Are you VC-compatible? - Passion & Motivation

Let's explore the characteristics you should possess and develop in order to prosper in cyberspace.

Do you have what it takes to create a virtual corporation?

Running a virtual corporation takes an entirely different skill set and frame of mind than working at a physical location. The popular conception of people who work from home, or telecommute, is a rather skewed one: when you think of working from home, you're likely picturing a leisurely individual clad in pajamas and bunny slippers, lounging poolside with a laptop and a cool drink. This erroneous image of a glamorous freedom from responsibility, all while earning more money than you could possibly spend, has become the impetus for many disgruntled office employees and homemakers to fuel the growth of work-at-home scams.

It's not all cold drinks, pool boys and relaxation!

The reality of operating a virtual corporation is much less dazzling. Ask anyone who runs a business from home, and they'll paint a more accurate picture of long hours, endless responsibilities, and struggles with clients that would never occur in the regular business world. The VC business model is not the easiest form to tackle.

However, make no mistake: it is the most rewarding, and eventually, the most fun. And it does get easier. By arming yourself with the facts about running a virtual corporation before you begin one, you can turn a potential disaster into the best and most satisfying career you will ever have-and someday you will find yourself in the lounge chair by the pool, with a laptop and a cool drink, while everyone is asking you how you did it.

We'll start by discussing the aforementioned character traits you need to be a successful virtual corporation.

Passion:
Does this one come as a surprise? Passion may not seem like a difficult trait to come by, but it's one of the most important for anyone working from home. You are going to be spending a lot of time thinking about your business, developing your business, working on your business, and convincing potential customers to give you business. That makes your passion for what you're doing an essential element of your skill set for two important reasons. One is that you will live and breathe your product or service. The other is that when you believe in what you're doing (or selling), that passion will shine through in your work, and your customers will feel confident in dealing with you.

Motivation:
Are you driven to work for yourself? The reasons behind the decision to work from home in a virtual setting are as varied as the people who do it. For many, it is the freedom of creativity and the challenge of making all the decisions themselves that drives them away from an office setting. Some are simply tired of lining other people's pockets with the fruits of their labor. Thousands of parents make the move to virtual corporations in order to spend more time with their families. Still another great reason to work from home is the expense you will save on gas, travel time, professional attire, and takeout lunches.

Whatever your reasons for choosing to start or transition to a virtual corporation, make sure the motivation behind them is powerful enough to keep you working when the going gets tough.

Determine your motivations for running a virtual corporation right from the start:

• "I want to be here for my family," or
  
• "I'm sick of dazzling clients left and right just to make my boss look good," or
  
• "If gas prices rise one more time, I'll have to start riding a bike to work."
  

Then commemorate those motivations in physical form: make a poster, use the marquee setting on your computer's screensaver, or write it with a marker on a coffee mug. Keep your driving force on display at your home office desk and glance at it every once in a while-like after you've just argued with a client over why he should pay the invoice you sent him thirty days ago, or while you're up at two in the morning trying to put the finishing touches on a proposal. It will remind you why you're doing this, and what your rewards are.