Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day

Entrepreneurs Jeannine Clontz & Lauren Hidden celebrate the beauty of working from home with their fifth annual Doing Business in Your Bathroom Day, February 12, 2007.

If you are tired of waking up at the crack of dawn every morning, slipping on your uncomfortable business suit and fighting the traffic to get downtown, February 12 may be the perfect time to stop the insanity. Trade in your designer business suit for a plush bathrobe and trade your 30 minute commute into a 30 second walk to your home office. Monday, February 12, 2007 is the fifth annual "Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day," a day to celebrate the freedom home business ownership brings to those professionals who have grown tired of the rat race and made a major life change.

Pennsylvania virtual assistant, Lauren Hidden has been working from home since her older son was born more than six years ago. Her company, The Hidden Helpers, provides freelance writing, book editing and editorial virtual assistance services to individuals and businesses locally and nationwide. And yes, on Monday, February 12th, she will be working in her bathrobe. "I don't often wear a bathrobe when I'm working, but the point is, I can. Working at home is a different lifestyle than working at a corporate office. I can wear whatever I want, set my own work hours, take time off during the day to volunteer or keep appointments. I can choose who to work with and what projects I want to take on. There's nothing like working for yourself."

Like many other successful virtual assistants, Hidden got many, many emails from people (usually moms) looking for advice on how to start their own virtual business. In response, Hidden teamed up with former IVAA (International Virtual Assistants Association) President, Jeannine Clontz, to write their recently released book, Entrepreneurial Freedom: How to Start and Grow a Profitable Virtual Assistance Practice. "It's clear that many people are desperately looking for a career solution that makes them happy, said Clontz. Lauren and I wanted to help by giving new home business owners a step-by-step guide to building and growing their virtual businesses. So far, this book has been well-received--it is already considered a "must-read" by some colleges and VA training programs. In fact, because of numerous requests, a companion workbook is being released soon."

While starting and maintaining a home-based business may seem out of reach for many, and certainly is not for everyone, staggering numbers of professionals are considering work-from-home opportunities as a viable option to an ever-changing global corporate marketplace.

"Doing Business in Your Bathrobe Day" was created by Kristie Tamsevicius, co-founder of Webmomz.com. She views having a home business as the ultimate life balancer. "Some people may think that living and working under the same roof creates more stress, but in fact, just the opposite is true. Working from home gives you the freedom to schedule your work around your life, rather than the other way around. That way you can create a life that you truly love."

Clontz and Hidden agree. For the millions of people who have dreamed about a home-based business and the opportunity to finally have some life balance, February 12, 2007 may be the perfect day to call in sick, slip on your fluffy bathrobe and begin the entrepreneurial journey.