The Work-from-home Fauji Wife – 5 Beginner Issues & How To Crack It

For every feisty fauji wife/military spouse entrepreneur I meet – the ones who make working-from-home work for them through the thick and thin of fauji life, I meet 10 others who are equally qualified and super talented but are not sure how to turn their talents into a viable career. The question is, whether working-from-home or military spouse entrepreneurship can be made to fit into our already buzzing fauji life and how to go about doing it.

Can one set aside time to carve out a career while also hosting Ladies’ Clubs, welfare meets, coffee mornings, weekend parties, beerings and breakfasts?

Is working-from-home easy or difficult? Is it worth giving a shot?

These are a lot of questions, but let me zero down on the first step - how to hack through the beginner issues of working-from-home and get down to business.

Let me begin by the quickly outlining the common issues that many fauji ladies face while taking the work-at-home/entrepreneurial decision & how to find come up with viable solutions:

1. Issue: “How do I know what I should do from a back-of-beyond place (because I can’t find anything to fit my college degrees) or where do I start looking?”

Crack it: Make a list of your strengths and hobbies and interests. What floats your boat? For me it’s writing and green living & women’s wellness. For you, it might be art, craft, fashion, counseling, baking, teaching or designing. Do a quick online search to see what kind of entrepreneurial careers can be fashioned out of these. Would you like to exhibit your art or sell within your community (a lot of my friends do this); can you take permission to create a baking business from home (I’ve seen this too); would you enjoy teaching online (this is getting popular); or, working with a karigar to create your own jewellery range (a friend had a home-based silver business)? Pick out one or two ways that you can work with a talent or qualification to set something up for yourself.

2. Issue: “I don’t want to do business/be an entrepreneur and would rather work for someone.”

Crack it: I don’t know why, but setting up one’s own brand brings out the heejibeejies in many people. And while working for someone is great, when you’re posted in tiny places, working for a company or even finding a good company who’ll let you telecommute can be rare.

And honestly, there’s no better time to create your own venture than now. It’s not like you’re investing in a brick-and-mortar shop or stocking it with grocery items with expiry dates. Setting up your own brand is as simple as finding a skill to offer to the world, pick a name you like for your brand, get a logo designed (or don’t) and create a Facebook page and just start doing the work.

 3. Issue: “I know what work I'd like to do, but don’t have the relevant training.”

Crack it: Education is available at the click of a mouse. With tonnes of great online courses out there, it’s super easy to pick a course you like and hunker down to study. Or, there are amazing Youtube videos for free to learn from. A fauji wife friend learnt everything about professional baking through Youtube and now has a thriving home-baking business. I trained as a Certified Health Coach, Yoga Teacher and Women’s Wellness Educator through excellent online programs.

The resources are all there, but it boils down to how much you’re willing to search for the right course or spend time (or money) learning a skill.

 4. Issue: “Working-from-home is way harder than it seemed to be, and I’m looking for easier ways to earn money.”

Crack it: Yup, it might look easy when you just have the window-view to another work-from-home lady’s life (I’ve been told countless times how easy I have it!). But, when you roll up your sleeves and get to work, while also juggling the numerous doorbells and interruptions, social commitments, societal notions, postings, TD’s, spotty internet and power cuts, and the kiddo’s schedule, it can get overwhelming sometimes.

But if you give up now, you’ll also let go of the opportunity to build something for yourself – a career, a passion and an identity that’s wholly your own.

Do embrace the fact that creating a venture will need some work, time management and a case load of hard work. I’m yet to find a way to create a career that requires minimal or no work. Working-from-home also means letting go of a substantial share of one’s leisure time, and being prepared helps.

5. Issue: “I don’t think I’m cut out for that opportunity/idea/assignment.”

Crack it: I often see ladies give up even before they’ve given an opportunity/idea/lead a shot or a think through. I’m not talking about opportunities like a writer being asked to coach a kids’ football team, or a hardcore MBA person being asked to set up an exhibition (though this does happen). But I’m talking about ideas/leads/opps complimentary to the skill you have.

From personal experience, I’ve seen that leads/opps are hardly ever served to you on a silver platter, especially if you make your home in a back-of-beyond station. But if they do happen to come your way, it’s always a good idea to give it a shot. Talk to the person offering the assignment or research the opportunity and take some time to think it out. You never know the doors it can open up for you.

That’s all for now. I’ll be writing and sharing about how fauji wives can take the bull by its horns and make work-from-home entrepreneurship work for them.

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And while you're in full reading mojo, here's how green entrepreneur Renu Jain creates a natural skincare brand all about heart & healing.

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