26 Reasons I Love Being a Work-from-Home Entrepreneur

26 Reasons I’m Grateful to Be a Work-from-Home Entrepreneur

Yoga pants. Loud music. No commute. Being there for my kids.

Working for yourself isn’t always glamorous—but when you stop and take stock, it’s a pretty incredible privilege.

In this episode of Ditch the Chaos, I’m sharing 26 real-life reasons I’m grateful to be a work-from-home entrepreneur. These aren’t fluffy perks or Instagram clichés—just the honest, often hilarious, truth about why I wouldn’t trade this work-life rhythm for anything.

You’ll hear:

– The small daily freedoms that make working from home worth it

– Why flexible work doesn’t mean “barely working”

– How I’ve built a version of productivity that actually works for moms

– The surprising routines (and non-routines) that help me stay grounded

If you’re an entrepreneur but your days still feel scattered or reactive, it’s time for a reset.

→ Start Chaos Detox and rebuild your time, energy, and focus from the inside out.

These reflections are part life update, part love letter to the work-from-home life—and a reminder that productivity should feel like peace, not pressure.

Want to read the original blog version of this episode?

CLICK HERE → 26 Reasons I’m Grateful to Be a Work-from-Home Entrepreneur

Transcript

# (26) 26 Reasons I Love Being a Work-from-Home Entrepreneur

[00:00:00] Have you ever made a gratitude list for your work life? It's a great time of year to come back to gratitude, and today I'm sharing 26 reasons. I wouldn't trade entrepreneurship for anything, and you just might see yourself in it.

[00:00:18] Welcome to Ditch the Chaos, a snackable podcast for ambitious women who are done with burnout, rigid routines, and productivity guilt. You'll get clear, actionable strategies to reclaim your time and energy without more hustle or endless to-do lists.

[00:00:33] I'm Cara Chace, entrepreneur since 2015. Mom of two wife to one, and I'm unapologetically caffeinated. Let's dive in.

[00:00:43] Have you ever thought about all those little things that make being an entrepreneur, especially a work from home business owner? Really awesome.

[00:00:52] I published the original blog post. That's the basis for this podcast episode back in 2015, and it's always a [00:01:00] fun one to go back and read and think about where I was as an entrepreneur then and where I am now as still a work from home entrepreneur. There have been some really big changes in my life.

[00:01:12] Two kids now instead of one. We've moved to a new city and we chose to homeschool and let's not even go there with a whole 2020 slash pandemic slash quarantine thing because that rocked everyone's world and ushered in a new working standard of flexibility and remote working. But on the whole, these 26 reasons still hold true, and I still love every single one of them.

[00:01:37] I wouldn't have it any other way. One thing is for sure. So many more people have discovered the joy and autonomy of working from home. But along with that comes needing new skills for how to structure your workday and practice intentional productivity without rigid routines. All while not binging Netflix too much and not getting [00:02:00] sucked into so many Zoom meetings that you don't actually get any work done If your days keep slipping away in meetings, distractions or decision fatigue. Chaos Detox will help you rebuild your time and focus from the inside out, which you can check out in the show notes.

[00:02:16] To me, fall is the start of family and friend season. It's the time of year you hopefully take a little more time to stop and be grateful for all you have and let your loved ones know that you do in fact love them even if they can drive you nuts. We love to make our own rules as a family, and one of them is that we don't really like Thanksgiving food, so we do a fun make your own pizza dinner instead.

[00:02:42] Every year around this time, people start talking about Thanksgiving plans, and when I tell people that we do pizza and pumpkin pie, I inevitably get the wide-eyed look and the big smiles followed by, oh my gosh, that sounds amazing. I love that idea. It makes me so grateful that [00:03:00] we have the courage to buck tradition and make our own path a trait that's pretty common with most entrepreneurs that you probably identify with.

[00:03:08] And while I'd like to be more consciously grateful all the time, that's still a work in progress for me, and it probably is for you too. Of course. I have many other things to be grateful for and thankful for besides what I do for a living. But this choice to be a work from home entrepreneur like no other has impacted my life the most, other than my husband and my kiddos.

[00:03:32] In my first career as a special agent, I knew pretty quickly that I did not wanna spend 25 years working for the government. It's not like tv, let me tell you. It took 10 years for the time in the situation to be right, but when I left not knowing what it was that I was gonna do next, most people in my life thought I was nuts.

[00:03:53] I left a six figure salary, incredible health benefits, and a pension. That's right, an actual [00:04:00] pension. I would've been eligible to fully retire at 47 years old. That seems crazy, right? The only thing that seemed crazy to me was going to work day in and day out with a series of horrible, and I mean, horrible supervisors sitting in my car for days destroying my back, my health suffering severely and simply being a body, a number , to be used until I dropped.

[00:04:27] And while my professional career has been interesting to say the least since I left the government, every single step has been to set myself up to be my own boss, and it's not in any way, shape, or form rainbows or kittens. It is quite simply the hardest professional thing I have ever done and continue to do.

[00:04:46] It's an emotional rollercoaster with the ever present fear. Can I do this? Will I make it? Can I help support my family? Am I a fraud? Will anyone buy from me? But in between those paralyzing [00:05:00] moments, which are getting to be less and less, as I persevere and figure it out year after year, there are lots and lots of moments of sheer gratitude.

[00:05:09] So without further ado, here are the 26 reasons I'm super grateful and thankful to be an entrepreneur in no particular order.

