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June 2007
Supplement to Travel Trade

By Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC
President, NACTA

[This is a continuation of my article in the May 21 edition of Home Based Trade about how much family matters when starting a business as a couple.]

The Family Meeting
We are all so busy in our business and personal lives that we sometimes forget to involve those who are most important to us, our family.
In recent articles I have shared how our family has regular meetings and well checks. Recently, our son Andy asked me to sit with him and his calendar to let him know “where in the world mom will be for the next three months.” Sounds kind of silly perhaps, but at age 23 he also has a schedule and we both needed to communicate what was on our agendas. It was really quite entertaining to go through this exercise.
No matter how well you may get along with your partner, there may be some times where you disagree. I always like to end a disagreement, if possible, with the simple statement, “OK, I am right of course, but let’s just agree to disagree.” While this does not get us anywhere productive, it does loosen up some of the tension. What is really important is how you resolve disagreements and, as mentioned before, having a clear division of responsibilities and the ability to make decisions about your area of responsibility.
Sometimes you might find it helpful to actually schedule meetings with one another to discuss business. Plan a breakfast meeting or lunch out and be prepared to delve into some business issues that need discussion. If you make the time and plan this, you may find the results are far more productive. This is especially helpful in keeping a clear line of distinction between business and personal life.

Business@Home or Home@Business?
The business must be something separate from your relationship and home, and the relationship and home must be separate from business to achieve success. Think this through. You want both of these important pieces of your life to be successful, but keeping some separation between them is absolutely mandatory to maintain a balance.
Ask yourself a simple question: What do you consider to be personal time? Is it time to sit and read a book, go to the beach, take a walk, see a movie or maybe sleep in? In a perfect world, when the business phone rings at 7:30 p.m. and you are supposed to STOP WORKING at 6:30 p.m., should you answer it?
Well, you should try not to — and relish in your personal life and the decision you have made to draw some lines. Will you answer it? That decision is up to you, but remember it is all about balance. You, better than anyone, will know if your business is having a negative impact on your personal life — and I’ll leave it to you to pay heed. When you hear those little voices telling you something.... listen.

You Don’t Really Work, Do You?
How many of you have experienced the intrusion from neighbors, friends and even an extended family member who figures you can take off and play any time you wish? The perception for many who have not walked the walk or talked the talk is that working from home is a walk in the park. You could not possibly have a real job to do when you do it at home, right?
Nothing could be further from the truth, as you already know. It is our responsibility to educate our family and friends about how important our business is to us. We need to learn to draw the line in the sand and be clear with others that this is our business and we do have set hours and responsibilities. This is necessary for your sanity and for the survival of your business, as well as being necessary for both your personal and business relationships.
My husband Tom and I have been working from a Home Base for more than 13 years now and I cannot imagine doing it any other way. Sure, there have been and will likely continue to be some days where we think having an office outside the home might be a good thing.
However, that is usually a fleeting thought. As soon as we start to think about the benefits of working from home and the invaluable time we get to be near each other, we know it is the best business decision we ever made. I hope you will find as much joy in working alongside your family members as I have, because family really does matter most.