My story is fairly common. My husband and I met and married in university. We both worked in the high tech field. After about five years of working, I entered an Executive MBA program. At work, I was moving into increasingly challenging management positions. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.

Suddenly, I was in my 30s and we decided that children were going to be part of our future. While pregnant, I had every intention of continuing my career. In fact, there was a great infant day care program in my office building. But plans and reality are not always the same thing.

My daughter didn't adjust well to day care, was constantly sick, and I was only managing to be at work about 3 days a week. Fortunately, they were downsizing and offered me a good buy-out package. Now I was a full-time Mom. I love being at home with my kids (daughter 4y and son 1y). But I had worked long and hard to acquire skills that were quietly slipping away.

We have our own consulting company, and I seriously considered part-time contracts. However, most contracts would involve meetings in town, possibly some travel, and frequent sitters for my kids. That approach just didn't fit with the life style we wanted for our family.

I spent over a year researching different possible home-based businesses, and trying to determine what would be right for us. After looking at many options, and actually writing 3 business plans, I had a fairly detailed criteria for the characteristics of any business we would consider.

1) The business had to be financially viable, and viable doesn't just mean break even. As a consultant, I could earn a high hourly wage. Any business would have to have the potential of generating a good income for the amount of time it would take me away from my kids. 

2) The business had to fit our lifestyle. I like spending a lot of time with my children, and hoped to find a way for them to be involved in our family business. Also, if the kids are sick, I am the primary care-giver. Any business would have to allow for very flexible scheduling. 

3) The business had to be something I could believe in. There are lots of good causes that could benefit from having an additional volunteer. I had no interest in trying to sell a product I didn't believe in. Basically, the product had to be something I would want used in my home.

Any business would have to meet those three criteria for me to even consider it. In addition, we had some
under-utilized resources. Ideally, any business would take advantage of some of those resources.

Anyone thinking about starting their own business should come up with their own criteria. Do you need a reason to get out of the house and meet people? Have you always wanted to pursue a dream? Decide what is important to you, before pick a business.

Now that I knew what I was looking for, I just needed to find the right business. The smartest thing we did was taking the time to work out a detailed business plan. This step alone saved us from making a $200,000 mistake. I am still surprised at the amount of planning and research it took before I realized that two possible businesses were not right for us, and one of them would have cost us our home. 

The first business was renting baby equipment (strollers, high chairs, cribs, ...)to visitors, either in private homes or through hotels and bed & breakfasts. We live near Victoria, British Columbia. It is a major tourist destination that attracts thousands of families each year. We could store the equipment in our unused basement. We owned a sport utility vehicle that could be used for deliveries. 

As a parent with young children, I felt qualified for this job. Purchasing lightly used equipment improved the financial viability of the business. It wasn't until I actually started estimating how my time would be spent with each rental, that I realized it wasn't right for us. The average delivery would take over an hour (including set-up time), and my daughter would hate it. She didn't like being in the car, and how would I carry/push her stroller, while dropping off and setting up the equipment. One very well written and researched business plan went back in the file cabinet. 

Next we considered purchasing a fine art printer. We have many internationally known artists living in our community. There was a new technology for making fine art prints that interested my husband. This business required a large capital investment, but I had checked with a financing company and we would qualify for the loan. My husband would also work full-time in this business and we would split the child-care duties. Best of all, he would be able to use the printer for his own art work. 

He had spent over two years investigating this technology. We took a research trip to see how other companies ran their businesses. Once I seriously looked at the numbers, I was willing to mortgage our home to start this company. Then, my husband looked at how he would be spending his time. He realized that he would have to work at least twice as many hours for the same income. This business did not fit with our lifestyle goals and another business plan went back in the drawer. 

It was discouraging to put so much effort into researching a business and then basically throw it all way. Were we being to picky? Should I put my hopes and goals on hold while the kids were young? There didn't seem to be a solution. 

At this point in time, two unrelated events happened that crystallized the idea for our company. The first event was watching my daughter's eyes light up when she got a package in the mail. The second event was listening to a small business owner describe how she came up with her business idea. She was frustrated over not being able to purchase some specialty products for her own family without driving for at least 30 minutes. She realized that there was an unmet need she could turn into a business. The lights went on and the concept for Creative Kids at Home crystallized. 

Children love getting mail. It makes them feel special. Someone cares enough to send them a package. Then there is the surprise of not knowing what is in the package. I liked the idea of creating a product that would be fun for kids. My daughter and I love doing crafts together. Craft packages could be sent through the mail, and kids would like having something they made themselves. 

So we started again on a new business plan. 

This business easily meets my first criteria. There are no meetings or customer visits. Most of the research is in the public library (very kid-friendly) Product development is done at my kitchen table and we have a great time. My daughter is old enough to help me assemble the craft packages, and enjoys the idea of sending things to other children. 

Customers can phone our toll free number to place an order, or visit our website. We are based in Canada, but with a website and toll free number, it is easy to be international. The exchange rate makes our products more competitive in the US. 

I do have voice mail, so if the kids are loud I let the voice mail pick-up and return the call when it calms down. Orders from the web can be processed once the kids are in bed. 

We've expanded our product line from the initial idea of the craft subscription (six packages sent throughout the year) to include birthday party activities and surprises boxes for vacations or rainy days. I love hearing how excited kids are when their packages arrive in the mail. 

Christine Nicholls (BSc., MBA) loves being mommy to Katherine (5y) and Duncan (2y). Her company, Creative Kids at Home specializes in creative gifts to delight children. http://www.creativekidsathome.com

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