[00:05:19] Yoga pants. Yes, I'm starting with that. Any woman entrepreneur who works from home and says they don't wear yoga pants or sweats often is lying free ish. Good. Good coffee. There's nothing worse than shitty office coffee or expensive burnt Starbucks. No thanks. I pay for super high quality, mold-free coffee that I savor every morning.

[00:05:45] It's so great and I rarely even think about getting coffee while I'm out and about setting my own hours, even if I'm working more than I would in a typical office job. The ability to work when I want, for the most part is totally amazing [00:06:00] sick days. Even if I still have work that I must get done, not worrying about being semi presentable at an office while trying not to get others sick is really nice.

[00:06:12] Midday errands, I love this one. Costco oil change pedicure. Basically anything you have to do outta the house that is not as fun when everyone else is there on the weekends day drinking. Okay. I am kind of kidding. I pretty much don't drink anymore for health reasons. It just doesn't work for me. But I do remember how nice it was many years ago when I first started doing this, when you could have the occasional late lunch with a friend, with a beer or whatever your drink of choice is.

[00:06:44] So I don't do it anymore, but I could the support network. No one cheerleads for entrepreneurs louder than other entrepreneurs. My office dog, I was able to spend the last several years of my [00:07:00] dog's long, 16 years with her at home, which was such a gift. And now we have a 2-year-old German Shepherd who gets to Revel in all of us being home with her all day, and it's so fun.

[00:07:11] No crappy clients. I choose who I want to work with. I got over the take any client mindset real quick. The sky is the limit when you are creating your own business and your own future, truly. Now, if I could just clone myself, I'd get there quicker. Time with my kiddos. I really should have led with this one, but it's self-explanatory.

[00:07:37] I have the privilege of creating my day around their needs as much as I need to, and I will never get back this time with them. And it's everything. No commute, no explanation necessary here. Commute suck. Maybe the only redeeming thing was podcast and music listening time. No paying for gas, parking, and [00:08:00] lunch.

[00:08:00] Some people and employers don't realize the huge extra expense that comes with working in an office. The cost savings of working from home makes a big difference in our budget time to prep dinner. Theoretically, I could stop working and start to prep dinner in the afternoon and not be rushed to throw something together later.

[00:08:20] I'm still working on that one, but I could talking to myself. I get my best ideas when I think out loud. New tools that let you talk out your brain dump and transcribe it straight into your notes have been so helpful for me. That would be much more awkward in an office setting. No makeup days. I love makeup, but I also love not wearing makeup.

[00:08:44] If I'm not meeting anyone professionally and not doing a video or client meeting, then I'm usually bare faced and I don't care. Naps. Yes, naps. Usually that means I have to make it up later, but it helps me get a [00:09:00] second wind. A 15 minute nap with binaural beats is one of my favorite tools to unplug and reset when I've hit that afternoon.

[00:09:08] Slump Loud music. I am a total metalhead and I like my music louder than any sort of reasonable volume, and headphones just bug me after a while. Now that everyone is home, I don't listen to music so much at home, but I do listen in my car when I'm out doing those midday errands in office yoga, I can stop what I'm doing for 10 to 20 minutes of good stretching without trying to find a space in an office to do it privately.

[00:09:39] And I'm usually already wearing yoga pants, so that works out neighborhood walks. Every office I've ever worked in has not been conducive to taking a walk in the middle of the day. I love my neighborhood and I try and get in a quick walk, often networking. The option to meet collaborative partners at pretty much [00:10:00] any time is totally convenient.

[00:10:01] I have strong boundaries around not doing meetings during my best brain juice time, but it's nice not to have to make time after hours or on weekends. Day off flexibility or midweek vacations. If the cheapest hotel rate is Monday through Thursday, that's no problem. I'll just work on the weekend to make up for it if I need to slow mornings, I'm an early riser, but I don't like to be rushed Now that the kids are homeschooled, we all take the time to wind up and wake up in the morning to ease into our day mobile office.

[00:10:37] Working from home means I do get cabin fever. It's no problem. I can take my laptop anywhere and there's wifi and I can still get stuff done. Natural light. If you've ever worked in an office cubicle farm with overhead fluorescent lighting, you know what a gift natural light is. I'm fortunate to have a home [00:11:00] office set up that lets me gaze out into my beautiful property while I'm at my desk.

[00:11:04] There's simply no substitute for natural light, for productivity and wellbeing. And last the buck stops with me. It's incredibly clarifying to know it's all up to me. The failures or the lessons, the wins, the work. It's all my choice. This awesome list might seem like I'm flitting around doing whatever all day and hardly working.

[00:11:29] Quite the opposite actually. I've built my own version of productivity for woman entrepreneurs, which is focused, flexible, and grounded. What about you? If you're an entrepreneur, what's on your grateful list? Entrepreneurship gives us incredible freedom, but it also demands clarity, focus, and systems that actually work for your real life.

[00:11:53] True productivity for women isn't about doing more. It's about building a rhythm that protects your energy and lets you work on [00:12:00] your terms. If your day still feels scattered or reactive, it's time for a reset. Head over to the show notes to find out more about Chaos Detox, and learn how to rebuild your time, energy, and focus from the inside out.

[00:12:14] So here's your reset and reclaim action step for the week. Make your own gratitude list for work, whether you're an entrepreneur or not. Jot down 10 reasons you're thankful for your current setup. Notice what brings a smile to your face and what you want more of. Thanks for tuning in. I'd be super grateful if you'd take 30 seconds to leave a quick review.

[00:12:37] If this helped, it helps other women find the show. Until next time, I'm Cara Chace reminding you to keep questioning the rules and making your own.