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  • The Home Biz Lift Is Beginning

    Author: Rob Spiegel
    Some weeks ago I speculated that conditions were ripe for a home business
    resurgence. Millions of workers have lost their jobs and are not likely to
    find new opportunities soon. Add to this a growing interest in staying close
    to home after the September 11 attacks. Suddenly family is more important and
    tall buildings are less appealing. Launching a home-based company is a
    logical solution to these dual concerns.

    So I called Stacy Henderson, editor-in-chief of Home Business Magazine, to
    see if she sensed a greater interest in home businesses lately. The magazine
    is owned by Stacy and her husband, Richard, who acts as publisher for the
    bi-monthly publication covering the how-to and what-to of home-based
    enterprises. Henderson noted there was a clear increase in inquiries about
    home business. "We've noticed that people have inquired more about starting a
    home-based business during the months from September to the present, in
    comparison to this same time period in previous years."

    She speculated that some of the interest in home business was likely due to
    the events of September 11. "Neither Richard nor I have any statistics to
    support this, but we personally feel the 9/11 tragedy could be a contributing
    factor. It's certainly caused Richard and me to re-examine our own priorities
    and to renew out commitments to our family and our responsibilities at home."

    Henderson suggested that in addition to September 11, the economy itself is
    motivating people to consider starting a home business. "During the nine
    years of publishing Home Business Magazine, we've noticed that whenever the
    economy slows down, the interest in the home business market tends to
    accelerate," said Henderson. "People who have lost their jobs are seeking out
    home-based business alternatives. Nearly six percent of the U.S. workforce is
    now unemployed. Millions of workers are in danger of losing their jobs, and
    many of them will take their first look at home-business businesses."

    In addition to the motivation of employment problems and a year to be close
    to home, Henderson said technology now makes it easier for people to compete
    in a home-based environment. "Wireless communication, high-speed Internet
    connectivity, and more powerful personal computer and office equipment have
    now made home-based business owners and home office workers as competitive as
    any in the economy today," said Henderson. "This increases the potential for
    future home-based business growth."

    During the high craziness of the dot com boom, I had some fun imagining a
    changed world in which people worked from home in the midst of their
    families. I observed that this was a very natural way for human being to
    live, that for thousands of years people worked at home with their families,
    and that perhaps technology would finally allow us to return to a more
    familiar lifestyle. The act of going away to work each day, after all, was a
    mere 100-year interruption from our natural state. Now it was time to get
    back to the farm.

    For the part five years, I have made my living from home while raising young
    children. Most of the women I know, and at least half of the men, view my
    situation as enviable. For me it was partly choice, partly opportunity. For
    writers, working at home is not that unusual. I didn't have to give up a
    bustling career to work at home. The Internet further allowed me to
    participate in business journalism internationally. I remember getting out of
    the shower one morning and having my five-year-old daughter tell me that
    Erika called. "Erika who?" I asked.

    "Erika from Sweden," she beamed. Sure enough, a source had returned my call
    and had a charming conversation about Daddy in the shower.

    Over the years, my picture of people returning home to work is slowly coming
    true. And from my personal poll of friends, family and acquaintances, it's
    not happening nearly fast enough. There are now forces of technology,
    opportunity and personal interest pushing the trend. Don't be surprised if a
    good portion of the laid-off workforce decides to stay at home and work once
    the economy gets back into growth mode.

    About the Author

    Rob Spiegel is the author of Net Strategy (Dearborn) and The Shoestring
    Entrepreneur's Guide to Internet Start-ups (St. Martin's Press). You can
    reach Rob at spiegelrob@aol.com

    ...

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