really working. I borrowed this post from my friend and fellow entrepreneur..give it a read
How I Run My Biz From Home
by Kim Artlip
One of the misconceptions that people have about me that they believe I have a “day” or “shoot” job and are surprised to learn that my primary job is actually as the owner/promoter of IGNITE Wrestling. I run it from my “global headquarters” situated in my dedicated home office and I wouldn’t trade my work-from-home lifestyle running IGNITE Wrestling, our eCommerce store, and several other upcoming new branches of IGNITE for anything. But what cracks me up is how don’t view it as “real”, and I still get many questions about how it all “works.”
Am I my own boss? Do I feel tempted to watch TV? What do I do with all my “free time?”
First, yeah I’m my own boss and responsible for setting my schedule, goals, and meeting deadlines. I’m solely responsible for our graphics, social media management, websites, eCommerce, streaming, marketing, and promotion of the company so it’s a lot to take on but so rewarding and challenging that it never gets boring.
I know there are some of you out there scratching some part of your body and wondering if we only run 3-4 times a year now how this is a full-time job for me. Oh grasshopper, let me enlighten you now. SEO, social media management, marketing, publication, public relations and so much going into running a company that isn’t a vanity project.
Now for the tv question, yes I do have my television during part of the workday. Am I watching wrestling on it? Oddly no. I do watch some wrestling but mostly the television is for background noise and I watch it during breaks, lunch, etc.
Thirdly, what is free time? Haha. Seriously. I don’t commute and I walk through a room to get to my office. Honestly, my day starts far earlier than it ever did when I worked the traditional corporate office scene. I am checking emails, scanning social media and making notes, and adjusting our social media calendar to adjust to the news (deaths, announcements, injuries), and having some quiet time.
If you’re new to this whole working remotely thing, you probably have similar questions for yourself. Here’s the truth: In reality, working from home is more like working at an office than you would expect. Sure, I have the option of wearing yoga pants 24/7, streaming Five Finger Death Punch loudly on Alexa but I still have all the fun elements of any job. Deadlines, bills, meetings, and all that fun adulting stuff.
I know people think that I lay around eating bonbons and watching tv all day but trust me that doesn’t happen. I have never actually eaten a bonbon in real life and with my asthma and allergies I can’t do chocolate but I digress. I have a punch list, webinars, emails to deal with, graphics to design, columns to write. Plus I freelance as a writer (and a columnist here at the Gorilla Position) so I am fulfilling my obligations to those companies as well.
But one of the drawbacks I have had to deal with is people who devalue my time and think that what I do is not “real” so I should be able to drop what I’m doing and drive them to appointments, go to a movie, or grab lunch. When I normally pass since I’m busy, then it’s the whole “but you don’t work a real job” egg thrown at me.
To be fair, working from home is still a new concept. Friends and family may think your newfound freedom means you aren’t actually working. Address their misconceptions head-on, with a little grace and a lot of patience.
Start with some gentle education: Outline your company’s structure, what it does, and how you fit into the big picture. With a little context, most people will “get it” but some never will but that kinda goes under the category of “not my circus, not my monkeys.” Last, but definitely not least, demonstrate your work. How? Talk about a new or exciting project you’re tackling at work. Again, context and real-life examples are difficult to argue.
Just remember and realize that dreams and how we achieve them come in all shapes and sizes. Some of us do it in a home-based office surrounded by show posters as our cat lounges on our desk. Regardless of where and how we still chase those dreams. So until next time, ignite your fire and follow your dreams.”
You can follow both of us on Facebook, me, on Social Cindy, Kim at Ignite Wrestling
Cindy Fletcher
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