Guest Author: Debbie LaChusa

Raising a Happy, Healthy, Wealthy Home-Based Business

by Debbie LaChusa
NAHBM Founder, President & CEM
(Chief Entrepreneurial Mom!)

I remember when I was a brand new mom and my daughter Brianna was just an infant. Of course I had read books about baby development, but I still used to get so worried about things she was or wasn't doing.

For example, she was never one to sleep much during the day. I worried that she wasn't getting enough sleep. Then, she went through a stage where she cried for hours every evening at 6pm. We tried everything to calm her and finally took her to the doctor because we were convinced there was something terribly wrong with her.

Turns out lots of babies cry uncontrollably in the early evening hours. Whether you choose to call it colic or not, it's just a phase they go through. As a parent, you learn to accept it, get skills to cope with it, and you know that "this too shall pass."

Pretty soon I realized that each stage eventually ended ... and when that happened a new one began! I learned to stop worrying about each stage, because I realized it didn't do any good. I came to understand that's just what happens with a baby as she develops. And I learned to go with the flow and appreciate her and each stage she was going through.

Your Child's Development Stages
As a mom you watch your kids go through different development stages as you raise them. They go from baby to toddler, from child to tween, and from teen to adult.

And while you may sometimes be anxious for them to get out of one stage and move on to the next (for example, those terrible twos!), you accept that each stage is part of their development and you do your best to support them in whatever stage they're in.

You know you can't skip a development stage, and you also know you can't "rush" that stage in order to get on to the next one.

Did you know your business goes through those same stages, too? And much of the same patience and support is required if you want your baby business to grow into a healthy, happy adult business.

But often we get anxious. We want to skip a stage. We want to be at the stage where we see other businesses. But what we don't realize is those other businesses have already gone through the stage we're in.

The Six Business Development Stages
There are actually six main stages you and your business will go through. Once you become aware of these stages, and accept and welcome them, you can relax and enjoy your business, instead of always wishing you were in a different place.

To be continued...


Debbie LaChusa is the founder, president and CEM (Chief Entrepreneurial Mom!) of the National Association of Home-Based Business Moms (NAHBM). A former marketing executive, Debbie began her work-at-home journey nearly 20 years ago when her daughter was born. She has run her own home-based business since 1998, has coached thousands how to market their own businesses, and is the author of the book, The Career-at-Home Mom. Register for your Free Special Report, "Secrets for Raising a Happy, Healthy, and Wealthy Home-Based Business" and Home-Based Business Growth Chart, plus get a Free Starter Membership in the National Association of Home-Based Business Moms at http://www.nahbm.com